Edited Press Release

Ten horse-and-rider combinations have been named for the Markel/U.S. Equestrian Federation U.S. Young Horse Training Session that will be held at Shannondale Farm in Milton, Ga. on Feb. 18-19. 

The Professional Riders Organization Junior Young Rider Training Level Scholarship Program has named Will Faudree (Southern Pines, N.C.), Shannon Lilley (Gilroy, Calif.), Amy Tryon (Duvall, Wash.) and founder Marcia Kulak (Scotia, N.Y.) as the new members of the program’s mentorship team.

The purpose of the PRO Junior Young Rider Training Level Scholarship is to spot upcoming talent, based on set criteria, and provide an opportunity to train in a PRO rider’s high performance program, with minimal financial burden, for one week.

The U.S. Equestrian Federation announced the dates and locations for the 2012 National Hunter Championships on Feb. 8.

The Junior Hunter Championship—West Coast will be held July 23-24 at the Showpark Facility in Del Mar, Calif.

The Junior Hunter Championship—East Coast will be held July 24-25 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Pony Finals will be held Aug. 7-12 at the Kentucky Horse Park.

The Sallie B. Wheeler/National Hunter Breeding Championship—West will be held Aug. 29 at the Showpark All Seasons Summer Tournament in Del Mar, Calif.

The North American Riders Group has awarded the 2011 Riders' Grant to Sarah Johnstone, a 20-year-old from Aurora, Ontario, who earned a spot on the Canadian show jumping team short list in 2011.

The grant, designed to provide greater competition opportunities for promising riders, includes $15,000 for NARG approved expenses, a Beval Artisan saddle, Ariat products, Phelps Media Public Relations service and a Spotted Toad Design customized website.

The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association and the Emerging Athletes Committee announced that Carl and Rush Weeden of Brookwood Farms will host the 2012 Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session on Nov. 15-18 at Fields and Fences in Gurnee, Ill.

The 2012 U.S. Equestrian Federation Dressage Festival of Champions will be held at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, N.J., over the span of two weekends in June.

June 8-10 will feature the first half of the Grand Prix National Dressage Championship and also serve as a USEF Selection Trial for the Olympic dressage team. It will also include the Pony National Dressage Championship, the Junior National Dressage Championship and the Young Rider National Championship.

Following their performance at the Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge (Fla.) CPEDI*** team qualifier for the Paralympics, held Jan. 25-29, the U.S. para-dressage team has qualified for the London 2012 Paralympic Games.

"It's very exciting," says Chef d'Equipe Missy Ransehousen. "I was very pleased with not only the team but with the individuals. They are a good group of people, working hard, and going forward with a good plan in mind."

The U.S. Equestrian Federation dressage department has re-authorized the use of alternative saddlery inspection procedures for dressage shows in California due to recent EHV-1 cases. Horse trials are not required to follow this procedure, but organizing committees and/or individuals are allowed to follow it.

The USEF recommends that ring stewards conduct a visual check of the horses, with no touching of the horse or any equipment.

The U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation named Pan American Games show jumping team and individual gold medalist Christine McCrea its 2012 Whitney Stone Cup recipient on Jan. 27 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (Fla). The award is presented annually to an active competitor who displays high standards of conduct while excelling in international competition. Recipients are considered ambassadors for the United States and equestrian sport.

In conjunction with the College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show Scholarship Fund, the EQUUS Foundation will offer a new scholarship to qualified participants of the CPI Horse Show, held Jan. 13-15 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida.

The $1,000 CPI Champion of Equine Service Scholarship is part of EQUUS Foundation's Champions program, an incentive-based equine service volunteer program to recognize and reward individuals and organizations on the carrots4acause network.