USDF announced their new online service: a searchable database of equine businesses, products and services. The USDF Market Place will link buyers and sellers, making it quick, easy and convenient to locate those hard-to-find equine suppliers. USDF Market Place will be updated daily, so tell your favorite tack shop, barn, trainer and others of this great business opportunity and keep coming back. The introductory price will enable even the smallest business or service to advertise to a targeted...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) All-Breeds Award Program, one of the USDF’s most popular award programs, which recognizes the accomplishments of specific breeds in dressage, announces changes to its program rules. The All-Breeds Award program now requires owners to declare for the participating breed registry that they wish their horse to be recognized for USDF All-Breeds Award purposes. This program requirement has been put in place to administer the one horse/one breed/one award...

Members of the show jumping team that won the Silver medal at last summer’s Olympic Games in Athens will compete in the jumper divisions and in two thrilling grand prix classes at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which runs May 26-June 4. In a thrilling duel for this year’s top honors, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, NJ, Open Jumper Champion for four of the last six years, will take on Olympians Chris Kappler of Hunterdon in Pittstown, NJ, Open Jumping Leading Rider at Devon two years...

In 2004, the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) paid out almost $3 million of a $4.6 million available pot in International Arabian Breeders Sweepstakes (Sweepstakes) prize money to eligible horses and scholarship recipients. Most prize money was won at the 18 regional shows where more than $3 million is available in addition to $261,000 in gelding incentive, an extra 25% paid to Arabian geldings competing in performance classes. At Canadian and U.S. Nationals, competitors vie for more than $1...

The Paso Fino Foundation Scholarship Committee will award up to two scholarships of up to $5,000 in 2005. The scholarships will be awarded on the basis of academic achievement, financial need, community service and association activities. Applicants must be high school seniors or must have graduated from high school within the past year, have a grade point average of 2.5 to 4.0 and must be a member in good standing of the Paso Fino Horse Association. Scholarship recipients will be awarded by a...

The Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Board of Directors will meet Saturday, April 23, starting at 9 a.m. in Atlanta, GA, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Airport at 1235 Virginia Avenue. To contact the hotel, call (404) 768-6660 or fax (404) 762-9675. A round table discussion will be held prior to the meeting at 8 a.m. and anyone can participate and make their views known. Committee meetings will be held on Sunday, 8 a.m.-noon. ~~~

Lexington, KY – Eight horse and rider teams have their sights set on a medal this month, as they get ready to represent the United States at the 2005 Pan American Endurance Championship in Pinamar, Argentina, April 14. The eight pairs, in alphabetical order are as follows: Deborah DeShon of South Paris, ME, riding AF Stogie (Gray Arabian gelding, age 9) Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, VA, and Williston, FL, riding Emphatic (Chestnut Arabian gelding, age 11) Danielle Kanavy McGunigal of...

Jessica Heidemann, 24, of Bellingham, WA, captured the FEI World Cup Qualifier (CIC***-W) at Galway Downs, CA, on April 3 on her 14-year-old Thoroughbred-cross gelding, French Twist, with a score of 58.4. Heidemann took over the lead after the overnight leader, Lauren Whitlock, 20, of Rohnert Park, CA, and her 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, Kipling, lowered the oxer at fence seven to drop to second place on 60.1 penalties. Sara Mittleider, 19, Kuna, ID, with the 10-year-old Thoroughbred...

Burbank, CA — R-E-S-P-E-C-T. That’s exactly what Debbie McDonald earned from officials, competitors and spectators alike as she rode Brentina to victory in the 2005 U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship and U.S. League Final in Burbank, California this weekend. Strutting through a freestyle program to the sound of Aretha Franklin, Olympic Team Bronze medalist McDonald and Brentina earned the winning score of 77.975% and a standing ovation in defending her 2004 title. Riding her...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation has announced the team for the 2005 Samsung Super League competitions for “Tour #1,” La Baule, France (May 5-8); Rome, Italy (May 26-29); and CSIO St. Gallen, Switzerland (June 2-5). The team members listed in order of their ranking on the March 25th, 2005 USEF International Computer List, with first ranked horse also listed, are as follows: Rider, Residence, Horse, Breeding 1. Laura Kraut (1st), Oconomoc, WI, Miss...