Confronted with this unfortunate reality, The HERO Project takes an “all hands on” approach to the problem.  Facilitating the partnership of public and private groups will make efficient and responsible use of available resources in order to create viable alternatives for owners who no longer have the means to care for their horses.  In addition to animals caught in the economic downturn, there have been several natural disasters in recent history which have exposed the need to provide disaster rescue information to local animal control agencies and owners who might be lacking specific knowledge of animal populations in their areas of responsibility.  The Grace Foundation is in the unique position of being able to include an Out-Reach program which addresses problems including micro-chipping, capturing animal information, and available transportation. Read More

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Over the last 12 years, Western States Horse Expo in Sacramento, California has showcased the nation’s most popular trainers and clinicians. The June 11-13, 2010 event will be no exceptions and eager fans can trade their knowledge of clinician related trivia for free tickets to the expo. Each week, we will post clues as to the identity of one of the clinicians who will present at the 2010 Expo. The first Facebook fan who guesses the identity of the featured clinician will win two 3-day passes to the expo. To become a fan and get your chance to win free tickets to the expo visit www.facebook.com and search for Western States Horse Expo then click “become a fan”.  Read more

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In particular, the show has been moved to the new state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, the same arena in which parts of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are set to be held later this year. The new arena, footing and stabling are expected to enhance the experience of the participants and their horses. Other changes will include an adjusted competition date to avoid conflicts with the Kentucky Derby, and the addition of new breed sections.

The three-day full schedule includes a wide range of performance classes for Saddlebreds, Hackneys, and Road Horses. New breed divisions added for the 2010 show comprise of Morgans, National Show Horses, Arabians and Half-Arabians Arabians, and Modern Shetlands. Exhibitions will also be offered featuring the Miniature Horse. And, for equitation enthusiasts, the event will host a USEF Saddle Seat Medal qualifier, the National Horse Show Good Hands Class, UPHA Challenge Cup, and Walk/Trot Challenge Cup.  Read more

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Mario Desluariers and Urico Randi Muster/Mustphoto.com

Dressage

The prestigious Palm Beach Dressage Derby got underway on Thursday, March 4th with some of the nation’s top riders competing in Loxahatchee, FL. Tina Konyot and her Danish Warmblood Calecto V triumphed over the field of elite horse and rider combinations in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. In the Grand Prix Freestyle Mikala Gundersen and Leonberg put in a winning performance with a score of 72.250%; Canadian Jacqueline Brooks was second with Balmoral.

For complete results please visit http://www.pbderby.com/results-derby.html.

Endurance

Goethe Forest, near Williston, FL was the scene of the Fun in the Sun Endurance Festival and CEI event. Riders competed over three days at five distances. In the CEI3* 160km distance Meg Sleeper and Syrocco Reveille nosed out Kathy Brunjes and Theatric to win by just two seconds with a time of seven hours and 44 minutes. Sleeper and Brunjes set the pace for a competitive field that included all top 10 averaging speeds over 17 kilometers per hour.

Eventing

At the Red Hills International CIC3*-W in Tallahassee, FL Mara Dean posted the first winning score on the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing leader board. Dean rode her veteran Nicki Henley, who has made an inspiring comeback after an injury at the 2007 Pan American Games. Leading after dressage and incurring only 9.2 penalties on the cross country, Dean was able to hold onto the lead after Phillip Dutton and Truluck had five time faults in the show jumping. Will Coleman and Nevada Bay finished just behind Dutton to place third.

For a full event re-cap please visit http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/newsdisplay/viewPR.aspx?id=5437.

For full results please visit http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/14564.html

Jumping

After nine days of fierce competition over five rounds of the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team, 15 horse/rider combinations were named to the Show Jumping Long List for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The Jumping was impressive and Richard Spooner and Cristallo lead the Trials after four rounds, putting in one spectacular effort after another, but in the end it was Nicole Shahinian-Simpson and Tristan who stylishly topped the standings with just nine faults over Spooner who settled for second.

Twenty-two combinations remained in the final Trial on Sunday which took place as part of the $150,000 CN US Open at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Laura Kraut and Cedric, who had been named to the Long List after the second Trial, blazed through the jump-off to take home the win over Beezie Madden and Danny Boy by just 1/10th of a second.

