A crowd favorite at the 2008 Road to the Horse, Tommy Garland will return in 2009 applying his CPR method in his quest to win this prestigious competition. Garland's method is all about confidence, patience and respect when working with and training horses. Garland is considered one of the best trainers and showmen in the world of Arabians and Half-Arabians and was named the Western Pleasure Trainer of the Year in 2002 by the Arabian Professionals and Amateur Horseman's Association. When he...

The American Horse Council is pleased to announce the arrival of Julia Andersen, who will serve as the director of the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC). Andersen came to the UHC with a versatile background in communications and a lifelong passion for horses. While receiving undergraduate degrees in rhetoric/communications and fine arts from Mount St. Mary’s University, Andersen also founded the school’s equestrian team and club. She went on to earn her master’s degree in journalism from Emerson...

Nearly 800 Appaloosas traveled to Jackson, MS, to compete for prestigious titles in the 61st National Appaloosa Show and the World Championship Youth Show that began June 23 at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds. Hundreds of exhibitors and their Appaloosas competed throughout the 13-day event in 221 classes; all of which allowed the participants and their horses to demonstrate the excellent disposition and versatility of the Appaloosa breed. Exhibitors had the opportunity to compete in three...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced the hiring of James Lawson as the organization’s Business Manager for the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) MemberPerks program, which is administered by NTRA Advantage. Based at the NTRA’s Lexington headquarters, Lawson will oversee USEF MemberPerks, which offers significant savings on products and services from John Deere, Sherwin-Williams, UPS, Toshiba, Office Depot, Office Max, Equine Travel Advantage, FarmVet.com and...

Daniel Geitner of the Aiken, SC-based DFG Stables, chalks up another one. At the Sixth Annual Tryon Riding Hunt Club Horse Show, Geitner and Sympa, owned by Mrs. Charles Bostwick, led the victory gallop in the weekend’s $15,000 Equestrian Sports Productions Grand Prix. A field of 20 took on JP Goddard’s 15-effort challenge on Saturday, but only eleven returned for the seven-effort jump-off round, including Geitner aboard Sympa and also Snook, owned by Sara Stumburg. Geitner piloted both of the...

The American Saddle Horse Breeders Futurity of Wisconsin announced that it will once again host the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s National Pleasure Equitation Championship. The national championship attracts exhibitors from across the United States and is a “must do” for the most accomplished pleasure equitation competitors. The competition includes rail work followed by a workout. Competitors are scored using a numerical scale by each of the three judges. Scores for rail work and the...

The facilities for providing first-rate care of horses brought to Hong Kong for the Olympic Games in August have been given the thumbs-up by members of the Animal Welfare Advisory Group (AWAG) who visited the two equestrian venues. “I think the welfare of the horses is being very well taken care of,” said Chan Pui-tin, after he and five colleagues inspected the venues on June 24.. “We have asked a lot of questions on a range of topics, big and small, such as whether the horses will suffer from...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) 2008 National Para Equestrian Championships and the USEF Selection Trials for the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team-Equestrian begins this Friday, May 16, at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL, and will conclude Sunday, May 18. The USEF National Para Equestrian Championships and the USEF Selection Trials for the 2008 U.S. Paralympic Team-Equestrian will run concurrently with the dressage competition kicking off Friday with the...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) welcomes all of it’s new and returning all-breeds participating registries/organizations (POs). The newly added POs for the 2008 competition season include: the Palomino Horse Breeders of America, the Fell Pony Society of North America, the United States P.R.E. Association, the Canadian Horse Breeders Association, the Friesian Sporthorse Association, the Friesian Heritage Horse & Sport Horse International, and the Nokota Horse Conservancy. All POs,...

The American Vaulting Association board, at its recent annual meeting, voted to match the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s $1,500 donation to the USEF Youth Council, announced at the recent USEF Inaugural Youth Convention in Lexington. AVA President Nancy Stevens-Brown and AVA Board Member and USEF Youth Council Member Megan Benjamin led the charge. "Those lucky enough to be involved with horses take pride in the positive influence horses have on children, recognizing that every...