The annual mid-year meeting of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) ended in near-record time July 12th, owing to the cooperative spirit of more than 40 members of the USEF Board of Directors. The meeting, which has become a traditional mid-year “State of the Federation” report, played host to some 70 attendees in all at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Lexington, KY. The Board of Directors worked diligently to pass a number of rule changes presented to them, including one in...

The stars, both equestrian and celebrity, were out at the 2005 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows. Among the celebrities on hand were rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, former National Football League star and current television sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs to name just a few. The top stars of the equestrian competition were Kent Farrington of Southport, CT, who won the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI** for the Whitney Perpetual...

Britain has been experiencing a heat wave in recent weeks, but the temperature is set to rise even further next week when the 2005 Samsung Super League series resumes at Hickstead on Friday, July 29. It's been a fascinating season so far, with the Americans dominating at the opening leg in La Baule and the British showing their class in Rome. The double Super League champions from France headed the line-up in St. Gallen, and then the Swiss swept to victory in Rotterdam before the series took a...

Suzy Stafford, first U.S. driver to take Individual Gold at FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships (Jim Graham) Results from the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships Derbyshire, England – When Suzy Stafford set out to compete in the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships, she didn’t realize she was about to make history—as the first American driver ever to win an Individual Gold Medal at the World Championships. But the Bear, Delaware native...

Lexington, KY – Sarah Taylor of Davison, Michigan claimed the Championship title at the 2005 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Finals July 15, riding Undulata’s Time To Shine. This year marked the fifth anniversary of the prestigious Medal Finals and once again, competitors enjoyed the scenic backdrop of the Red Mile in Lexington, home to the Lexington Junior League Horse Show. “I was really excited,” shares Taylor. “It was a really good experience. This is the...

Lexington, KY – A recent study profiling the USEF membership (18 and over) provides data important for advertising sales for the Federation’s publications, and is a tremendous asset in USEF efforts to obtain more sponsorship and commercial participation for equestrian sport. These efforts help fund current USEF programs; create new programs; and fund the international teams. Sport sponsorship is a hugely competitive arena and the USEF now has its own proprietary data to assist in...

Lexington, KY --The first edition of the Performance Horse Registry (PHR) e-newsletter, American Breeder News, was sent on Friday, July 8. A breeder-savvy publication about sport horse breeding in North America, American Breeder News will continue to be delivered to subscriber's e-mail boxes every month, offering the latest news affecting the breeding industry from the PHR, breed registries across the United States and American breeders themselves. This launch coincides with the unveiling...

Patty Stovel rode Shandor 41, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, to the win in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper Showday National. Jerry Dougherty of Geneva, IL, set a challenging first-round course that saw four horses advance to the jump-off. Stovel was the fastest of three double-clears with 40.69 seconds on the clock. Second place went to Megan Moran riding Quarnak De Longprec. Eliza Ferguson Shuford rode Larentino to third place. Beth Underhill finished in fourth place with...

Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) is pleased to announce that the 2005 Show Circuit Magazine /USEF National Junior Hunter Championship-East Coast will be held August 1-2 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. The championship will take place in the HITS-on-the-Hudson Grand Prix arena. Junior riders will have the unique opportunity to compete in this world-class grand prix ring, while family and friends enjoy seating in the VIP Pavilion that sits high on a berm overlooking the arena. Now entering...

For the second time, Daniel Straumann and his team organized the World Reining Trophy (WRT) at the HorseAcademy facility in Mooslargue, France. There was a total purse of more than $100,000. Shawn Flarida called the show "one of the best reining events of the world"–-and this was before his success in the Open. Judges were Bob Mayhew, of Great Britain; Sylvia Katschker, of Austria, and Jörg Bös, of Germany. Altogether 157 horses had been nominated--many of them from France. And it turned out to...