Tag: USEF

Healing Strides of Virginia named one of only 5 USEF/USPEA National Para-Equestrian Dressage Centers of Excellence

anna-dewey_large
Photo courtesy of Healing Strides of Virginia

The US Equestrian Federation (USEF), in conjunction with United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA), have announced that Healing Strides of Virginia in Boones Mill, Virginia. and Wheatland Farm Equestrian Center in Purcellville, Virginia, have been named USEF/USPEA National Para-Equestrian Dressage Centers of Excellence (COE). The USEF Selection Committee carefully scrutinized each application and upheld the highest standards upon recommending the facilities as Centers of Excellence.

Healing Stride of VA and Wheatland Farm Equestrian Center join the following network of COEs:

Each Center of Excellence is unique in its structure and may have opportunities independent of other centers. The USEF and USPEA are committed to working with each to build plans that complement their individual strengths and opportunities. Specifically, USEF and USPEA will help COEs further develop their network with the therapeutic riding community by providing exposure to competition opportunities of interest to riders. These regional hubs of excellence will not only attract new riders to the sport of para-equestrian dressage but also work in partnership with the USEF High Performance Programs to develop athletes to a degree that they can represent the U.S. at International and Paralympic Games level and ultimately win medals.

In addition, Centers of Excellence play an active role in attracting trainers to the sport of para-equestrian dressage and helping them develop and understand the sport. COEs are the primary hubs for delivering the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage High Performance Programs and para educational symposiums.

For more information on the COE programs please contact USEF Sport Program Assistant – Dressage /  COE Coordinator, Para Equestrian, Austyn Erickson at 859-225-6929 or aerickson@usef.org.

Anne Lloyd joins Healing Strides as an advanced instructor

lloyd
Anne Lloyd with a student in Colorado.

Healing Strides of Virginia, the only PATH International Premier Accredited Center
for Therapeutic Horsemanship in the Roanoke Valley, recently welcomed advanced instructor Anne Lloyd to their staff. Lloyd, a native of England, started her horsemanship career as a certified instructor through the Association of British Riding Schools.

She was active with her own daughters in the British Pony Club, and looks forward to sharing her knowledge with Healing Strides’ Pony Clubbers at HSVA. Lloyd’s passion is to be able to help any rider achieve their goals and make a lasting connection with their horse.

With 25 years of teaching and showing experience in dressage and hunter/jumper, Anne helps riding students of all levels excel and meet their personal goals. Anne has a limited number of opportunities for students to join her training schedule. Call 540-334-5825 or email Healing Strides to get to know Anne and tour the facility. The summer riding session at Healing Strides begins June 12.

Show jumping caps Lexington Premiere, Encore horse shows at Virginia Horse Center

cropped-99bfc-grandprix05.jpg
The Virginia Horse Center will once again host two grand prix show jumping events in the coming weeks. The $30,000 Rockbridge Grand Prix will take place on Saturday, April 29, and the $30,000 George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Grand Prix on Saturday, May 6.
During the Lexington Spring Premiere on Saturday, April 29, the $30,000 Rockbridge Grand Prix will be held in the Coliseum at 6:30 p.m., where riders will vie for the coveted Dubliner Trophy donated by Margaret Price. Declarations to the show office are due no later than 6 p.m. on Friday, April 28th and the entry fee is $500. Both Grand Prix classes held during the Lexington Spring Festival are eligible for inclusion on the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List.
Last year,  Mary Lisa Leffler rode Bling Bling to a double clear and top honors. “It’s just one of my favorite events,” she said. “The hospitality of the Virginia Horse Center is second to none. They try so hard during the evening grand prix and they really put on a good horse show. The best part of the whole thing last year was that my sister drove my parents down, so they finally got to see their horse compete. Having them there and winning was great!”
The pinnacle of the Lexington Spring Encore will be the $30,000 George L. Ohrstrom, Jr. Grand Prix also in the Coliseum at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, May 6. Declarations are due no later than 6 p.m. on Friday, May 5.
Last year Colombia’s Manuel Torres piloted Christofolini H, a Rheinlander gelding owned by Andrea Torres Guerreiro, to victory. “For us, it is one of our favorite shows of the year,” Torres said. “We love the crowd, the facilities, and the stabling — the horses are very relaxed here. We come every year and we really like it. They always pick really good course designers to come and do these two weeks of competition, so it is very exciting for us to come to the Virginia Horse Center.”

Hollins Spring Welcome Horse Show returns to Virginia Horse Center in March

hollinsThe Hollins Spring Welcome Horse Show will return to the Virginia Horse Center March 2-5 and will feature a variety of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The Spring Welcome is a “National/A” rated show and will have USEF 1* Jumper classes as well as USHJA Outreach classes.

Hollins University has had a competitive equestrian program since the 1930s. In the past 30 years, Hollins students have won 18 national individual championships and four have gone on to win the coveted Cacchione Cup. As a team, Hollins has won the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Team Honors twice.

