The Norco Hall of Fame is looking for a few good champions to call its own. Nominations for 2010 inductees are under way, and the first step in the process is to obtain the induction application from the organization’s website, http://www.HorseTownUsaHallOfFame.com. Deadline for applications is June 7.

The mission of the Horsetown Hall of Fame is “to honor the trainers, breeders, riders and horses from Norco who have achieved championship status.”

After 16 inaugural Hall of Fame members were inducted in 2008, 13 were added last year.
Fund-raisers for the Hall include the upcoming Horsetown Hall of Fame Gold Tournament on Saturday, April 25. The shot-gun start, best-ball tourney has some great prizes, including $10,000 in cash and a pair of week-long trips — one to Hawaii, one to Las Vegas. It starts at noon at Paradise Knolls.

This marks the fifth year that the community will host a tour of Horsetown USA’s finest ranches, with proceeds benefitting the Norco Regonal Conservancy “Friends of Norco Hills” open space project.

The Fifth Annual Norco Ranch Tour will include stops at DeBruce Mini Ranch, Cutting Horse Ranch, refreshments at S&Z Ranch, White Farms and its Peruvian Pasos, and more for a $10 donation. A view of the Norconian Hotel from Red Cloud Stables and a trip to the Norco High School Ag and FFA departments are on the trip, too.

For more information, contact Norco Horseman’s Association President Danny Azevedo at AZrider@sbcglobal.net.

Equestrians and residents in Chino Hill’s English Road area have expressed concerns about a proposal to build a large church in their neighborhood. The proposal seeks a Conditional Use Permit for a church at the intersection of English Road and Peyton Drive with a 297-seat sanctuary, 110 parking spaces, offices, and group assembly rooms in the midst of the city’s unique Equestrian Overlay area.

LEXINGTON, KY. – Come this fall at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, it will be all about the teams, the countries they represent — and the money that will be won.

To increase reining team participation in the Games, the Federation Equestre Internationale has increased the payout. This year, the team reining competition will pay a $100,000 purse to 15 places, while the individual finals will pay out to 20 places. Countries that haven’t yet met the FEI requirements for a full team can still apply for wild-card status. The Games will be held Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

LONDON, Ontario — The Friesian Horse Association of North America honored Janna Goldman of Greenbrae with the 2009 FHANA President’s Trophy at the organization’s general meeting Feb 27. The Perpetual Trophy, regarded as the most prestigious FHANA year-end award, went to the northern Californian woman for the promotion of the Friesian horse by competing and winning numerous large classes at USEF rated shows. She used multiple horses to achieve the highest score in North America and was selected as the person who “best demonstrates the versatility of the Friesian horse”

Her name was added to the perpetual Presidential Trophy which remains on display at the FHANA offices in Lexington, KY.

Goldman, who shows her Friesians in a multitude of disciplines, including saddleseat, huntseat, dressage, driving, and western, remembers her first Friesian.

Lexington, KY – Four California horse/rider combinations have made the long list to represent the U.S. show jumpers this fall at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Nicole Shahanian-Simpson of Thousand Oaks on Tristan along with Richard Spooner of Agua Dulce on Cristallo are listed fourth and fifth, respectively, in the Top 15, while Ashlee Bond of Hidden Hills on Chivas Z and Shahanian-Simpson on Kilkenny Rindo were listed as alternates. The line-up comes at the heels of the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team in Wellington, Fla. The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will be held in Lexington Sept. 25-Oct. 10.

The top nine horse/rider combinations were named according to their Final Overall Placing in the Selection Trials. The remaining six horse/rider combinations may be discretionary choices recommended by the Selectors. In this case, the Selectors exercised their option to use three discretionary choices. In addition, the Selectors name and rank up to five substitute horse/rider combinations to the Long List.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz — Cutting cattle and cutting an album are two paths rarely crossed, but Randy Paul has done just that.

The 2010 NRCHA World’s Greatest Horseman and NRHA Million Dollar Rider is fulfilling a long-lasting ambition to record his music, available soon on CD via his website, www.randypaul.com. The album, “The Sky,” has been more than 25 years in the making, and it’s a collaboration with his daughter, vocalist Lynzee, and her husband, Paul Foreman, who produced the collection.

“One song, “sunshine Lady,” was written in 1984 for his wife, Andi.

SAN ANGELO, Texas – It came down to the final run.

Randy Paul and Smokeelan, going last down the fence in pursuit of front-runner Doug Williamson and Hes Wright On, pulled off a clutch 223 score in the cow work to claim the 2010 World’s Greatest Horseman title Feb. 7 at the First Community Credit Unior Spur Arena. The National Reined Cow Horse Association’s four-event competition tested the world’s best trainers and stock horses in herd work, rein work, cow work and steer stopping.

After the first finals segment in herd work, Paul faced an uphill climb. He and Smokeelan (Elans Playboy x Smart Little Smokee), owned by Jill Smiekel George, sat in seventh place, but the subsequent rein work sparked optimism for the trainer who has won more than $1 million in National Reining Horse Association earnings.

The Fairplex in Pomona hosted the 10th Annual Equine Affaire from Feb. 4-7, and neither rain nor recession could keep the spirits (and numbers) down – a very good sign as we head toward spring of 2010. As the Official Publication of Equine Affaire, the California Horsetrader shares some of the event with you in these pictures taken by Daniel Lew and Carolyn Read. If you attended Equine Affaire, let us know what you think — many folks say that trade fairs like this are good indicators of the economy. To take our quick poll, click here!

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Turning out a horse to pasture is commonly preferred to confinement, but research at Texas A&M University suggests that if grass is the only hay they are fed, horses can still get gastric ulcers.

According the the study, feeding alfalfa to horses that have the potential to be high performers either prevented or was therapeutic in treating stomach ulcers.