For the complete long list please see: USEF Names Horse/Rider Combinations to Show Jumping Long List

For final standings and all the information, please visit: http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/alljumping/sjSelectionTrials.aspx
and

http://www.clubequestrian.com/coverage/weg_jumping_trial.aspx

Reining

The Cowboy Capital Reining CRI1* and 2* in Stephenville, TX played host to two of the last four qualifying competitions for the USEF Selection Trial for the Adequan US Reining Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held in July. On Thursday, Brian Bell and Ruffle Me Up (owned by Greg Hill) took top honors in the CRI2*. Tom McCutcheon aboard Chexy Dun It (owned by Turnabout Farm) was a close second.

In the CRI1* held Sunday, it was the international riders that dazzled. Marco Ricotta of Italy and I Spin For Chics owned by McQuay Stables and Brad Giesbrecht of Canada riding Pop Top Whiz owned by Rosanne Sternberg bested the competition with a tie score of 220.

Information is available here: http://www.lonestararena.com/storm.cfm?funnelaction=1184.

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Despite already being named to the USEF Long List, Laura Kraut (Wellington, FL) let Cedric stretch his legs in the $150,000 class – the tiny grey 12-year-old Dutch gelding jumped for fun around the course, making it look half the size it walked. He secured his place in the jump-off with a wonderful clear first round. Kraut wasn’t going to be outdone and she put her foot on the accelerator in the jump-off and took home the top prize of CSIO week with a blazing pace to the final fence.

It was only her second Grand Prix win with Cedric, who was part of the Gold medal team at the 2008 Olympic Games.

“I’ve never gone that fast in my life,” said Kraut. “I’m thrilled. The horse has been so good over the last three weeks. I’m normally jumping in Trials or Nations Cups, so it was fun to go fast. I almost lost control after the double, he wasn’t sure what I was doing (going that fast).”

Kraut (Wellington, FL) was only 1/10th of a second faster (48.04 seconds) than her Olympic teammate, Beezie Madden, who set a blistering pace on Danny Boy, stopping the clock at 48.19.

“It was only one-tenth of a second, so I’m not sure where I made that up,” said Kraut who is battling a wicked cold.

Nicole Shahinian-Simpson (Thousand Oaks, CA) refused to let the pressure off her fellow Californian Richard Spooner – who was leading the Selection Trials after four rounds. Tal Milstein and Ilan Ferder’s Tristan jumped another immaculate clear, the first of the class, to secure their Selection Trials faults at nine. The 10-year-old Dutch gelding made it look easy on a day when the course proved anything but. She topped the Trials standings at the end of the day, the added bonus to her two beautiful clear rounds and her third placing in the class.

“He’s come along at the right pace,” said Shahinian-Simpson. “He got quite a lot of experience during the trials. As a horse/rider combination we learned a lot about each other.”

Shahinian-Simpson proved the strength of their partnership – she jumped three clear rounds throughout the Trials and added one time fault in the fourth. It was only the second Trial where she added jumping faults.

“He’s very, very scopey, and very, very brave,” said Shahinian-Simpson. “I knew as far as scope tests and tracks I was confident of what he can jump. I have a lot of options, I can do a lot of different things to suit the courses. I couldn’t be happier.”

Richard Spooner (Agua Dulce, CA) continued his assault on the Trials with Cristallo. The 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding, owned by Show Jumping Syndications came into the final Trial with six faults, the pair had only one rail down and two time faults over the first four rounds. They made the trip across the country worth every mile, despite having two rails in the final Trial – they finished up second on a five round total of 14 faults – good enough for second place in the standings.

“I think I underestimated how fit he is,” said Spooner of his energetic ride. “He is so fit, maybe I should have worked him harder yesterday. He was wanting to go and wanting to jump – when he gets like that I have to pull a little harder that I should.”

Beezie Madden and Abigail Wexner’s Danny Boy had their best round of the Trials with a classy effort, guaranteeing a jump-off with the second clear round of the day. Their selection trials score of 16 faults meant they are tied in third with Mario Deslauriers and Urico in the overall standings. Her lightning fast jump-off round was impressive, and along with Madden’s braze riding – the rangy 10-year-old Belgian gelding made tight turns, defying his size.

“I thought it was a very tough course,” said Madden. “But it was pretty much what we expected. It tested scope, rideability, carefulness. I was very pleased with him today.”

Deslauriers rebounded from a first Trial score of eight faults, with clear rounds in Trials two and four. Jane Clark’s relatively inexperienced nine-year-old KWPN gelding rose to the occasion for Deslauriers in his first year riding as an American.

