Category Archives: Hunter/Equitation

*Featured/Spotlights, Auctions, Diana de Rosa, Driving, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Washington Int'l Horse Show

WIHS Silent Auction Holiday Edition Is Now Open for Bidding

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McLain Ward. Diana De Rosa Photography

Online auction offers fabulous, one-of-a-kind and equestrian-themed holiday gifts

Washington, D.C, Dec. 16, 2011 – Looking for that perfect gift for a loved one (or yourself)? The Washington International Horse Show silent auction is offering a wonderful selection of fun, one-of-a-kind and equestrian-themed items for the holidays. How about a private riding lesson with Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward or a weekend getaway at the Blackthorne Inn in Upperville, Va., with two polo lessons and a special dinner at the Fox’s Den Tavern? And for the non-equestrian on your list, who wouldn’t love tickets to NBC’s Saturday Night Live, or the ultimate father/son getaway at the Otesaga Hotel & Resort, golf at Leatherstocking Golf Course and a private tour of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y.

For one week only, Dec. 13-20, these and a dozen other specially selected items are available for your bid in the WIHS Silent Auction Holiday Edition, an online auction allowing you to join in the fun and place bids from your computer or smart phone at home, at the barn, at work or anywhere you have Internet access.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Awards, Breeds, Community/Charity, Driving, Eventing/H.T., Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Wofford, Arnold to Receive Year’s Highest Equestrian Awards at the 2012 Pegasus Awards

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Jacob Arnold. Photo: Joanie Morris/USEF Archive

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is proud to announce the names of five equestrians who have been selected to receive the year’s most coveted awards. Presented by the USEF, the Lifetime Achievement Award, Junior Equestrian of the Year, and the Pegasus Medals of Honor will be presented during the Pegasus Awards gala on Saturday, January 14, at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza. Additionally, the Equestrian of the Year Award will be announced at the Pegasus Awards. More information about that is available here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/news/7915/2011/12/14/usef_announces_the_2011_equestrian.aspx.

Lifetime Achievement Award

Virginia’s James “Jim” Wofford, 67, is a legend in his sport of Eventing. A decorated athlete, Wofford has helped shape an industry as a trainer, clinician, author, and administrator. His lifelong involvement with equestrian sports and his incredible list of accomplishments have secured his place in history.

Continue reading Wofford, Arnold to Receive Year’s Highest Equestrian Awards at the 2012 Pegasus Awards →

*Featured/Spotlights, Associations/Breeds, Awards, Breeds, Community/Charity, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

USEF Announces the 2011 Equestrian of the Year Nominees; Voting Is Now Open!

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Chester Weber. Picsofyou.com

Lexington, KY – Voting is now open for the coveted 2011 USEF Equestrian of the Year, which, following decades of tradition, comes at the end of the 2011 competition year and is announced when the horse world meets at the United States Equestrian Federation’s annual Pegasus Awards celebration in January.

Known as the USEF Equestrians of Honor, eight stars of equestrian sport – across breed and discipline – each recently received a unique competitive trophy. These honors will be presented during the celebrated Pegasus Awards on January 14 at the Hilton Cincinnati Netherland Plaza in Cincinnati, OH.

But now it is time to pick just one of these Equestrians of Honor to win the distinguished grand prize: the 2011 USEF Equestrian of the Year. Here are the nominees, and the distinctive honors they have achieved:

Continue reading USEF Announces the 2011 Equestrian of the Year Nominees; Voting Is Now Open! →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

2012 Alltech National Horse Show Set for October 31 through November 4th

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National Horse Show Association President Mason Phelps, Jr. and Dr. Pearse Lyons, President and Founder of Alltech. PHOTO CREDIT: ©Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com

Lexington, KY – December 14, 2011 – Following an amazingly successful debut this year, the second edition of the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky, is set for October 31 through November 4, 2012. The show will once again be held at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, closed with great excitement, receiving unanimous approval from the horse show community. The Show was a great success with the thousands of attendees, in addition to nearly half a million viewers who watched the events unfold online.

More than 560 horses and 350 riders from nine countries, including nine Olympic veterans, competed this year, and according to Mason Phelps, Jr., the President of the National Horse Show Association, next year’s show will build on the excitement of the 2011 debut. “We couldn’t have been happier with our first year effort in Kentucky. But, that being said, we are already working on a bigger and better event for next year,” he said. “We expect bigger prize money; we’ve already added an extra competition day and the American Saddlebreds will return to the Alltech National Horse Show next year. So we are very excited about what lies ahead.”

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Awards, Competitions, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Platinum Performance to Honor Top Performers at HITS Horse Shows in 2012

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© Flying Horse Photography. Emily Smith of Platinum Performance and Tony Hitchcock of HITS present Rich Fellers and Flexible with the 2011 Platinum Performance Leading Rider Award.

OCALA, FL (December 14, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce that Platinum Performance has expanded its sponsorship with HITS Horse Shows and will present the Leading Grand Prix Rider Award at HITS Thermal, HITS Ocala and HITS Saugerties during the 2012 season.

“We are proud to be a sponsor and we have a great deal in common with the competitors at HITS – high expectations, impeccable quality and a desire to constantly improve,” said Amy Quintana of Platinum Performance.

The competition among High-Performance riders is sure to be action packed this winter as some of the top riders in the world ride for the coveted Leading Grand Prix Rider Award at HITS Thermal and HITS Ocala.

The 2012 HITS Desert Circuit will offer 16 Grand Prix events, including four FEI World Cup Qualifiers. On the East Coast, HITS Ocala will also boast 16 Grand Prix classes. In addition, every Grand Prix class at HITS Horse Shows in 2012 is a qualifier for the $1 Million Grand Prix that will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York in September.

