Debbie McDonald on Brentina during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Bob Langrish) Lexington, KY – The best and brightest dressage stars will battle it out in Burbank, California this weekend, in a show-down that will determine who will ride at the 2005 FEI World Cup Dressage Final Presented by Offield Farms, in Las Vegas, April 20-24. Tickets to the World Cup won’t come easily though, with a red-hot roster waiting to take home the title at the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle...

Dressage with the Expert will be offered at the 2005 Las Vegas World Cup, featuring FEI “O” Judge, Cara Whitham. Dressage with the Expert is a fascinating way to “eavesdrop” on the comments an expert might make about the performance of riders and horses while they are actually competing. It is a great way to gain a better understanding of this majestic sport. Whitham has judged all over the world and knows these horses and riders well. Headsets are available to hear a running commentary on each...

Olympic equestrian Kathy Kusner will join NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe and Track and Field legend Louis Zamperini for the 2005 Class of Inductees into the World Sports Humanitarian Hall of Fame. These three world-class athletes will be enshrined into this unique Hall of Fame for utilizing their platform of sports to make positive changes in the world. Watts in South Central Los Angeles, is a low-income community where there is a strong presence of drug activity and gang violence. Unfortunately,...

The 54th annual Garden State Horse Show returns to the Sussex County Fairgrounds in Augusta, NJ, May 4-8, 2005, with a line-up of special featured classes and some exciting new additions for exhibitors and spectators alike. The Garden State Horse Show, presented by the Junior Essex Troop, Inc., features several classes and two jumper sections that are new for this year. In the jumper division, a new pony jumper section has been added, highlighted by the $500 North American League (NAL) Pony...

There are nearly seven million horses in the United States, according to the American Horse Council. Each one of these horses is literally one hoof away from success or failure, contentment or pain, life or death, and farriers are positioned to determine the difference. Perhaps more than anyone else (except the horses themselves), farriers know that healthy hooves are critical to horses’ well-being; hooves make the horse. That certainty is what brought a record-breaking crowd of 1,800 to the...

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) International Annual Conference will be held September 22-25, 2005, at Camp Berachah in Auburn, WA. The conference is open to the public and includes mounted workshops for participants, lessons on great performance horses from master level certified instructors, top veterinarians and farriers and much more. An evening Seattle Harbor cruise is also offered. This event is the only equine conference in the country where the host site provides horses for...

Courtesy NRHA (Tim McQuay and Dun Gotta Gun at the 2004 Tulsa Classic (shown here). The pair recently won the USEF Qualifier at the Gordyville Breeders Cup.) Lexington, KY – Reining icon Tim McQuay of Tioga, TX, won the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Open Reining Championship Qualifier at the Gordyville Breeders Cup in Gifford, IL, on Saturday, March 19. Riding Dun Gotta Gun owned by Jerry Kimmel, McQuay made it look easy receiving the top score of 228.5 besting the field of...

Beate Kuska-Shart and Luciano of Malibu Equestrian Estates in Acton, CA, rode the only double clear rounds to claim the jackpot of the Lucky Sevens $77,700 Grand Prix. Sponsored by Nutrena and Michelob, the grand prix was the highlight of the Winter Series finale, with a starting field of 40 tough competitors vying for top honor in this tournament of champions. Renowned course designer Michel Vaillancourt produced what at first glance appeared a rather uncomplicated layout, however it required...

The annual convention of the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) was a resounding success. Nearly 350 people went west to enjoy this week-long event held in Phoenix, AZ, February 7-12, 2005. The week was filled with exciting demonstrations and captivating seminars, as well as the AMHA Board of Directors quarterly meeting. The annual stallion service auction brought in more than $50,000, which for the most part goes to support the Association’s ten regional shows. At the Board of Directors...

Study Finds That 97% of Performance Horses Have Some Type of Ulceration Recently published research has revealed the presence of ulcers in the colons of performance horses. According to the study, conducted by Frank Pellegrini, DVM, 63% of horses involved in competition sports-—ranging from dressage to racing—-suffered from colonic ulceration. Pellegrini’s work confirmed the findings of earlier studies, showing that 87% of horses have gastric ulcers (ulcers of the stomach). When combined with...