The March show will include a $1,000 WIHS/NAL Children’s & Adult Hunter Classics, $1,000 Hollins Amateur Owner Hunter Classic, $1,000 USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Stake, a $1,000 Hollins Junior Hunter Classic, a $500 Hollins Pony Hunter Classic and a $225 Hollins Children’s Pony Hunter Classic. The show also includes several other special awards and perpetual trophies.

The show will use four arenas at the horse center, including the Coliseum. Judges are Chance Arakelian of Rancho Santa Fe, California, E. Sue Bopp of Remington, Virginia, Randy Henry of Castle Rock, Colorado and Judy Spitzer of Mount Sidney, Virginia.

Stonewall Country Horse Show kicks off another show season at Virginia Horse Center

We may be deep into January in Virginia, but it didn’t really feel like it this weekend at the Virginia Horse Center. The Stonewall Country Horse Show brought USEF ‘A’-rated hunter/jumper competition to Lexington. With the weather about 50 degrees, the show felt more like a spring event then one deep in January.

Saturday afternoon was filled with the show’s largest division, the junior hunters, with 16 horses shown.

The show will repeat Feb. 2-5. Here’s hoping the weather is just as fabulous as it was this past weekend.

stone004stone003stone005stone006stone007stone008stone009stone010stone011stone012stone014stone015

Lexington National Horse Show comes to Virginia Horse Center Aug. 9-14

coverHunters/Jumpers will reign at the Virginia Horse Center from Aug. 9-14 for the Lexington National Horse Show.

The show gets started on Tuesday, Aug. 9, with a non-USEF day and the Virginia Hunter Championships. The championships will award $60,000 in prize money. Divisions will include: Professional Hunter Classic, Pre-Green Hunter Classic, Jr/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic, Children’s Hunter Classic, Adult Amateur Classic, Pony/Children’s Pony Hunter Classic. (The Pony Finals will be held separately because of a conflict with the USEF Pony Finals.)

In order to be a part of the classics at the Virginia Hunter Championships, horses must qualify by showing at Virginia horse shows throughout the year. Horses wishing to compete for the professional classic must have shown in at least four of the qualifying shows, while those qualifying for all other classics must have shown in at least six.

Wednesday thru Sunday will be USEF AA and USEF Jumper Two-Star event. The Lexington National also hosts the VHSA medal finals and the AYR finals.

equitation

On Wednesday, a one-day clinic with Kathy Doyle Newman will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the East Complex.

Newman is a well known trainer, who herself was trained by George Morris. She has trained many National and Virginia champions, including her own daughter, Katherine Newman.   Mrs. Newman has  also been a board member of the Virginia Horse Shows Association, has been named VHSA Horseperson of the Year and was inducted into the VHSA Hall of Fame in 2013.

The clinic will be split into three groups: 3’6” Equitation, 3’6” Children’s/Adult Jumper and the 3’0” Equitation. One should select a group based on the division in which one currently shows.

The cost will be $230 per rider, lunch included. The Rider’s registration form, waiver, Coggins and registration fee must be  sent the VHSA office by Friday, July 22. Each clinic participant will be granted one auditor’s pass (trainer or parent) at the reduced registration fee of $15, which covers the cost of lunch. The auditor’s name and fee must be included with the rider’s reservation form.

The charge for auditors will be $50 per person, lunch included. The auditor’s name and $50 fee must also be sent to the VHSA office by July 22. After that date, please call the VHSA office at (540) 349-0910 to make arrangements.

Sallie B. Wheeler/U.S. Hunter Breeding East Coast National Championship returns to Virginia Horse Center in August

fe084-rainier

Some of the best young horses in the country will come together on August 27 at The Virginia Horse Center for the 2016 Sallie B. Wheeler/U.S. Hunter Breeding East Coast National Championship as part of the Virginia Young Horse Festival.

Find the Virginia Young Horse Festival prize list here.

Highlights will include the East Coast Best Young Horse Championship class and a party Saturday night at 5 p.m. in celebration of the Sallie B. Wheeler Hunter Breeding Championship. Several USEF Championship trophies also will be awarded on Saturday including The Dave Kelley Perpetual trophy, which will be awarded to the Overall Grand Hunter Breeding Champion; The J. Arthur Reynolds trophy, awarded to the breeder of the Overall Grand Hunter Breeding Champion; and The Foxwick Farm Perpetual Trophy awarded to the leading Thoroughbred.

On Friday, Aug. 26, the horse center will host a C-rated breeding show as part of the Virginia Young Horse Festival.

Brooke Kemper rides Classifed to win in $25,000 Grand Prix of Roanoke

RVHS001
Brooke Kemper on Classified

The Grand Prix of Roanoke had a new venue and a new champion for 2016, as Brooke Kemper rode her 12-year-old Holsteiner/Thoroughbred gelding Classified to the top spot for the $25,000 prize Saturday, June 26, at the Virginia Horse Center.

RVHS002
Brooke Kemper on Classified

The 12-time winner of the Grand Prix of Roanoke, Aaron Vale, was not part of the field of 11 at the show’s new venue at the Virginia Horse Center.

