With the competition season drawing to a close, final nominations from its membership for the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s (ASHA) individual awards are due at ASHA no later than the close of business Wednesday, October 31, 2007. Each year, the association’s highest honors are presented at the annual Saddlebred Ball, which will be held once again at the Keeneland Entertainment Center to top off the ASHA Annual Meeting, on Saturday evening, February 16, 2008. All of the...

On August 1, 2007, the AAEP Foundation hosted a Lameness Research Meeting and Panel in Fort Collins, CO. Twenty-four researchers and lameness experts from around the world met to prioritize future lameness research needs. The group also explored specific questions about the direction and cost of future lameness projects. Discussions by participants identified numerous lameness areas that require more research with significant financial resources necessary to complete the needed research. The...

WELLINGTON, FL -- The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation has announced that Darren Chiacchia, Nina Fout, Kim Severson, and Karen Stives from the Olympic sport of eventing will represent the USET Foundation in the 2008 Rose Parade in Pasadena, CA. The four eventing riders will join dressage Olympians Sue Blinks, Debbie McDonald, Guenter Seidel, and Steffen Peters as riders in a 12-member squad representing the USET Foundation. Next to be selected and announced will be the show...

It's considered the most prestigious show on the East Coast, if not the entire U.S., and only the best of the best emerge as winners at the inimitable Dressage at Devon. Courtney King of New Milford, CT, wrapped up her weekend with more wins than any other competitor showing in the performance division. With five world-class mounts under saddle, King came down the centerline 11 times and galloped the honor round of victory five times at the 33rd Annual Dressage at Devon CDI-W/Y/J presented by...

The AAEP’s Healthy Horses Workshop, an event designed for non-veterinarians interested in equine health care and featuring leading veterinary experts delivering the latest news and advances in horse health, will be held Saturday, December 1, in Kissimmee, FL. Now in its eighth year, the event will feature seminars and demonstrations addressing horse health topics that are important to horse owners, as well as a special demonstration by Olympian David O’Connor. The topics and speakers for the...

Lexington, KY Most of you familiar with Irishman, Niall Grimes, are also aware of the heart attack he suffered last Friday, September 28th, while in Lexington, at the Kentucky National Horse Show. You may have also heard or read intermittent updates since and wondered about their validity. The number and variety of these reports speak to Niall's popularity, our hopes for his recovery, and our fears otherwise. With that in mind we regret to report that his battle has been lost. Most likely a...

The 61st Annual Buffalo International Horse Show concluded on Sunday afternoon at the Buffalo Equestrian Center in Buffalo, NY. Jennifer Alfano swept the professional hunter divisions, Wednesday and Thursday, proving to be unbeatable. She started off her morning with the tricolor in the First Year Green Hunters aboard Violets Are Blue, owned by Helen Lenahan. In the Second Year Green Hunters, Alfano and Rock Star proved again that they were the pair to beat. Over the two days of competition,...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) will induct Major General Jonathan “Jack” Burton, Hilda Gurney and Edgar Hotz into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame (HOF) at the Salute Gala on November 30, 2007, during the Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in Orlando, FL. Inclusion in the HOF is an honor bestowed on those who have made outstanding contributions to dressage in the United States. Burton, 88 years young, can still be seen traveling across the country officiating as a USEF “S”...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) will present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Ellin Dixon Miller at the Salute Gala, on November 30, 2007, at the Adequan/USDF Annual Convention in Orlando, FL. Award winners are those who have shown a lifetime of dedication to USDF through volunteering and developing programs, projects and committees that have contributed to USDF's mission. They also have a long history of membership in USDF. Miller, as a former USDF president (1994-1999), was a...

At its fall meeting, September 10, the Pennsylvania National Horse Show (PNHS) Association Board voted to purchase new footing for the Large Arena at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex & Expo Center, where the show is held. The new footing, composed of 70% limestone and 30% sand, will replace the footing that has been in place since the arena was constructed in 1939, according to Agriculture Secretary Dennis Wolff. Wolff said that through the cooperation of the Farm Show Commission and the...