Aachen, Germany - Aug. 25 – The United States show jumping team claimed a victory and a fourth place finish Thursday on the eve of the Samsung Super League Nations Cup competition at the World Equestrian Festival. Jeffrey Welles, of Ridgefield, CT, piloted his nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Sampras, to victory in the Youngsters Cup, while Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI, finished fourth on the Dutch Warmblood gelding, Anthem, in the Preis von Nordrhein-Westfalen. Welles and Sampras finished in...

The deadly outbreak of equine herpes virus at Churchill Downs this spring threatened to limit movement of horses between racetracks during the Triple Crown series of races. Frequent travel is also common for sport horses and such an outbreak could hamper participation at major shows. A Cornell University virologist says his preliminary research indicates that vaccines containing weakened live viruses, called modified live vaccines (MLV), appear to be more effective in preventing horse herpes...

Aachen, Germany - August 24- United States dressage rider Steffen Peters topped the standings today with his mount Floriano midway through the highly competitive Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Festival. Peters and his 16-year-old gelding reside in San Diego, California. Floriano is owned by Laurie and Steven Browning. “We rode the whole time with the pedal to the metal. We took chances. It worked out fantastically well,” said Peters. The judges designated Peters and his chestnut Westphalian...

Under the sweltering New Jersey sun, red hot Laura Chapot burned up the jump-off track and soared to a one-two finish in the $30,000 Stillwell-Hansen Grand Prix as the 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show came to a close at East Freehold Park. Forty starters went to the post in the 1:30 p.m. main event at the Stillwell-Hansen Arena. Blake Alder of Germantown, TN, designed the course. Memphis and Caitlyn Shiels led off the tiebreaker with a clear go and a jump-off time of 27.719 seconds to...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has redesigned its website, www.saddlebred.com , to be more user-friendly and interactive. On the new website, ASHA members have the opportunity to view expanded and detailed pedigrees, as well as the progeny of a specific horse. Members also have the opportunity to easily renew their membership, as well as have access to American Saddlebred Registry forms and applications. Only members will have access to the pedigree and registry forms. To...

Ramiro Quintana won the testing Speed Challenge at the American Gold Cup last year, and he will return with the same mare, Carousel, to defend his title at this year’s event, September 15-18, at the Devon show grounds in Devon, PA. The Speed Challenge is a very exciting class, which pits professionals against juniors and amateurs, and Quintana, who also won this event four years ago, placed first and third in last year’s event. The five top professionals from their qualifying class on Fast...

United States Olympic Silver medalist McLain Ward was back in the saddle for the first time since breaking his collar bone three weeks ago while competing for the United States at the Samsung Super League in Hickstead, England. Ward, of Brewster, NY, rode in two classes on the opening day of Aachen’s World Equestrian Festival, the host for the seventh of eight Samsung Super League events on Friday. Aachen will be the site of the quadrennial World Equestrian Games next year. “I’m still sore,”...

January 10, 2006 is the deadline date for nominations for the fifth annual Equine Industry Vision Award, which will be presented at the American Horse Publications (AHP) Annual Seminar in Orlando, FL, on June 23, 2006. Pfizer Animal Health sponsors the award in partnership with AHP and developed it to recognize outstanding leadership, creativity and meritorious contributions in the equine industry. Anyone is eligible to be nominated or to nominate a candidate for the Equine Industry Vision...

Lexington, KY – Following the announcement of U.S. Team and Alternate/Individual drivers on June 2, the United States Equestrian Federation has announced the horses which will accompany the U.S. Team to the 2005 FEI World Driving Championship Pairs in Wals-Siezenheim, Austria, September 8-11. United States Team Members with accompanying horses are as follows: Fritz Grupe with the following three horses: –Magnum 44 (1994 Oldenburg gelding, owned by Fritz Grupe), –Peter (1992 Sachsen gelding,...

Lexington, Kentucky – Stonecroft Farm’s homebred I’m First (CF First Night Out x That Special Face) vindicated his owner’s and trainer’s longstanding faith in him by becoming the World's Champion Five-Gaited Stallion Monday evening under the guidance of Nelson Green. The chestnut stallion, foaled in 2000, is a graduate of the American Saddlebred Registry futurity programs. He won the Two-Year-Old Five-Gaited Stake in 2002. He also won the Three-Year-Old...