BYARS, Okla. — The National Reining Breeders Classic announced on Jan. 31 the judging lineup for its 2015 show, scheduled for April 13-19 at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas.

Horse owners are familiar with a Coggins; the “piece of paper” required for entry into some horse shows and sales and/or interstate movement. Many may overlook the fact that this “piece of paper” is essential to protecting the health of the national equine population from Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA), also known as swamp fever. The recent detections of EIA in the racing Quarter Horse Populations in California and Texas increases the need for awareness of this potentially fatal blood borne disease of horses, donkeys and mules.

OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Phil Hanson marked 228 on Classy CD Cat, by High Brow Cat, to win the 2014 NCHA Futurity at the Will Rogers Coliseum Dec. 14.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Teresa Kackert, trainer at the Menifee-based All American Horses has been named Instructor of the Year by the Certified Horsemanship Association.

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Legolas 92, the 12-year-old, 17-hand Westfalen gelding ridden by Steffen Peters in the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, has been named this year’s Adequan/USDF Grand Prix Horse of the Year.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II became the first recipient of the FEI Lifetime Achievement award Nov. 26 in recognition of her leading role as supporter of equestrian sport throughout her reign as British monarch.

The award was presented to Her Majesty by FEI President HRH Princess Haya at a ceremony in Buckingham Palace in the presence of former FEI President the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip, and Keith Taylor, Chairman of the British Equestrian Federation.

Horses featured in The Queen’s life from a very young age. She had her first riding lesson in the private riding school at Buckingham Palace Mews in January 1930, when she was just three years old and was given her first pony, the Shetland mare Peggy, by her grandfather King George V on her fourth birthday.

FORT WORTH,Texas — Jennie Shrout of Clements was a California connection among the High Point Champions named at the 2014 World Championship Appaloosa Horse Show held at the Will Rogers Memorial Center Oct. 24-Nov. 1.

Shrout received the Reserve World Champion Non-Pro Halter Exhibitor honors at the nine-day show, which awarded World Championships in 170 classes including cattle, western, English, jumping, games, freestyle reining and halter. Some of the equine industry’s most exciting competitions are uniquely Appaloosa events such as the Rope Race and the horse against horse Nez Perce Stake Races –always among the crowd favorites.

In addition to the variety of classes, some of the most coveted honors in the Appaloosa industry were awarded at the 2014 World Championship Appaloosa Show, including World’s Best Appaloosa, Champion Cattles Horse, Western Horse, English Horse, Games Horse, World Show Leading Breeder and numerous high-point awards. (Awards listings are at the end of this press release).

WAYNE, Ill. — The 2014 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com came to a conclusion Aug. 24 with three newly minted National Champions, including Sabine Schut-Kery of Thousand Oaks riding Sanceo.

Developing Prix St. Georges and 6-year-old horses, as well as Seat Medal 14- to 18-year-old riders, put their best efforts forward in Lamplight Equestrian Center’s Championship Arena in front of the judging panel of Christel Carlson, Sandy Hotz, and Jane Weatherwax. Sanceo (San Remo x Rivera/Ramiro’s Son II) and Schut-Kery took top honors among a field of 15 in the Markel/USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Horse Dressage National Championships, where horses performed the USEF Developing Prix St. Georges Horse Test. In Sunday’s championship class, worth the remaining 60 percent of the overall score, repeated her polished effort from Friday, winning both classes and the title with an overall score of 76.516%. Throughout Sunday’s test, the 8-year-old Hanoverian stallion was polished and poised in the Prix St. Georges movements, distancing him from the rest of the field and earning a 76.912%. Schut-Kery expressed how grateful she is to ride a horse like Sanceo.

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO –Trevor Knowles ended a mini-slump and solidified his spot atop the steer wrestling rankings by winning the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo that ended here Aug. 24.

Knowles was up Saturday in the two-day rodeo and set the bar high with a 3.3-second run that held up for the victory, earning him a check of $5,295. He was a half-second faster than runner-up Tyler Waguespack, who pocketed $4,738.

“A tenth (of a second) is worth a mile,” Knowles said. “This is a good time of year to win, and that’s a great rodeo to win. The run felt fast, and it was one I needed.”

LEXINGTON, Ky.– Leslie Berndl of Newcastle and her 2001 KWPN gelding, Uminco, last week were named to the short list of five dNominated Entries who may represent the United States at this month’s 2014 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, the U.S. Equestrian Federation has announced.

Three athlete-and-horse combinations will be selected from the five Nominated Entries to compete as the U.S. Team at the Championships on Sept. 24-28 in Izsak, Hungary. Joining Berndl on the short list are Jacob Arnold (Snow Camp, N.C.) and Tara 14; Donna Crookston (Saltsburg, Pa.) and her own RG Cowboy’s Black Cadillac, a 1996 Morgan gelding; Cheryl Pratt Rivers (Stockbridge, Vt.) and John C. Merritt and Karen K. Chandor’s Hotspur’s Red Rowl, a 2004 Morgan gelding; and Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) and her own PVF Peace of Mind, a 2007 Morgan mare.