Madden also jumped Mademoiselle, a brand new ride for her and owner Abigail Wexner in the Trials. They ended up on a Trials total of 21, good for seventh in the overall standings.

The Trials process lasted 12 days and was a test of jumping, endurance and horsemanship – US Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor, George Morris, was pleased with the level of jumping in the US and the process that produces the Long List.

“There are lots of pros and a couple of cons,” said Morris. “We have to have the Trials before April 1 because of the World Cup Final and the Top League. As long as I have the job, nothing will interfere with the preparation for the Top League. The beauty of these Trials is they up the ante, it is a pressure cooker for the riders, it is great for them. It also exposes and lets young horses you don’t know come to the top.”

There was high praise by all the riders for the effort put forth by Equestrian Sport Productions who organized the Trials as part of Week Eight of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. The logistics and coordination are a huge undertaking but Mark Bellisimo, CEO, Michael Stone, President and David Distler who managed the Trials in the middle of a very busy horse show, and their staff did an impeccable job.

Perfect footing, good organization and a significant amount of work meant the entire process was relatively seamless.

At the conclusion of the Trials, per the USEF Selection Procedures nine horse/rider combinations will be named to the USEF Long List based on their final overall placing from the USEF Selection Trials for Jumping. There are also up to six places on the long list available at the recommendation of the USEF selectors. Lauren Hough/Quick Study, Laura Kraut/Cedric and McLain Ward/Sapphire have already been named to the USEF Long List. A total of 15 horse/rider combinations will be named on Monday, March 8, 2010.

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“We believe that Lamborghini and this outstanding dealership are the perfect sponsors for our most prestigious class held at Thermal this winter,” said Tom Struzzieri, CEO of HITS, Inc. “The Lamborghini name is synonymous with precision luxury automobiles, and Donny Gath and his dealership understand both our customer’s automotive needs, and our sport since his family also rides at HITS Thermal,” he added

Lamborghini Newport Beach is the newest dealership under the leadership of Donny Gath, who founded iLuxCars, the nation’s largest online network dedicated to dealers trading luxury and exotic vehicles including Ferrari, Lamborghini, Rolls Royce, Bentley, Porsche, Maserati, and Aston Martin. This broad-based luxury car experience makes Lamborghini Newport Beach uniquely qualified to sell and service new or pre-owned Lamborghinis, as well as other luxury sports and high-performance vehicles.

“I am very pleased to bring Lamborghini and the Lamborghini Newport Beach dealership to HITS horse shows here in the Desert,” said Donny Gath. “I am confident that people who own and ride top horses in Hunter-Jumper competitions will appreciate the V-12 power and precision of Lamborghini sports cars, the pinnacle of Italian automotive craftsmanship” he said. “We will even take a good horse in trade, if one of the HITS horse owners wants to step up to a Lamborghini,” he added.

More than a dozen Lamborghinis will be on display at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal for the weekend leading up to the $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix and several will be available for test drives by qualified prospective owners who wish to enjoy the Lamborghini experience, first hand. The selection of models that may be seen at HITS Desert Horse Park this weekend will include the Lamborghini Murciélago, the Lamborghini LP-640 Coupe, and the Lamborghini Gallardo, among others.

The $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix will take place at 2:00 PM in the Grand Prix Arena at HITS Desert Horse Park at 85-555 Airport Boulevard in Thermal, CA – just west of Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport. “Many of our top customers fly directly to Thermal airport in private jets,” noted Tony Hitchcock, Senior Vice President of HITS. “We expect many of these customers to enjoy test driving a Lamborghini this weekend,” he said. Individuals wishing to be contacted concerning a Lamborghini test drive at either the HITS Desert Horse Park or the Lamborghini Newport Beach dealership should email donny.gath@lambonb.com for more information.

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French, from Gilroy, California, took the top placing aboard Lisa Martinez-Bates’ Brego and was also second aboard Yellow Dog LLC’s Crown Affair en route to collecting $5,000 in prize money for the afternoon. So far during the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit, French has won three blue ribbons in the weekly $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derbies and has taken the top honors in the $10,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby. Making his run at HITS Thermal even more impressive, French has won his three $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derbies on different mounts.

“If you win two Grand Prix classes it’s considered a good year,” said French. “I have been fortunate enough to win four hunter derbies in one circuit.”

