Photo by Randi Muster (Farewell and Rachel Koggan capture the Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 Championship at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. ) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival had a very successful opening week of competition. New faces from across the country and around the world came to show at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, and close to 1,600 horses showed in the first week of the circuit. That is a 21% increase in horses that showed during the same week at last...

Steffen Peters, Jessica Ransehousen, Maxance McManamy (Geoff Oliver Bugbee) Louisville, KY – In January of 2009 Steffen Peters was honored with the USEF’s Equestrian of the Year Award for his uncanny sportsmanship and his achievements on the field of play throughout 2008. In 2010, at the USEF Pegasus Awards dinner he was bestowed the title again – this time for simply blowing the doors off the dressage world in 2009. Made even sweeter by the fact that the beloved horse who made it all possible...

2009 USEF Farnam/Platform Horse of the Year (Shannon Brinkman/USEF Archives) Louisville, KY – Annually, five of the USEF’s 130,000 registered horses achieve so much in a year that they are named USEF Horses of Honor and enter the running for the title of Farnam®/Platform™ Horse of the Year. In 2009 all five of these horses were nothing short of remarkable. But one forever changed the face of his sport, and with that, Ravel was voted the 2009 USEF Farnam®/Platform™ Horse of the Year. It began in...

While there are countless social events to attend throughout the 2010 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation's Road to Kentucky benefit dinner on February 5 tops the list of important places to be this season! Nearly sold out, the Road to Kentucky is just three weeks away. Before time runs out, mark your calendars and get your tickets, as this is an event you will not want to miss. As riders gear up for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games,...

As the USEF Horsemastership Training Clinic drew to a close, the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation honored participating riders during a luncheon at the White Horse Tavern on Saturday, January 9. Speakers John Madden, USEF, and Bonnie Jenkins explained the importance of the George H Morris Horsemastership Training Clinic in developing not only the careers of the participating riders, but also the future of the equestrian sport in the United States of America. Addressing the...

Entries for the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit are up nearly 10% over last year for the 2010 HITS Thermal Circuit, for "an impressive leap in a down economy," said Tom Struzzieri, President and CEO of HITS. Struzzieri attributes Thermal's 2010 growth to discounted circuit rates for stabling prices, 16 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix Qualifiers, four FEI World Cup Qualifiers, and the $300,000 Grand Prix of the Desert, which will take place on Sunday, March 14. "All of the indications we've had for the...

Denise Wilson and Elenor (Photo by Flashpoint Photography ) The opening week of the 2010 Jacksonville Winter Series kicked off with a warm welcome to competitors, especially Denise Wilson of Dousman, WI, and her brilliant mare For Elenor who won Saturday evening’s Naders $10,000 Jumper Classic. Wilson and the nine-year-old flashy Hanoverian chestnut For Elenor are no strangers to winning, with more than a dozen top five placings in 2009, including the victory lap of the $20,000 Showplace...

The first Spalding Labs/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Young Event Horse (YEH) competition of the year is being held February 3 in sunny Ocala, FL. The competition will run in conjunction with the YEH judging seminar at the beautiful Longwood Farm. This is the first in a series of three YEH competitions offered this winter in Florida. The next venue will be Rocking Horse Stables on February 27 with the final series competition at the Florida Horse Park on March 9. The March...

Courtesy The Dressage Foundation (Trip Harting) The Dressage Foundation is pleased to announce the formation of the Trip Harting Fund. The Trip Harting Fund was established through The Dressage Foundation to award a scholarship for a Pony Club A or B members. This scholarship is to help a young person pursue their education in dressage; the award will honor Trip's lifetime commitment to youth in dressage and his love of Pony Club. Trip Harting was one of the leading judges in the world of...

Lexington, KY - Anyone who has stood out under the blazing sun in the dressage complex at the Kentucky Horse Park will appreciate a project to redesign and renovate the area. The Mid South Dressage and Eventing Association announced their commitment of funds raised at their Gala Celebration to this improvement at the park. "While the footing in the rings is great, and it can be a very user-friendly space, it is a bit stark. We are pleased to be working with the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation to...