From the National Reining Horse Association Oklahoma City, OK – October 22, 2006 – Americans dominate at the FEI World Reining Masters Finals, Saturday, October 21 in Denver, Colorado, taking home both the Gold and Silver medals. Gold Medalist Shawn Flarida of Springfield, Ohio, scored 223.5 in the Masters Open Division riding Tinsel Nic. He earned an unofficial $17,906.25 gaining him an elite distinction within the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA). Flarida now joins the Two Million...

(Lexington, KY) - After 28 years of loyal service, the most tenured USEF staff member, Dr. John G. Lengel, has decided to retire. Dr. Lengel started working for the Equine Drugs and Medications Program as a testing technician and then testing veterinarian in the early to mid 1970’s. He was appointed the administrator of the program in 1978, succeeding Dr. Jordan Woodcock, the program’s first administrator. In addition, he served as the AHSA Executive Vice-President at the main office in New...

Sometimes winning looks easy, and sometimes it just doesn’t. Ask the junior jumper riders about the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Team Championship - Prix des States. The Zone 2 team representing the best junior jumper riders from New Jersey , New York and Pennsylvania made every jump count as they edged the Zone 1, New England squad, by a single downed rail. The defending champions, Zone 5 (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH) were never better than third where they tied with West Coast Zone 10 (CA,...

It already boasted the second-highest paying championship in the entire reining industry. But for its 10th anniversary, the National Reining Breeders Classic will step up to another level--paying $75,000 to the open champion at the 2007 show, slated for April 16-22 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX. That's a 25% increase from the $60,000 that the event has paid in recent years, and a huge step for the officers and board of the NRBC. NRBC President Tom McCutcheon noted, "We...

You spoke (or wrote) and we listened! Once again our members have shown us they have a voice, and USHJA wants our members to know that their voice was heard. USHJA would like to thank all the members that took time out of their busy schedules to provide us with feedback on the announcement of the USHJA Foundation Awards. Due to your wonderful ideas, USHJA is proud to announce some changes and clarifications to the USHJA Foundation Awards. Listed below are some of the notable changes. For a...

This past weekend, the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, MD, held the Monarch International’s Show Circuit Magazine Professional World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) finals. The WCHR National Awards program recognizes the top professional, junior, adult amateur, pony and amateur riders through points accumulated throughout the year at the rider’s top four WCHR shows. The top six riders from each region and the top 10 riders in the standings are then invited to compete directly...

The 32nd Arizona Saddlebred Futurity Horse Show will host the first annual Southwest Regional Championships. The regional is for horses residing in Zone 1 as designated by the ASHA (Zone 1 states are Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah). The Horse show and Saddlebred Futurity will run October 27-29, 2006 at Westworld of Scottsdale. Southwest Regional Championship honors will be awarded to the top horse/rider in each of the following: the Open and Amateur Championship classes...

It was Maggie McAlary--all day, all the way, from morning till night. The 16-year-old, from Amherst, NH, rode 11th in a cavalcade of 271 junior riders vying for the 2006 prestigious Pessoa/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Hunter Seat Medal Final presented by Becker College. This was McAlary’s third year qualifying for this national championship. “My horse, Mid-Accord, was nervous before the first round,” she said. “This is his first year doing equitation.” She topped the first...

DENVER – For the first time in history, world-class reining comes to Denver. More than 30,000 spectators and 500 horses from four continents will take part in the International Equestrian Federation World Masters of Reining Championships and the Western International Reining Festival. The Western International runs Oct. 17-22 at the National Western Complex. A renowned international competition, the Western International Reining Festival offers more than $250,000 in prize money during the...

Hillary Dobbs aboard Quincy B in the Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship (Randy Muster) Two nights and two big courses netted Hillary Dobbs two gold medals. On Friday, Dobbs, an 18-year-old member of the Prix Des States winning Zone 2 team returned to take individual Gold in the third phase of the 2006 Adequan/USEF Junior Jumper Individual Championship at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Riders accrue faults through each phase of the three-part series. Dobbs distinguished...