The Kentucky Department of Agriculture is protecting Kentucky's multi-billion-dollar stake in its equine and cattle industries from an outbreak of vesicular stomatitis (VS) that has spread through four southwestern states. The Department has expanded its VS embargo to 20 counties in Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. Four counties were added to Kentucky's embargo on July 27 after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed cases in La Plata and Mesa counties in Colorado, Rio Arriba...

The Equus Projects, a company that partners professional dancers with horses and their riders, will perform three original works for dancers, horses and equestrians at the 2005 Ox Ridge Summer Dressage show, one of the most elegant and prestigious dressage shows in the nation. This three-day international competition, held August 19-21, will draw riders from all over the world to earn qualifying scores for the Olympic Games, the World Equestrian Games and the World Cup Finals, as well as for...

USEF President and 2000 Olympic Gold Medalist David O’Connor was well received as the guest of honor at the annual Arabian Horse Youth Association Convention in Albuquerque, July 22 and 23. As keynote speaker, O’Connor both educated and inspired in his usual style, telling young equestrians, “If you are really good at what you do, the winning will follow.” The pursuit of a true equestrian, he said, is one of excellence—not just a pursuit of awards. He also reminded youth delegates to “make your...

The Youth National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Youth Nationals) is celebrating its 13th anniversary in Albuquerque, NM, at Expo New Mexico on July 23-30, 2005. The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO, produces the weeklong event that features top-level competition, a shopping expo, the annual youth convention and daily activities. This year's show features more than 1,000 horses from across the United States, competing in 124 classes in a wide variety of...

Following closely on the heels of the nation’s first-ever Unwanted Horse Summit in Washington, DC, on April 19, a National Steering Committee has been named to perform the organizational work necessary to keep the project moving forward. In a conference call on June 8 involving all participants in the Summit, the following representatives were selected to serve on the Steering Committee: -Dr. Tom Lenz, American Association of Equine Practitioners (chair) -Dr. Andrew Lang, American Society for...

The 31st Annual Dressage at Devon Horse Show will host a new dressage class for four-year-old horses. It is the first time that such a class has been offered in North America. The class will be held on Friday, September 30. Dressage at Devon opens on Tuesday, September 27, and runs through Sunday, October 2, at the Devon Horse Show grounds in Devon, PA. The four-year-old class was created as a new class of the North American Breeder's Futurity (NABF), which began at Dressage at Devon three...

The Dutch Warmblood Studbook in North America (NA/WPN), a department of the Royal Warmblood Studbook of The Netherlands (KWPN), will be holding its annual "Keuring" tour (inspection and evaluation of breeding stock) from September 7-22, 2005. The tour includes two sites in Canada and ten in the U.S. All locations offer classes for young horses, mares, geldings and stallions. Classes for stallion approval are offered only at Iron Spring Farm (PA), DG Bar Ranch (CA) and Oakwood Stables in...

The American Warmblood Registry (AWR) is sending a six-member team to compete in the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) International Young Breeders Competition in Aarhus, Denmark, August 26-28. This third annual competition is designed to bring young breeders together across breeding associations, countries and languages in a friendly competition in five disciplines--theory, presenting of a mare in-hand, judging of mares, judging the gaits of loose horses and judging the...

Over 200 top horses in the region are expected to compete in the annual Morven Park Summer Dressage Classic on July 30-31, 2005, at the Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, VA. The dramatic highlight of the competition is the exciting Musical Freestyle--the $10,000 Pas de Deux Challenge Cup, which will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 31. This “dancing horse” musical freestyle matches choreographed movements to the beat of specially selected music, similar to synchronized...

The annual mid-year meeting of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) ended in near-record time July 12th, owing to the cooperative spirit of more than 40 members of the USEF Board of Directors. The meeting, which has become a traditional mid-year “State of the Federation” report, played host to some 70 attendees in all at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Lexington, KY. The Board of Directors worked diligently to pass a number of rule changes presented to them, including one in...