The board of directors for Prairie Meadows Racetrack and Casino had decided to vote in favor of continuing the horse racing program for next year.

According to reports, there were plans of calling for a 56-day thoroughbred meet and 30-day quarter horse meet but the format did not suit well with the all parties since it would surely affect the horse breeding industry in general. The racetrack and casino is located in Altoona, Iowa.

The horse racing industry is asking for 103 racing days for standardbreds, quarter horse and thoroughbreds. A representative voiced out his disappointment in earlier plans saying that most of the racing fans would simply go for other venues for entertainment due to the reduced horse racing program. This would also force the establishment to let go of a number of employees.

The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s stand on the plan is still unavailable since the officials are open to discussion between two parties. The results of the votes may show a favor to one plan but it could still be changed if the other side was able to convince the officials that it should go the other way.

Eighteen year old Tomi Thomas says she could spend all day with horses and she wouldn’t be bored one bit. This is because she’s a hardcore competitor who has won a lot of barrel racing horses competitions at such a young age.

The Spring Hill native said that she started riding horses at the age of two. In the latter years, she started competing in events specifically in barrel racing.

As a clear proof of the 18-year old’s expertise in the field, she and her horse Junebug won a national title in the recently concluded Youth World Championships in Jackson, Mississippi which was organized by the National Barrel Horse Association. Thomas said it was her biggest title to date, having won huge cash prize money and champion jacket.

Her mother revealed that Tomi Thomas was named for her late father Tommy Thomas, who died before she was born. Barbara Thomas said that she worked two jobs in order to finance her daughter’s horse riding interests and she’s glad that her efforts paid off.

As for the young rider, the journey still continues with several tournaments lined up in the coming months.

Respected Australian horse trainer Pat Quinn, who hails from New South Wales, reportedly died of a heart attack after a freak accident he encountered at a horse stall at Canterbury.

The 63-year old, having lived a life of racing horses at Port Macquarie in New South Wales, was attending to a horse named Insensitive. The horse accidentally trapped Quinn into a rail until he was assisted by one of the strappers.

Quinn was immediately rushed to the hospital since he was unconscious at that time. However, he paramedics declared him dead during transit.
According to the authorities, Quinn had a cardiac arrest while still in the ambulance.

The sudden demise of a well-loved citizen affected a lot of people especially his family.

Peter V’landys, Racing NSW Chief Executive officer, said that Quinn was regarded as an outstanding racing horse trainer who deserved to receive a lot of accolades from the community.

One of the greatest achievements of Quinn was to train a horse named Octagonal, a Sydney triple crown winner in 1996. Despite his age, he remained active in the horse racing scene. This eventually inspired his children to follow his footsteps.

The United States Equestrian Federation [USEF] is scheduled to host a para-dressage test competition next month which will be attended by riders with disabilities from all over.

The ParaEquestrian Dressage Training Session will take place at the Shea Therapeutic Riding Center in San Juan Capistrano, California on September 13, 2009 (Sunday). The riders will get to learn more about taking part in National or International dressage test competitions and at the same time compete with each other for fun.

Each of the participating riders will have about 45 minutes of training sessions. They will undergo “Ride Your Dressage Test Critiques” as well.

Just like in paralympic competitions, ParaEquestrian gives riders with various disabilities a great chance to show their talent despite having physical obstacles. To emphasize how important this undertaking is, a ParaEquestrian Dressage test competition will be included at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. This prestigious competition will take place in September 2010 at Lexington, Kentucky.

Sharon Schneidman, a USDF Gold Medalist, will spearhead the training sessions. She had been a certified instructor who had produced some of the world’s best equestrian players. She also owns a dressage training facility in Colorado.

Despite racing among male racing horses, Rachel Alexandra managed to outrace them all at Preakness Stakes recently. The challenge this time is for her to repeat the feat at an upcoming tournament in Oceanport, New Jersey.

The female racing horse will compete at the Haskell Invitational at Monmouth Park, a $1.25 million event that takes place this week. This will be attended by only the best riders and racing horses from all over the country. Tough competitors include Mine That Bird, Summer Bird, Papa Clem and Munnings.

Horse owner Jess Jackson said that the prestigious event will be a tough one to win since past champions are expected to participate. However, the spectators will be treated with exciting competitions. Even if Rachel Alexandra won’t win, Jackson said that it won’t be something to be embarrassed about because there are a lot of great racing horses participating in this tournament.

The overwhelming support at the Monmouth Park sparks hope of the revival of the horse racing industry despite the global financial crisis.

Reports have revealed declining revenues in these types of races which prompted racing venues to add slot machines and come up with racinos.