Daniel Geitner, of Aiken, South Carolina’s DFG Stables, dominated GALA’s January Jazz II competition in Folsom LA, last week. The hunter champion and prominent trainer piloted his mount, Trading Places, to top honors in both the opening $5,000 Welcome Stake and the closing $25,000 Grand Prix on January 27. In the days following the Welcome, the weather in Folsom turned rainy and cold. Geitner, nevertheless, turned up the heat for the Saturday Prix, steering Places, an eight-year-old Argentine...

(Lexington, KY) - A Para-equestrian dressage training clinic will be held February 2nd through 4th in Flower Mound, Texas at the Victory Farm. The clinic is being funded by the United States Olympic Committee Paralympic Division in an effort to attract more developing Para-equestrian riders to the sport. Instruction will be provided by Renee Albrecq, who was the assistant Para-equestrian coach at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and is the coach of 2004 Paralympic medalist Lynn Seidemann, who...

(Lexington, KY) – Maureen Pethick has joined the United States Equestrian Federation as Dressage High Performance Coordinator. She will work two days a week from the USEF Gladstone, New Jersey office and will be responsible for processing all High Performance athlete applications for international events; answering athlete/owner questions about those competitions; coordinating travel logistics; competition at an event; and administering USEF athlete grants. Pethick has extensive experience with...

The United States Eventing Association (USEA)/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series will kick off its 2007 season on March 14 at the Sporting Days in Aiken Horse Trials in Aiken, SC. The series, which is best described as an equine talent search, gives some of the most talented youngsters in the country a chance to shine, with the ultimate goal to find future four-star champions. At least 20 qualifying competitions are planned for 2007, with the championships scheduled for September 12, at...

The American Saddlebred industry is mourning the loss of longtime Saddlebred breeder and exhibitor Barbara J. Blacklaw, who died Friday morning, January 26, in Palm Springs, CA. Barbara and her husband of nearly 50 years, Bill Blacklaw, operated Singing Hills Stables in Oregon City, OR, for the past 39 years, breeding and training American Saddlebreds. Together their contribution to the Saddlebred industry in the Northwest and across the country has been remarkable. Barbara's love of the...

In a joint effort, Stadium Jumping, Inc., the management company of the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), and Littlewood Horse Shows will offer exhibitors a greater variety in showing opportunities than ever before. WEF runs from January 24 to March 18, 2007, in Wellington, FL, and then moves to the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center for two weeks of competition in Tampa, FL, on March 28 to April 7, 2007. WEF includes three new weeks of competition this year: the Littlewood PBI Inaugural,...

The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) has relocated its office and is now part of the United States Pony Club headquarters building. Since its creation in 2004, KEEP had been housed in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) building at the Kentucky Horse Park. The U.S. Pony Club is next door to the USEF building. “We’re thrilled to be able to remain at the Kentucky Horse Park and part of the National Horse Center,” said Patrick Neely, KEEP Executive Director. “We interact with so...

(Lexington, KY) - The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.® announces the launch of new USEF Dressage Developing Programs. The new 2007 USEF Dressage Developing Programs are an initiative to recognize and reward up-and-coming talent in the sport, and will include the following: • 2007 USEF National Junior Dressage Championship (riders 14 – 18). Formerly the Junior Team Dressage Championship, the top 12 junior riders in the country will now qualify for the National Championship contested in...

Courtney Rodrigue and Role Model, champions in the Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunters at Jacksonville International Horse Show. (Jennifer Wood/PMG Pictures) The riders from Over the Hill Farm of Sanford, FL, were extremely successful in their first show of the year, the Jacksonville International Horse Show, held at the Clay County Fairgrounds on January 17-21, 2007. Led by trainer Bill Schaub, they brought home eight championships and seven reserve championships over the week. Jacksonville, FL,...

The purpose of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Young Horse Dressage Training Sessions is to identify and develop top equine dressage talent in the United States for a future career at the FEI level and international competition on U.S. teams. Mirroring the existing high-performance development programs, horses should be actively training and competing and therefore may be invited to participate in training sessions with the aspiration of their participating in the 2007...