Washington, D.C. – The Equestrian Olympic athletes that represented the United States in Athens this year had the extraordinary opportunity to meet the President and First Lady at the White House. Following a tradition started with President Gerald Ford, President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush greeted the athletes in style on Monday. The event was sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) on behalf of all of the members of the US Olympic and Paralympic Teams....

Columbus, OH --Rocky Dare of Salem, NJ, won the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Open Reining Championship Qualifier at the All American Quarter Horse Congress on Saturday, October 9. The competition in Columbus, OH, marked the first of four qualifying classes for the 2004/2005 Season. Dare and Custom Pistol, a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Steven Simon, received an impressive score of 220.5 to finish in the top spot. Second place went to Casey Hinton of Whitesboro, TX,...

Currently underway, the 38th annual U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) is the flagship event for the Arabian horse industry, featuring top quality horses, a commercial trade fair and the annual Arabian Horse Judging Contest. This year’s show features 3,000 entries vying for champion, reserve champion or top ten in 104 classes that include reining, mounted native costume, working cow, show hack, breeding-in-hand, driving, English, hunter and western...

As I sift through weekly e-mails and phone messages, I’m beginning to realize the United States Equestrian Federation’s best kept secret is no longer a best kept secret. Only a few months from its conception, and already, details of the USEF purchasing program are running through the rumor mill faster than juicy tabloid gossip. I should hardly be surprised. When money is involved, especially this much money, news tends to spread fast; and while we’re not working overtime to keep the news under...

Morton, IL-The American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) and the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) announced today that their two major horse shows drew record participation. The 2004 AMHR National Horse Show held in September in Tulsa, OK, boasted 5,269 entries, making the show the largest miniature horse show in history and one of the largest all-breed shows of the year. The AMHR National Horse Show is the equivalent of the Super Bowl for Miniature Horses and attracts top Miniature Horses...

Mark your calendars—this season will go down in the history books as the United States’ own Beezie Madden again claims a top three ranking in world show jumping standings. Madden, a true pioneer for equestrians, is the first woman ever to reach a top three placing. “It gives hope,” Madden says. “Women that ride here [in the United States] don’t think about it because we have more women [riders] than men, but Europe has always been a little behind, so it might...

Gladstone, NJ – After two days of rigorous testing, topped off with a final-four ride-off, 16-year-old Brianne Goutal surpassed even her own expectations with a well-earned, but nonetheless, surprise victory. “I was never expecting to get into the top four,” Goutal says. “I asked my trainer before the last round what score I would need and she wouldn’t give me an answer. She just said ‘ride well.’” And ride well, she did. Give her a few years, and...

The FEI has announced that four horses tested positive during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. None of the four horses represented the United States. “Although lengthy, the medications hearing process is an intentionally thorough procedure and all countries and riders involved deserve to present their case. We will wait until that outcome before making any statement,” said John Long, Chief Executive Officer of the USEF.

Royal Kaliber, one of the United States most brilliant horses ever to compete internationally in show jumping, was humanely euthanized today in the Netherlands. He underwent colic surgery for intestinal adhesions, on September 27th and had been recovering well until two days ago when his progress considerably slowed. Royal Kaliber took Chris Kappler to a Team Silver medal and an Individual Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. According to Dr. Tim Ober, a veterinarian for the USEF...

As the door shut behind him, a 13-year-old show jumping stallion named Judgement tried to relax over the dull roar of the engines. This was no mere vacation—this was his shot at the Olympic short list, and carefully stored in style, he settled down for a long FedEx flight to the Olympic Selection Trials in California. While the cost of the departing flight from Newark to Los Angeles might have been worth every penny, Meghan De Garay, office manager at Iron Spring Farm, which owns Judgement,...