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Awards, Community/Charity, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Hugh Kincannon Honored with USHJA’s President’s Distinguished Service Award

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Hugh Kincannon received the USHJA's President's Distinguished Service Award. Photo By: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports

Lexington, KY – December 12, 2011 – On December 6, 2011, Hugh Kincannon of Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, was recognized at the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s Evening of Equestrians Awards Dinner. Kincannon received the President’s Distinguished Service Award for his management of USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals, the USEF Pony Finals, and the Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition. The USHJA presented the award to Kincannon for his dedication to these events, and his efforts to always go above and beyond to make them a success.

In 2006, USHJA created a new award category, the USHJA President’s Distinguished Service Awards. These awards were developed by the President and staff to recognize and honor the dedication and service by members to USHJA and our sport. The staff and President reviewed the programs of USHJA, as well as the work involved in developing and implementing them, and those individuals who have gone beyond the call of duty to bring our sport to a new level and to benefit our membership.

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Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jacksonville Winter Series, Show Jumping

Pensacola and Jacksonville Winter Series

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Just a few things….  For those planning to attend the Pensacola Series in January, the closing date is this Friday the 16th.  The importance of this closing date is the reduced price of stalls if paid in full by closing date.  So, this is just a reminder…. closing date is this Friday.  Read the prize list for details.

We also had a couple of corrections in the Pensacola prize list.  The 1.10m Children’s and Adult Jumper entry fee says $65 per class; it should have read $45.  The YJC classes are $50 for five year olds, $60 for six year olds and $70 for seven and eight year olds.

The Jacksonville closing date for entries is January 19th.

I do want to remind you that the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Gulfport are on our website. The prize list for Atlanta Spring will be out mid-January.

See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX:  (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311  Johns Island  SC 29457

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Dressage, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

The Wellington Equestrian “Alliance”? NOT! by Robert Dover

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I woke up this morning with only thoughts of taking my Mom to the Cleveland Clinic to hear the oncologist’s report on her cancer as well as concerns with having to finally place my Dad in an Alzheimer’s facility in Texas.

Life has a way of reminding us that it goes by way too fast and how important it is to have our loved ones and the friends you trust (including our wonderful 4-legged ones) around you at all times. With the help of amazing sponsors, great horses, and a passion for the sport I love, I have had a great career including the honor of representing our great nation on the dressage team at six Olympic Games. Life, however, is full of imposters, whose posing, scheming, and distortions have the sole intention of pursuing their own agenda regardless of truth usually at a great cost to others. One of the keys in life is identifying, exposing, avoiding, and then overcoming their disruptions. We all have had our experiences and stories to share!

So while checking my morning email, I have to tell you how shocked I was to read the Newsletter that was sent to me stating that the “Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance was doing all it can to “stop controversial developer Mark Bellissimo and Wellington Equestrian Partners from destroying and ruining the equestrian preserve.” The newsletter was full of angry terms that incite. Terms like scheming, speculation, declining home values, crime, uncertainty, anxiety, insecurity, increased danger to horses, noise, traffic congestion, lack of green space, the list goes on. Then I read about the high-rise condominiums, a mall, a fairgrounds, and an RV Park. It was a negative, intentionally inaccurate, full of exaggeration, fear mongering campaign only meant to once again scare and disrupt this community that I call home and love. It was time to take a deep breath, reflect, and voice my opinions.

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Community/Charity, Dressage, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Fight Begins to Save Critical Wellington Area

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Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance to challenge controversial plan for “Rockefeller Center” in the heart of horse country

Wellington, FL – December 9, 2011 – The Wellington Equestrian Preservation Alliance continues to aggressively oppose a controversial proposed development planned for the heart of Wellington’s Equestrian Preservation Area currently under consideration by the Village of Wellington.  Alliance representatives and supporters will be on hand to contest the development as aspects of the plan get their first governmental hearing before Wellington’s official Equestrian Preserve Committee at 6 pm located at City Hall on Wednesday, December 14.

According to Alliance Executive Director, Mat Forest: “Our position is pretty simple: This project should be limited specifically to equestrian activities.  No malls, no RV parks, no fairgrounds, no high-rise condos in the Equestrian Preserve Area. There may be places in Wellington where this development would fit very nicely, but NOT in the Equestrian Preserve.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Equus Events Announces New Show at the South Carolina Equine Park in Camden, SC

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December 6th, 2011 ~ Equus Events, Inc. is pleased to announce a new event that is being introduced on its 2012 horse show calendar. The inaugural “Winter Classic” will take place February 24-26 at Camden’s South Carolina Equine Park. The SCEP has recently gone through major renovations including footing by Bob Kiser (footing consultant for the 2010 World Equestrian Games), improved stabling with rubber mats in every stall, and many other structural and cosmetic updates throughout the entire park. The two outdoor rings contain “all-weather” footing and the covered arena has an all-purpose footing that suits many disciplines.

The Winter Classic will host numerous USEF “A” rated divisions and classes, classics, and will also feature a USHJA National Hunter Derby on Saturday afternoon featuring many of the area’s top hunter riders and horses. Daily hospitality and a Saturday evening Exhibitor’s Party are on the agenda as part of the event as well. As always, Equus Events continues to offer unique, exhibitor oriented events that strive to give their customers a horse show that excels in the highest level of quality, competition, and hospitality. “The new Winter Classic will be no different and will be a welcome addition to our expanding event schedule,” said show organizer J. P. Godard. “We are very excited to be back in Camden and invite you to re-discover the SCEP and this wonderful town.”

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