After French’s triumph, he headed over to the pony ring to train some of his students. “One of the kids asked me if I got a 400, again,” joked French.

Teenager Melissa Doddridge captured the crown in the lone $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby that wasn’t won by French when she rode Pamela Doddridge’s Bentley to the winners’ circle during Desert Circuit II. In Sunday’s feature class for Hunters, she gave it her best shot placing three horses in the top six, including a third-place effort aboard Bentley.

The Tustin, California native was fourth aboard Best Man, and sixth riding Delux. French has won more than $15,000 in prize money during the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derbies and Doddridge has pocketed more than $12,000. Look for these duos to continue to battle it out for big-time prize money when the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby returns on Sunday during Desert Circuit VI.

This winter, the all-new Devoucoux Hunter Derby has been a featured event at both the HITS Desert Circuit and the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Ocala, Florida, and represents the 13th division to count for points in the Marshall & Sterling League. In addition to the $10,000 classes at HITS winter shows in Thermal and Ocala, qualifying classes for the Devoucoux Hunter Derby will be offered at the HITS Culpeper and HITS Saugerties shows this spring and summer. HITS has also invited a select number of additional horse shows in the Northeast to add the Devoucoux Hunter Derby to their show schedules which will help facilitate the growth of the class and provide further qualifying opportunities for the Marshall & Sterling League National Finals. The Devoucoux Derby Finals will be offered at the 2010 Marshall & Sterling League National Finals on September 16-19 in Saugerties, New York.

Feeling like Royalty! John Pearce named Leading World Cup Rider

Canadian Olympian John Pearce has risen to the height of the occasion during the biggest events of the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit. Thanks in large part to his triumph aboard Forest View Farm’s Son of a Gun in the $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, during Desert Circuit III he was named the Royal Champion Leading World Cup Rider.

In a tight race, Pearce used an 11th-place effort during Saturday night’s $50,000 HITS CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to win the trophy and a year’s supply of Royal Champion Supplements.

Royal Champion is the ultimate in scientifically advanced supplements. Their products are uniquely formulated, using all natural ingredients of the highest quality to meet each horse’s nutritional needs. For more information on Royal Champion, click here.

With the Royal Champion Leading World Cup Rider Award already in his trophy case, Pearce continues to earn precious qualifying prize money for the $1 Million Pfizer Grand Prix that will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson, in Saugerties, New York. Currently, Pearce and Chianto sit at number two of the preliminary Rider Rankings in the chase for the Million with more than $30,000 in money won.

Helen McNaught and Guy Thomas also had strong outings during Desert Circuit V to help climb the ladder in the preliminary Rider Rankings. On Thursday night, Helen McNaught and Caballo won the $30,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and on Sunday it was New Zealand’s Guy Thomas riding Peterbilt to the top prize in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. McNaught is currently third in the Rider Rankings, while Thomas cracked into the top 10 thanks to Sunday’s win and sits at number nine in the Rankings.

For the moment, Canadian Olympian John Anderson is still at the number one spot on the Rider Rankings thanks to winning $40,900 in prize money aboard Terrific.

Anderson is also in the top spot of the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider Standings. The top-ranked Grand Prix rider on the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit will receive a beautiful Catena diamond-faced watch at the conclusion of the $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Pfizer Animal Health on Sunday, March 14.

The Gem of the Desert! $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, is on tap!

Show jumping at the HITS Desert Circuit resumes tomorrow with Desert Circuit VI. In addition to hosting the R.W Mutch Equitation Classic and the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby, HITS Thermal will also feature two more Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix qualifiers, including the gigantic $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Pfizer Animal Health on Sunday afternoon. Lamborghini will be onsite offering test drives of the famed Italian sports cars all weekend.

The season finale represents the largest purse ever offered on the West Coast and is the final qualifier of the HITS Thermal season for the Pfizer Million. With a first-place payout of $90,000, this class is on everyone’s radar as a win or a top placing in the class will catapult a qualified rider to the top of the Pfizer Million Rider Rankings.

This celebrated day will also feature the presentation of the Antarès Grand Circuit Champion Awards during the ever-popular Parade of Champions, which will take place in the Grand Prix ring before world renowned High Performance riders take aim at the course designed by International Course Designer Olaf Petersen.

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Photo by Randi Muster-Katherine Schmidt was victorious in the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search.

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