As a large crowd of spectators looked on, Kemper, of Shadow Pond Stables in Culpeper, Virginia, was clear in her first ride and then clear again in the jump-off with a time of 37.258. She just barely edged out Maryann Charles and FVF Sailorman, who jumped a double clear with a time of 37.279.

Also in the jump-off round was Tyler Smith riding Soho D’Ermisserie, who had a double clear with a time of 41.763, and Gavin Moylan riding Pernod, who had four faults and a time of 35.411.

Maryann Charles and Sailorman
Tyler Smith and Soho D’Ermisserie

Brooke Kemper also rode Classified to a win in the Rockbridge Grand Prix at the Virginia Horse Center in 2015. She was third in the George L. Ohrstrom Grand Prix at the horse center in May. Kemper grew up on her parents’ Kemper Knoll Farm near Harrisonburg, Virginia. Her mother, Darlene, is a riding instructor, while her father, Whit, is a full-time farmer.

RVHS004
Tyler Smith and Soho D’Ermisserie were third in the Grand Prix of Roanoke

Related links:

Bonnie Blue National Horse Show tightly restricts photography

If you’re going to the Bonnie Blue National Horse Show on May 11-14 at the Virginia Horse Center, leave your camera at home. The prize book for the USEF-rated show  states that commercial photographers are limited to press photographers only. How do you know if you are a commercial photographer? The prize list states that “cameras with detachable lenses or lenses of more than two inches are prohibited. Any lenses greater than two inches is considered professional equipment and is not permitted in the arena buildings or into the competition arenas to include seating areas.”

Press passes will be issued by the horse show office after press photographers sign an agreement stating that they won’t sell the photographs under any circumstances.

Professional photographers may not record the event with any kind of camera, or video
equipment. (I’m not certain how they decide that you are a professional photographer using your iPhone illegally.) This policy will be strictly enforced. Violation of the policy may result in removal from the show grounds. Commercial photographers found violating this policy will be accessed a $1,000 fee and escorted off the grounds.

The show is celebrating its 30th year. The policy is not unique is just this show but to all AHA national shows.

Here is the policy as it was written and published in the show’s Prize List:

PHOTOGRAPHY AND VIDEO
Photographs will be taken by Doug Shiflet during the sessions and will be available directly through him. Video will be provided by Richfield Video. Arrangements may be made before the session or by calling 1-800-345-2429.
Commercial Photographers at all national shows are limited to PRESS PHOTOGRAPHERS ONLY. Press photographers (anyone taking pictures for newspapers or periodic publications ) will be required to sign an agreement stating that they will abide by official Bonnie Blue Nationals Horse Show rules and any photographs they take are to be used for editorial purposes only and are NOT TO BE SOLD under any circumstances. Only one press pass will be issued per publication. Once an agreement has been signed, an official BBN Press Pass will be issued. Press passes can only be obtained from the horse show office. Cameras with detachable lenses or lenses of more than two inches are prohibited. Any lenses greater than two inches is considered professional equipment and is not permitted in the arena buildings or into the competition arenas to include seating areas. The official show photographers are exempt from this policy. Professional photographers may not record the event with any kind of camera, or video equipment. This policy will be strictly enforced. Violation of the policy may result in removal from the show grounds. Commercial photographers found violating this policy will be accessed a $1000 fee and escorted off the grounds.

Looking for Bonnie Blue National photos? Visit Doug Shiflet’s page by clicking here.

Related links:

Horse show photography: When spectators decide to break out a camera

GET YOUR HORSE FIX: Equestrian events Feb. 14-15 near Roanoke

A deep plunge of cold air is coming just in time for Valentine’s Day this year, which may not make you enjoy heading out with the horses quite so much. But if your heart yearns only for horses, no matter the weather, you can still feed that hunger.

VIRGINIA HORSE CENTER

The Polar Bear Horse Show is a very aptly named event this year. The hunter schooling show will be held in the East Complex at the center. The event includes classes on the flat and over fences and begins at 8:30 both Saturday and Sunday. Casual attire is permitted except in the equitation classes. Find the schedule of classes here.

TAKE A ROAD TRIP

  • Clinic:  Lana Affemann Performance-Horses and Stark Performance Horses will be holding a clinic on grooming your horse and showing in halter and showmanship Feb. 14-15 in Smithfield, Va. (4-hour drive from Roanoke.) For more information or to RSVP, contact Hillary Stark at Hrstark184@yahoo.com or (757)705-3648.
  • Gymnastics Clinic with Paul Ebersole at Morven Park’s indoor arena in Leesburg, Va. (3-hour drive). Lessons will last one hour for groups of three or four riders, for all levels from Green horses and going up through the Eventing levels (Baby BN, BN, N,T,P,I)  Ebersole will also offer a cross country clinic Feb 28-Mar 1st at Morven. Cost is $90 per horse which includes Morven’s ring fee. Auditors are welcome to watch at no charge. To sign up, please email Pat Palmer at ppalmerwheatland@aol.com.

ONLINE

arabian
The Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show is the largest all-Arabian horse show in the world.

If you’d rather just stay wrapped up in a blanket inside during this bitter weekend, thankfully these days you can do so and still be at the horse show.

A LOOK AHEAD