Jane Savoie, Para-Equestrian, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi 96, by Jane Savoie

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Sometimes our biggest challenges become our greatest successes. As a Friesian, I’m not built for a good canter. My breed was bred for a fancy trot to elegantly and smartly pull buggies and carts. But with determination and proper training, I was able to develop an amazing canter! My ability to do superb one tempis is one of my proudest accomplishments.

Here in Wellington, the Para-Equestrian’s Olympic Trials are being held. Wow! What an amazing bunch of people! These are folks who have physical challenges much harder to deal with than I’ve ever had. They are a brave, talented, and determined bunch, who don’t let their disabilities slow them down. They’ve proven they can do anything they put their minds to!

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Contributors/Press, Equine Assisted Therapy

Equine Therapy: In Universities? by Claire Dorotik

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While the popularity of equine therapy has been increasing dramatically, in has expanded into many different settings. Equine therapy can now be found as part of veterans rehabilitation programs, outpatient therapy offered to children with developmental disorders as part of a hospital’s treatment model, and even surprisingly, part of the required curriculum for Stanford Medical students.

As this expansive development has occurred, many in the psychotherapeutic field have also wondered where the research to support this new treatment approach is being published. Some journals have produced articles supporting equine therapy, much research has been funded by the Horse and Human Research foundation, and some researchers have chosen to conduct and publish their own research independently.

Continue reading Equine Therapy: In Universities? by Claire Dorotik →

Championships, Competitions, Endurance Riding, Events, FEI, USEF

USEF Names Long List for the 2012 FEI World Endurance Championship

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Jeremy Reynolds and A Kutt Above (Photo by Donna Shifflette)

Lexington, KY – Endurance competition heated up this weekend at the Priefert Ranch in Mt. Pleasant, TX as 45 of the nation’s top horses and riders contested the 160km Selection Trial for a spot on the Long List for the 2012 FEI World Endurance Championship. In a close race to the finish Jeremy Reynolds guided A Kutt Above to the win in 8:16:03, narrowly beating out Wendy MacCoubrey and Reach for the Gold (8:16:05) and Becky Hart riding No Repeat (8:16:09).

Over a course designed to replicate the Championship environment, 19 of the 45 starters finished the race. The top finishers were strong all day and recovered well in the vet gates. Reynolds, of San Jose, CA and A Kutt Above (owned by wife Heather Reynolds), also earned the coveted Best Conditioned Award. A Kutt Above has been named to the Long List with both Jeremy and Heather, who finished fourth on Riverwatch. Reach for the Gold was ridden by Proxy Rider MacCoubrey and has been named to the Long List with owner Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, VA. Both Kanavy and Hart (San Juan Bautista, CA) will seek a chance to earn another World Endurance Championship title. Kanavy currently has two titles to her name and Hart will seek a fourth, this time with her own No Repeat.

Continue reading USEF Names Long List for the 2012 FEI World Endurance Championship →

Breeds, Racing

Great Grandson of Secretariat Rescued from Neglect by Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue

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1 Year old gray filly (Derby - Lil Miss Lollipop by Navajo) and 5 month old chestnut colt (Derby - Secret Letters by War Secretary by Secretariat).

Loxahatchee, Florida – One would scarcely recognize the severely matted chestnut colt as a six-month-old Thoroughbred, much less a horse who shares the royal bloodlines of his famous lineage with Secretariat, War Secretary and War Admiral. Hardly the size of a two-month-old, the malnourished youngster and another one-year-old Thoroughbred peacefully chomped on some hay in a comfortable and clean stall at Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue yesterday.

Jennifer Swanson and Brad Gaver, co-founders of the all-breed horse rescue picked up the horses near Okeechobee and Indiantown from a pasture. For the past few weeks, a neighbor had been helping to feed the starving horses until the rescue had room.

Continue reading Great Grandson of Secretariat Rescued from Neglect by Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue →

*Featured/Spotlights, Associations/Breeds, Championships, Community/Charity, Events, Phelps Media Group, Western/Reining

Intercollegiate Horse Show Association and NRHA Score a Plus with 2012 Partnership

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Fairfield, Connecticut – April 2, 2012 – The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) is proud to announce that the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) embraced its role as official sponsor for the IHSA Western Semi-Finals, leading up to the 2012 IHSA National Championships, May 3-6, at the Hunt Horse Complex of the NC State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

“The rapidly expanding support of the Western Semi-Finals by the NRHA has enabled our riders to enjoy a greatly enhanced program,” said IHSA national treasurer, Naomi Blumenthal, who also credited Ohio State University IHSA Western team coach and IHSA Associate National Steward/Director at Large, Ollie Griffith, with negotiating the agreement.  “We hope he knows how grateful everyone is for bringing NRHA into our corporate family.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, USEA, USEF

James Alliston Lays Claim to Top Two Spots in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* at Galway Downs

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James Alliston jumps the penultimate fence with Jumbo's Jake in the Galway Downs Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3*. Leslie Mintz/USEA Photo

Despite being halfway across the world from his native Great Britain, James Alliston has proven that he is quite at home in California with back to back wins at Galway Downs’ premier events. Last November James rode India McEvoy’s 14-year-old Irish Sport Horse (Jumbo x Lakeland Princess) Jumbo’s Jake to the win at the CCI3* and he repeated the feat once again with a wire to wire lead at this weekend Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3*. In addition to taking home the blue ribbon, James also claimed the red with his and Chuck and Peggy Moore’s Tivoli. The ten-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding who was competing in his first CIC3* added only 7.6 time penalties to his dressage score to finish 10 points behind his stablemate.

