George Lucas’ Storm Troopers from the blockbuster Star Wars films were created as an elite army with no fears, just a determination to be victorious. This week saw a new breed of Storm Troopers at the Atlanta Spring Classics finale. Shaker Heights, OH-based David Jennings and partner Marcus Aurelius triumphed over Mother Nature in the Lucky Sevens Welcome Stake and the Atlanta Spring Grand Prix, both presented by Classic Company. Despite torrents of rain that came and went throughout most of...

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy won the richest ASG Software Solutions/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby Saturday night, March 28, when they triumphed over a record number of entries to win the $50,000 class at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). Alfano of Buffalo, NY, held on to the lead she established in the first of two rounds of competition to return for the final to post her second straight victory in the multi-year nationwide...

With a faultless show jumping round on the final day of competition at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials, Amy Tryon and Leyland claimed the Adequan/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup as the winner of the CIC***. Tryon’s perfect round gave her a final a score of 51.6 penalties, enough to vault her from third to first after second-placed Kelly Prather lowered one rail on Ballinakill Glory (53.8) and third-placed Jolie Sexson lowered two rails on Killian O’Connor (55.7),...

This year, more than $180,000 will be offered from the Kentucky Breeders Incentive Program to members of the Kentucky Saddlebred Owners and Breeders Association (KSOBA), a charter club of the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA). Kentucky-bred American Saddlebreds that have been nominated to compete in the 2009 American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes events for four-year-olds will receive Kentucky Breeders Incentive Funds as added prize money. The allotted pool for the 2009...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has announced the schedule for the 2009 ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge. The events currently scheduled for 2009 range from March to November, and are set to be held at various shows across the country. The ASHA Junior Exhibitor Driving Challenge, funded by Elisabeth Goth, was developed to promote the American Saddlebred driving divisions among junior exhibitors. Competitors 17 years of age and under are adding driving to their...

The 2009 Kentucky Spring Premier Horse Show will be held Thursday, April 30, through Saturday, May 2, 2009, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Brian Reimer of Turin, GA, will judge the Saddlebred, Hackney and Friesian classes, with Katie Case handling the Academy division. Following the success of last year, the open stakes will be held Friday night with the amateur championships on Saturday night. The Kentucky Spring Premier is proud to be the first show to participate in the added...

The Certificate of Service has long been part of the process used to register a Morgan horse. The purpose of the Certificate of Service has always been for the stallion owner to certify the mating that produced the foal. This certification was used as an additional tool to verify the accuracy of the pedigree represented on the registration. As such, the Morgan Horse Registry was based on the mare and stallion owner’s certification that the pedigree was accurate as presented. In the 1980s, the...

The University of Minnesota is performing a study on tying up in Morgan horses. One cause for tying up in horses of all breeds is type 1 Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), for which there is now a genetic test that uses blood or hair roots. (For more information about the test, go to www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/Advances_in_PSSM.html .) However, there are horses that appear to have a type 2 form of PSSM, which, at present, can only be diagnosed by muscle biopsy. The University of Minnesota is...

Riders taking part in the "Intro to Eventing" clinic at The Oaks Equestrian Center, home to the inaugural O’Connor Signature Facility, not only learned the basics of eventing but also had a chance to test out the world-class cross-country course designed by Olympians David and Karen O’Connor. Rhonda Gailey, Resident Equestrian Facility Manager of The Oaks Equestrian Center, taught the two-day Intro to Eventing clinic. “We had an excellent response for the clinic. Everyone who attended learned a...

A new trend in horse showing? Last fall Bob Bell, President of Classic Company, looked at his budget for the 2009 show season and decided there had to be some changes made. From May 22 to May 24, Bell will produce his first “Boutique” horse show in Tryon, NC, at the Harmon Field location, virtually in the downtown area, which only added to the new “definition” the show manager has created for these new events. Boutique (boo teek)—A horse show that is fashionable and unique. Always held at...