Exhibitors who made their way to the desert for the start of the 2009 HITS Desert Circuit will be treated to a perfect week of Southern California weather and an exciting week of equestrian competition that started on January 20 at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. All of the show rings will be action-packed for the next eight weeks as junior, amateur and professional riders start off a new year of competition. Some will be riding new mounts purchased in the fall, while others will be...

As a reminder, the FEI issued new dressage tests for the following levels, effective January 1, 2009: Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I and Freestyle, Intermediaire II, Grand Prix, Special, and Freestyle, Young Rider Grand Prix, and all Junior and Young Rider tests (including Team, Individual, and Freestyle). These new test versions must be used by all USEF-licensed dressage competitions and CDI’s beginning January 1, 2009, and for all 2009 USEF High-Performance, USEF National, and North...

The 2009 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit started off with a bang for Kyle King. The Ocala resident posted the fastest double-clear round aboard Paola to secure the top prize in Sunday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix to close out the Ocala Pre-Circuit 1 at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL. King and his 12-year-old mare outlasted a field of 24 horses in the first round and an additional four pairs that advanced to course designer Jerry Dougherty's jump-off track to secure the first-place check of $7,500 in...

The National Horse Show Association of America announced new information for their rules and regulations, as well as the declaration form for the 2009 ASPCA Maclay equitation classes. ASPCA Maclay classes are held nationwide and count as qualifiers for the ASPCA Maclay Regionals and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship. The new information for the rules and regulations section for the ASPCA Maclay classes reads as follows under the "Conditions Governing Regional Final Competition" heading:...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association’s 2002 Breeders Hall of Fame Inductee, Glyndle Tabor of Scottsville, KY, passed away yesterday afternoon, Wednesday, January 14, 2009. Tabor owned and operated 3-T Farm in Scottsville, KY, one of the better known American Saddlebred breeding operations of the 20th and 21st centuries. He raised his own family in the house he was born and raised in, and was the first of his family to venture into the Saddlebred world. He broke his first pony when he was...

Lexington, KY - To go halfway around the world and win is a monumental achievement – especially on a borrowed horse. No one told show jumper Taylor Land. The 16-year-old from Atlanta, GA peaked at the perfect time and came home with the Individual Gold medal at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival. Taylor Land was part of the team that was fourth in the Nations Cup on Sunday and rode Tom McDermott’s Markovitch to win Gold. “I couldn't have won this with out the support of my team and...

Gene Mische and Jessica Montezuma (Geoff Oliver Bugbee/USEF) Cincinnati, OH – The philosophy is pretty simple: “If you take care of this sport, it will take care of you.” Gene Mische is a lifetime of living proof. Mische was honored by legions of fans and friends for decades of involvement in the equestrian world. At the Pegasus Awards Ceremony, Mische was presented with the prestigious Lifetime Achievement award at the 2009 USEF Annual Meeting. “I’m...

Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year, Jamaica (My Elisabeth Weber) Cincinnati, OH – Every year the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) honors the best horses across all breeds and disciplines at the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Awards dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting. In 2008, there were some fantastic horses to honor. Five were singled out and recognized for their achievement as Horses of Honor. Jamaica took the night’s biggest accolade. Jamaica,...

Stadium Jumping, Inc., one of the nation's leading horse show production companies, is pleased to announce the official dates of the 2009 Tampa Equestrian Festival and 37th Annual $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational. This year the festival will host three weeks of equestrian competition with the world's best riders, horses and Olympians. The show will run from March 18-April 4 at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL. The Tampa Equestrian Festival...

The first meeting of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Dressage Force took place on January 12-13, 2009, in Frankfurt, Germany. The meeting was chaired by Frank Kemperman with Richard Davison (GBR), riders’ representative; Robert Dover (USA), trainers’ representative; Alain Franqueville (FRA), representing chefs d’equipe; Elisabeth Max-Theurer (AUT), owners’ representative; and Katrina Wuest (GER), judges’ representative, in attendance. The FEI was represented by its Sports and...