In the world of the Pure Spanish Horse, a new era has begun. The president of the National Spanish Breed Organization, Javier Conde, and his delegation, flew this week from Madrid to Wilmington, OH, to attend the Fiesta Midwest P.R.E. Breed Show and to meet with the United States PRE Association (USPRE) and American breeders. USPRE is the only American organization that represents the PRE Studbook, which is newly managed by ANCCE by order of the Ministry of Agriculture in Spain. In prior years,...

Morton, IL- In a gesture of goodwill, the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) is sending a gift of two American Shetland Ponies to the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation to salute their efforts for hosting the 2008 equestrian events of the Olympics. The two Shetland riding ponies are currently in quarantine in Lexington, KY, awaiting their flight to Hong Kong scheduled for June 6. The two show ponies will fly from Chicago to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Equestrian Federation (HKEF) will host a special...

Internationally renowned driving champion Chester Weber has been featured in a new television series, The Ocala Horse Show . Weber is based in Ocala, FL, during the winter season. The rest of the year he travels with his team internationally to compete in the world’s premiere driving competitions. Weber is well respected for his outstanding accomplishments in the driving community. He is also a well-rounded horseman and has served as an excellent ambassador to the sport. These characteristics...

The American Trakehner Association (ATA) is pleased to announce its 2008 Inspection schedule. Inspections provide the opportunity to present horses for approval into the ATA studbooks, as well as offer participants a tremendous learning experience. All horses that are presented for inspection must be pre-registered with the ATA. The inspection process is clearly defined on the ATA website, but basically it includes the following elements: 1. Stand to be measured (height, girth, and canon bone)...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following horse/rider combinations to the Driving Preliminary Training Short List for the 2008 World Horse Championships (Singles) to be held in Jarantow, Poland August 28-31. The combinations are as follows (listed alphabetically): Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Age/Breed/Owner Leslie Berndl / 45 / Newcastle, CA / Koopman’s Lightning Rod / Gelding / 12 / Hackney / Ann McClure Marjas Becker / 61 / Brooker, FL /...

Lexington, KY - Chester Weber continued his undefeated assault in the four-in-hand combined driving division in the U.S., finishing more than 30 points clear of the competition at the Garden State CDE held in Allentown, NJ. The Ocala, FL driver won his third consecutive Selection Trials for the 2008 World Horse Championships (Four-in-Hand) – to be held in Beesd, Holland September 3-7. Weber’s dressage was spectacular, scoring 37.76, impressing the Ground Jury of Marsoe Larose, Danuta Nowicka,...

The American Show Pony Registry (ASPR) Committee added $6,000 in incentive prize money for the ASPR classes at the World Championship Show and Shetland Pony Congress for 2008. The American Show Pony Registry is a division of the American Shetland Pony Club. The American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) was established in 1888 and today offers registration recordings and award programs for a number of small equines including American Shetland Ponies, American Miniature Horses and several Shetland Pony...

Lexington, KY - This spring, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) hired Eric Stauffer of Middleburg, VA, as the Managing Director of Driving. Stauffer, a native of Northeastern Pennsylvania, has been riding all his life. He got his start in the pony hunters then moved on to the pony jumpers - riding on the A circuit in the Devon, PA, area. He was then introduced to eventing by Sally Graburn, mother of Sterling (the current National Singles Driving Champion). Stauffer moved to the...

The Laurels At Landhope International Combined Driving Event, the most prestigious event of its kind held in the U.S., will be held in West Grove, Chester County, PA, September 5-7, 2008. Combining family fun with international equestrian competition in a beautiful country setting just 40 miles from Philadelphia, the event hosts the best drivers from Canada, Mexico and the United States who compete in a series of three events with combinations from single horses and ponies to four-in-hands. It...

Photo by Randi Muster (Alex Matz and his pony, Wise Guy.) A famous jumping name will again be present in the Devon Horse Show catalog. The name is Matz, but this time it isn’t Michael, who showed for many years very successfully at Devon, but his son, Alex. Alex is only 11 years old and he’s only been competing in pony jumpers for a couple of months, but it’s already beginning to look like he’s inherited his famous father’s talent. The first time he ever competed...