Highlights of both the Platform® Shetland Pony Congress and the Platform® American Miniature Horse National Championships will be aired on two TV shows coming up this month on RFD-TV. The Platform® AMHR National Championship Show and The Platform® Shetland Pony Congress are the equivalent of the Super Bowl for Miniature Horses and Shetland Ponies. The shows attract the top small equines from throughout the U.S. On October 14, at 4 p.m. (EST) RFD-TV will be airing the American Shetland Pony...

SmartPak announced that they have joined the blogosphere with two new blog forums—Ask the Vet and A Peek at the Pak. "Blogging is a perfect fit for SmartPak because as a company, we are all about sharing our culture and personality, while also providing horse owners with the most up-to-date horse health care information," said President Paal Gisholt. "Our employees are horse and dog owners, too, and they’re excited to share their experiences with our customers.” A Peek at the Pak will...

An active and well-known member of the Saddlebred community, Shan Ellis Donaldson, died on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KY. She was 60. The Georgetown, KY, native became an equestrian at an early age, and her love of horses led to her parents, R. E. Ellis Jr., DMD, and Martha “Perkie” Ellis, founding the Longview Riding Camp. Shan and her husband of 40 years, Jamie Donaldson, started their own horse photography business. For many years, Shan could be found...

Lexington, KY Most of you familiar with Irishman, Niall Grimes, are also aware of the heart attack he suffered last Friday, September 28th, while in Lexington, at the Kentucky National Horse Show. You may have also heard or read intermittent updates since and wondered about their validity. The number and variety of these reports speak to Niall's popularity, our hopes for his recovery, and our fears otherwise. With that in mind we regret to report that his battle has been lost. Most likely a...

Paso Robles, CA - Gina Miles and McKinlaigh galloped away with the win in the CIC3* at Twin Rivers Horse Trials, this year's last USEA/Adequan Gold Cup series event. The pair incurred only a single time fault in show jumping, but left all the rails neatly in their cups to finish with a score of 72.7. The stunning 17-hand Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Thom Shulz and Miles performed beautifully this weekend, after having just come back from the Pan American Games in Rio, Brazil with a bronze...

Mansfield, ON, Canada - If Phillip Dutton keeps up this winning business, they'll have to stop him at the Canadian border next year so that someone else can have a shot at winning. For the second year in a row Dutton, from West Grove, PA was the overall winner at the Wits End CIC-W*** in Mansfield, ON September 28-30. Last year he won the event riding Tru Luck and this year he was partnered with Acorn Hill Farm's handsome chestnut gelding Woodburn, who was previously successful with Emily...

New! Lightweight! Eco-friendly! Searchable! Lexington, KY — Those USEF members who wish to receive a 2008 USEF Rule Book now have a choice of formats. Beginning with the 2008 competition year, the entire USEF Rule Book will be available on a convenient USB flash drive commonly known as a “memory stick.” This initiative is sponsored by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. When you renew your membership for 2008, and if you desire a USEF Rule Book , you can choose to either...

The American Trakehner Association (ATA) lost one of its most important charter members, Dr. David Goodman, 76, of West Chester, PA., who passed away unexpectedly on August 19, 2007. A well-known Delaware orthodontist in private practice from 1961 until his death, he spent almost all of the rest of his time raising children and horses on a spectacularly beautiful homestead southwest of Philadelphia. Dr. Goodman and his wife, Pat, joined with a small group of early Trakehner breeders in North...

If you like a saddle seat horse, the National Show Horse (NSH) Finals was the place to be September 19-22. This was the 24th year for this show that was held at the beautiful Springfield, Illinois State Fairground. The judging panel of Nancy Becker, Scott Brumfield, and Richard Wright did an outstanding job of awarding this year’s many National Championships. Offering National Show Horse, All Breed, and Show Horse Alliance classes, the show is considered to be one of the most fun shows of the...

The 61st Annual Buffalo International Horse Show concluded on Sunday afternoon at the Buffalo Equestrian Center in Buffalo, NY. Jennifer Alfano swept the professional hunter divisions, Wednesday and Thursday, proving to be unbeatable. She started off her morning with the tricolor in the First Year Green Hunters aboard Violets Are Blue, owned by Helen Lenahan. In the Second Year Green Hunters, Alfano and Rock Star proved again that they were the pair to beat. Over the two days of competition,...