Jan 27, 2012
USET Foundation's "An English Country Evening" Location: Palm Beach International Equestrian Center
Wellington, FL
The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is gearing up for its benefit event being held tonight at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in the Special Events Tent. "An English Country Evening" will feature honorary chairs NBC Today Show host Matt Lauer and his wife Annette, an avid equestrian. This year's celebratory evening will feature six unique and extraordinary live auction items for guests to bid on to help raise funds for the USET Foundation to further support the United States Equestrian Team riders as they prepare and compete at the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

In addition to the Live Auction, the special evening will include the USET Foundations presentation of its most coveted awards, the prestigious Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy and the Whitney Stone Cup as well recognizing Gold Medal Club members who have supported the USET Foundation for 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 years.
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Jan 27, 2012
Thrifty Car Rental
Rent a Compact Car for $25.99/day or $135.99 week through Feb 11. 2012
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Jan 27, 2012
Are you like us, ready to hit the road with the truck and trailer?
Trail Riding
As an avid trail rider, you’re accustomed to loading and unloading your horse most every weekend. You travel to find and frequent the most scenic trails and add some variety to your rides.

Before your next trailering excursion, learn the safety steps that will keep you and your horse safe as you load and unload. Respected trainer and clinician Julie Goodnight works with trail riders and “trailerers” at many of her clinics. She’s seen horse owners skip important safety steps and trust that their horses will be safe.

But even the calmest horse can spook, step back, or slip, causing a harmful chain reaction if the loading, tying and untying process isn’t done in order. If your horse is tied in the trailer, but knows the back door is open for escape, he might pull back and panic when he can’t get free. The panic session compounds when he hears the trailer’s loud echo and slips on a metal floor. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
From Reining to Hunt Seat: Engage Your Mind to Ride a Successful Pattern
Dell Hendricks
I don’t know if Yogi Berra likes horses, but one of the sayings the baseball great is famous for is, “Ninety percent of the game is half mental,” which certainly applies to anything done with a horse.

In other words, your mental strategy is important, especially if you compete in reining, working cow horse, hunt seat equitation or any class that requires a pattern. Too often, riders lose their focus and end up missing markers or having a sloppy pattern.

Here to offer his expertise is reining champion and renowned clinician Dell Hendricks. In this Horse&Rider piece, Dell shares his winning mental strategies that will keep you on track and help you show your best:

Goal: To mentally “map” arena landmarks, then visualize riding to them, so you’ll know exactly where you should be — and where you should go next — on a pattern at all times.

Benefit: You’ll boost your pattern’s accuracy, and avoid losing your way as you negotiate it, which can lead to missed markers, sloppy maneuvers (such as poorly shaped circles), going off pattern, and other points-off–or zero-score–errors. Plus, you’ll net a strong dose of confidence from being mentally prepared for your run, thereby gaining a competitive edge. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
Unwanted horses are everywhere and always need a barn to call their own.Unwanted horses are everywhere and always need a barn to call their own. A Home for Every Horse on Equine.com is a new program that is the result of a partnership between the Equine Network and the American Horse Council’s Unwanted Horse Coalition. The program helps connect rescue horses in need of homes with people looking for horses. Check out our friends at A Home For Every Horse and see what you can do to help.



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Jan 26, 2012
2012 Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge CPEDI3* Commencing Today
Wellington, FL
Para-Equestrian Dressage riders returned to the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center for the 2012 Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge CPEDI3*. On Wednesday's schedule was a 3:00 p.m. jog where horses received their F.E.I inspection for the weekend's CPEDI3*. Riders from Bermuda, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, and Canada were on the grounds representing their respective country. In addition to the eleven United States riders who competed at last week's CPEDI3, were two additional riders, 2008 Paralympian Robin Brueckmann with her horse Radetzky and newcomer 14-year-old Sydney Collier of Ann Arbor, MI. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
Western Pleasure Showing - Place on the Rail
John Dean
As western pleasure classes get more competitive and the gap between first and last place narrows, rider strategy becomes increasingly important in separating champions from contenders. A rider’s first opportunity for strategic advantage comes before the judging begins, as riders take their places on the rail.

Entries in a western pleasure class perform along the arena wall, circling at a walk, jog and lope both directions around the show pen’s outer edge while the judges watch from the center of the ring. Ideal rail positioning allows a horse and rider to work smoothly, creating a natural and consistent image for the judges, without having their “zone” encroached upon by other entries. More info...

Jan 26, 2012
EQUUS Foundation Announces Scholarship for Young Equestrians
Westport, CT
The EQUUS Foundation has partnered with the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) Horse Show Scholarship Fund to establish a scholarship open to the participants at the College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show, held January 13-15, 2012, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida. The mission of the CPI is to prepare and educate student riders in grades 8 - 12 about the format of college equestrian competition, encourage academics and horsemanship, and to provide the riders with resources to create their desired college equestrian experience.

All the horses and necessary tack for the show are provided by CPI. The show is specifically geared to promote college recruitment of equestrians by providing the opportunity for coaches and potential students to meet.

Along with the competition, the CPI offers seminars and question and answer sessions during the show. Riders and their families learn about the college equestrian experience and familiarize themselves with the different associations that govern collegiate riding. More info...

Jan 25, 2012
Shetland pony behind thoroughbred speed - research
Shetland Pony
The thoroughbred industry can thank a single shetland pony mare that lived about 300 years ago for providing the breed's impressive speed, research suggests.

The genes of a single shetland pony mare gave the thoroughbred its speed, British researchers say.
Scientists have traced the origin of the so-called "speed gene" in thoroughbreds back to a single British mare that lived in the United Kingdom about 300 years ago.

The findings were published today in the scientific journal, Nature Communications.

The origin of the "speed gene" - formally known as the C type myostatin gene variant - was revealed by analysing DNA from hundreds of horses, including DNA extracted from the skeletal remains of 12 celebrated thoroughbred stallions born between 1764 and 1930. More info...

Jan 24, 2012
World Dressage Masters Palm Beach CDI5 - Live Coverage on USEF Network
Wellington, FL

Grand Prix Special at 2pm ET
Grand Prix Freestyle at 7.30pm ET





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Equestrian news continued