Megan Brincks

The Marin Humane Society in California seized two horses from a farm in the Chileno Valley area of West Marin on Dec. 27 and two additional horses on Jan. 4.

Investigators seized a stallion, now being treated at the University of California in Davis, and a malnourished mare on Dec. 27.

Mark Todd, advanced eventer for New Zealand, was named a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of the Merit at the New Year Honours for his services to equestrian sport.

“It’s very humbling, really,” said Todd in an interview with the New Zealand Herald. “It's going to take a bit of getting used to. I don't think it's going to make any difference, but it's wonderful.”

With horses to ride, lessons to teach and barns to manage all year long, many professional riders and trainers enjoy a little downtime during the holidays.

But Yvonne Barteau, Grand Prix rider and trainer at KYB Dressage in Maple Park, Ill., went the opposite route when she decided to create an elaborate Christmas production on horseback filled with lights, fog, snow, music, singers, costumes and just about every horse and rider in her barn.

Carl Hester and Uthopia have completed their last competition together as of Dec. 18. According to EuroDressage, a bank placed an injunction on Uthopia, who won team gold at the Olympic Games in London with Hester, as part of a bankruptcy dispute with owner Sasha Stewart.

Although Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin have never denied that double Olympic gold medalist Valegro is for sale, Dujardin told the Press Association Sport that she’s making an effort to syndicate 49 percent of the gelding and keep him in Great Britain.

It’s not often that a dressage rider gets to forge a relationship with a fully trained Grand Prix horse, but Caroline Roffman’s new partner knows all the tricks. She and Sagacious HF made waves at the Dressage at Holiday and Horses in Wellington, Fla. They scored a 73.16 percent in the Young Rider Grand Prix on Dec. 1, and a 71.63 percent in the same test the next day to win both classes.

A Rockingham Superior Court in New Hampshire has directed Melissa Lovasco, president and CEO of the Jumper Classic, to post $20,000 in connection with her legal dispute with David Birdsall and his Silver Oak Equestrian Center.

Silver Oak in Hampton Falls, N.H., has been the site of the Jumper Classic for the last five years. The event took place from Aug. 8-12 this year, but shortly thereafter Lovasco and Birdsall got into a legal dispute.

On Nov. 11, a fire consumed the main barn and indoor arena at Whistling Ridge Farm in Afton, Va., west of Charlottesville. No horses or people were injured.

The farm, a boarding and training facility run by Lauren Seitz, is home to about 15 horses of various disciplines. On the evening of the fire, Seitz decided to leave all of the horses out for the night to take advantage of the warm weather.

After a late afternoon ride, Seitz put the last horse out to pasture around 5:30 p.m.

A barn fire in La Grange, Ky., northeast of Louisville, killed 10 horses on Oct. 29.

Around 3:30 a.m., a neighbor reported a fire at the barn that was home to the Thoroughbreds. Major Keith Smith of the La Grange Fire and Rescue Department said firefighters arrived on the scene only a few minutes later to find the 6,700 square foot building in flames.

Although the fire department quickly ruled that the fire was not suspicious – there was no insurance on the building or animals – the cause of the fire is undetermined. The horse owners were renting the property.

After hearing the announcement that November would mark the last horse trials at Ram Tap, the local equestrian community expressed shock and sadness. But one eventer from the Fresno area decided to take matters into his own hands. John Marshall, a commercial real estate broker who events at the novice level, will take over the operation of the facility starting in early December.