“Jake was awesome in all three phases this weekend,” said James. “This was a perfect preparation for Rolex. The time was very tight and I think I had a bit of a gap in the scores so I could have gone a bit slower and still won, but I wanted to give him a bit of a fitness work before Rolex and he finished full of running. He was pretty strong going out there which is quite unlike him, so I think that bodes well for Rolex really.”

Continue reading James Alliston Lays Claim to Top Two Spots in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* at Galway Downs →

Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

USEF Names 2012 US Saddle Seat World Cup Team

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The 2012 US Saddle Seat World Cup Team (Laura Elcock Photography)

Fulton, MO – The US Saddle Seat World Cup Selections Trials saw 32 of the strongest saddle seat competitors in the US vie for an opportunity to represent their country at the 2012 Saddle Seat World Cup Competition. Hosted Saturday, March 31 at William Woods University, 20 three-gaited and 12 five-gaited riders proved their mettle in front of a packed audience.

Held in two phases, each consisting of one rail ride and one pattern, riders were tested on two unfamiliar horses, a format mimicking how they will compete in Parys, South Africa in December. At the end of competition, the lowest ordinal scoring riders were named to the inaugural USA Saddle Seat team under the direction of USEF.

The following riders and alternates have been named to the US Saddle Seat World Cup Team. These riders were selected based on the criteria outlined in the Selection Procedures for the 2012 US Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup Team.  The Selection Procedures can be found here.

Continue reading USEF Names 2012 US Saddle Seat World Cup Team →

Competitions, Dressage, Events

Rick Rockefeller-Silvia Earned Top Score at Global Dressage Festival National Show

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Wellington, FL – April 1, 2012 – Rick Rockefeller-Silvia, a USDF Gold Medalist, scored the highest on the final day of the West Palm Beach National Show on Sunday.  Riding Sakramenter, an Oldenburg gelding, the pair earned 79.595% in the USEF First Level Test 2 – Open at the at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival (GDF).

The reserve high score winner was Tom Dvorak of Canada with Rubinio receiving 74.615% in the USEF Third Level Test 3 – Open.  Megan Lane and Lucky Lemon scored 73.125% in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle and Aylin Corapcioglu and Ruhman earned 70.500% in the same class.  Lisa Wilcox scored 72.125% on Sandro Welt in the USEF Fourth Level Test 3 – Open and she rode Pikko del Cerro HU in the USEF Developing Grand Prix to a score of 71.000%.  Laurie Moore scored 71.667% on Rolero in the USEF Second Level Test 3 – Open, George Williams and Riccidoff received 71.486% in the USEF Fourth Level Test 2 – Open and Devon Kane scored 70.515% on Destiny in the USEF Developing Prix St. George.

Continue reading Rick Rockefeller-Silvia Earned Top Score at Global Dressage Festival National Show →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Beezie Madden Secures World Cup Spot with Final Qualifier Victory at Tampa Bay Classic

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Beezie Madden and Mademoiselle were the winners of the $50,000 Grand Prix of Tampa CSI 2*-W after completing a jump-off round with blazing fast speed, beating Margie Engle by only a fraction of a second. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG

Tampa, FL – Sunday, April 1, 2012 – It was the concluding day of the Tampa Bay Classic today at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center, and competition was fierce as the nation’s top competitors strived to pave their way to the 2012 World Cup Finals in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands. The $50,000 Grand Prix of Tampa CSI 2*-W was the last opportunity for riders to qualify for the impending World Cup Finals, and the battle came down to two as Beezie Madden and Margie Engle fought to the finish. Madden and Mademoiselle emerged the victors, beating Engle’s jump-off time by only six-tenths of a second.

This afternoon, riders gathered beneath the Covered Arena to compete over courses designed by Michel Vaillancourt of Canada. The first round featured an imposing opening oxer-vertical line, followed by an oxer leading to another vertical-oxer line. Riders were also challenged by a vertical-oxer-vertical triple combination, an oxer-vertical double combination and a daunting grey wall. The course tested horse and rider alike, with combinations finding fault in multiple places, including the triple combination, double combination and the final oxer.

Continue reading Beezie Madden Secures World Cup Spot with Final Qualifier Victory at Tampa Bay Classic →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, JRPR

Chester Weber Breaks Record with Ninth USEF National Four-In-Hand Championship Win

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Chester Weber, shown here in the cones phase, won the United States Four-in-Hand National Championship at Live Oak International’s 20th Anniversary, making him the only United States Combined Driver to have won the title nine times during his career. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber)

Ocala, FL (April 2, 2012) – Chester Weber’s goal at the 2012 Live Oak International, the premier Combined Driving event in North America, was to bring home the USEF National Four-In-Hand Championship trophy. As one of our country’s most driven and decorated competitors, Weber not only accomplished his goal but did what he likes to do best — set another record! Weber’s win puts him in uncharted territory as the only United States Combined Driver to have won the USEF Four-In-Hand Championship nine times during his career.

Heading into Live Oak, Weber faced the challenge of once again claiming the coveted four-in-hand championship. Weber held the title for eight years in a row, but during last year’s USEF Championship he placed second and handed the trophy off to another driver. Armed with a team of horses he co-owns with Jane Forbes Clark, Weber captured the Live Oak victory in style – right down to the customary kissing of the winning trophy. “I am thrilled to have the trophy back home where it belongs, where it lived for eight years,” Weber said. “The best moment of the competition was kissing the trophy!”

Continue reading Chester Weber Breaks Record with Ninth USEF National Four-In-Hand Championship Win →

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