The judges for the 33rd Annual Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Grand National Championship Show were selected at the spring meeting of the Paso Fino Horse Association’s Board of Directors held April 23, in Atlanta, GA. The five judges selected are Dr. Jose Laracuente of Miramara, FL; Nicanor Miranda of Miami, FL, Angela Ochoa of Bogota, Colombia; Dr. Miguel Pastrana of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico; and Karen Cabic of Palmyra, NY. The 2005 Grand National Championship Show will be held September...

Diana DeRosa (Debbie McDonald riding Brentina during the Grand Prix portion of the 2005 FEI World Cup Dressage Final) Las Vegas, NV —As some predicted long before Thursday’s qualifying Grand Prix, the Dutch made a fantastic showing during the first leg of the 2005 FEI World Cup Dressage Final, April 21, proving their powerhouse precision is not to be underestimated. Edward Gal finished first on Geldnet Lingh with a total of 78.625. Ironically Gal’s score surpassed that of his...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce a new educational opportunity, made possible with funding support from The Dressage Foundation. The Continuing Education Program for Judges and USDF ‘L’ Graduates, developed by the USDF Judges Committee, has been designed to meet the growing need for continuing education. The goal of this program is to provide for, and continually improve, the training of individuals currently licensed as judges and those aspiring to become...

Santa Fe will host the second annual New Mexico Grand Prix on Memorial Weekend 2005, May 28-29. The event takes place on the Polo Fields of the Santa Fe Horse Park. A huge step toward the goal of making Santa Fe a premiere equestrian destination, this major sporting event will feature top riders from all over the country who will compete for prize money. The event will attract equine professionals, amateur exhibitors, horse lovers, owners and riders, tourists and spectators. Proceeds from the...

There will be a Stewards Clinic on October 29-30, 2005 held in conjunction with the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Board of Directors meeting held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 10221 Princess Palm Ave, Tampa, FL. This highly recommended clinic is open to all PFHA Stewards. If you are required to attend a PFHA clinic in 2005, this is the one you will need to attend. To participate in this clinic, please contact Chrissie Messier at (813) 719-7777 or e-mail [email protected] to pre-register. The...

The American Saddlebred Registry Board of Directors elected its officers for the nine-member board at its first meeting April 5. Fred Sarver will serve as president, Joan Hamilton as vice president, Sandra Lilly as secretary and David Howard as treasurer. The terms will end in February 2006. Sarver, Lilly and Howard all serve the same positions for the American Saddlebred Horse Association. Alan F. Balch, ASHA executive secretary, said the board saw the need to have similar leadership with ASHA...

The anticipation builds in the equestrian community as Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) prepares to host the HITS-on-the-Hudson Spring and Summer Circuits for the second year at its world-class show grounds in Saugerties, NY. The seven-week hunter/jumper circuit returns from May 25 to September 4, with many exciting new additions to the equestrian facility and the show jumping competition taking place there. Six of the seven HITS-on-the-Hudson shows are sanctioned by the FEI and will have a CSI***...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) All-Breeds Award Program, one of the USDF’s most popular award programs, which recognizes the accomplishments of specific breeds in dressage, announces changes to its program rules. The All-Breeds Award program now requires owners to declare for the participating breed registry that they wish their horse to be recognized for USDF All-Breeds Award purposes. This program requirement has been put in place to administer the one horse/one breed/one award...

In 2004, the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) paid out almost $3 million of a $4.6 million available pot in International Arabian Breeders Sweepstakes (Sweepstakes) prize money to eligible horses and scholarship recipients. Most prize money was won at the 18 regional shows where more than $3 million is available in addition to $261,000 in gelding incentive, an extra 25% paid to Arabian geldings competing in performance classes. At Canadian and U.S. Nationals, competitors vie for more than $1...

The Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Board of Directors will meet Saturday, April 23, starting at 9 a.m. in Atlanta, GA, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel Airport at 1235 Virginia Avenue. To contact the hotel, call (404) 768-6660 or fax (404) 762-9675. A round table discussion will be held prior to the meeting at 8 a.m. and anyone can participate and make their views known. Committee meetings will be held on Sunday, 8 a.m.-noon. ~~~