2004 Olympic Show Jumping Gold Medalists: McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Chris Kappler and Peter Wylde. (Photo by Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, FL – It was a perfect star spangled afternoon in the Internationale Arena at the Palm Beach Polo and Equestrian Club as Silver turned to Gold when the 2004 Olympic Team Gold medals were awarded to the United States Show Jumping Team. The 2004 Athens Olympic team of Peter Wylde, residing in Maastricht, The Netherlands; McLain Ward of...

Aaron Vale and Serval, owned by The Serval Group, led the victory gallop in the $25,000 HITS Ocala Grand Prix on Sunday, January 29, posting the only double-clear round out of a class of 22 horse-and-rider combinations. Course Designer Jerry Dougherty set a first-round course that saw only four riders advance to the jump-off. Derek Petersen opened the jump-off with Heaven Bound, a 10-year-old former dressage horse he brought over from Germany in 2004. Had it not been for an unlucky rail at the...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation announced that in 2005 it awarded $1.9 million to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) in support of its high-performance programs: dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping and vaulting. The grant was made possible by the generous donations of contributors in response to the USET Foundation’s successful fundraising efforts. “I can’t thank the wonderful and generous contributors to the USET Foundation enough,”...

A Judges and Stewards Clinic will be held on February 4-5, 2006, in Tampa, FL. The clinic is open to anyone who wants to attend, not just judges and stewards. The fee for auditors is $25, for Renewal Judges/Stewards that pre-entered by January 23, 2006, the fee was $100. For Renewal Judges/Stewards that enter after January 23, 2006, the fee is $125. On Saturday, February 4, 2006, the clinic will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel. Some of the topics to be discussed are rule changes (from the...

The grace period deadline for American Saddlebred Registry Futurity, Sweepstakes payments and Three-Year-Old and Four-Year-Old new Sweepstakes nominations is Friday, February 10. All payments and/or nominations must be postmarked or faxed to the American Saddlebred Registry office on or before February 10. Yearlings (2005 foals) may be nominated to the Three-Year-Old Sweepstakes and three-year-olds may be nominated to the Four-Year-Old Sweepstakes. Nomination forms can be downloaded from the...

Dr. Rebecca Gimenez and Dr. Tomas Gimenez are preparing a book on technical large animal ermergency rescue for Blackwell Publishing in Oxford that is scheduled for publication in 2007. This book will reflect the increasing demand for proper techniques and standardized procedures for use by veterinarians, horse owners and professional emergency responders on equine incident scenes, both in emergencies and disasters. Throughout the book, emphasis will be on understanding prey animal behavior and...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. is pleased to announce the appointment of Mr. Scott Hassler as the National Young Horse Dressage Coach, as part of the highly successful Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. The establishment of this coaching position is an illustration of the Federation’s continuing initiatives to support and emphasize structured development of future FEI-level dressage horses and riders. Hassler is the Training Director at the...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Dressage Committee is pleased to announce the launch of a new dressage championship program in 2006, the "Passage Cup." Designed to assist and encourage today's Young Riders as they transition to the Senior Grand Prix, the Passage Cup will shed much-needed light on tomorrow's stars--today. "With this exciting new program, we're looking to 'bridge the gap' for our talented dressage riders who are graduating from the Young Rider ranks to High...

The United States Eventing Association has announced that the 2006 Maui Jim Horse Trials in Wayne, IL, will again be part of the Adequan Gold Cup Series of events, thus designating it as one of the 12 “premier” eventing competitions in the United States. Maui Jim Horse Trials, who recently entered into a five-year sponsorship agreement with Maui Jim, Inc., the Peoria-based manufacturer of high-end sunglasses, will offer riders a new look for the July 7-9 competition. A long unused parcel of...

Federico Sztyrle on Fatalis Fatum edged out Margie Engle by less than a half second to win the Palm Beach Toyota’s $25,000 Grand Prix at Littlewood on January 22, 2006. Engle came in second place riding Canaille and third riding Hidden Creek’s Charlie Brown. Fourth went to Andres Rodriguez on Indien D’ Adriers. The spectators enjoyed the complimentary buffet with wine and beer provided by Palm Beach Toyota. The crowd filled the tent with every table and chair occupied and spilled out...