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Here you can find our archive of stories from Equestrian Weekly, our once-a-week look at affiliate news, international competition, amateur profiles, horse care tips, and more. You’ll also find stories from the USEF Insider, a twice-monthly email newsletter packed with features about USEF people and programs, including our drugs and medications program, regulations, and competitions departments.

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No Tail, No Problem: Meet Courtney Sendak and Where's My Tail

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 20, 2026

When it comes to her horse, Courtney Sendak knows the first question she’ll get before anyone asks it. Sendak and Where's My Tail competing at the Morven Park CCI3*, part of the USEF Eventing National Championship League. (©US Equestrian) Sendak’s horse, Where's My Tail, a 2011 Thoroughbred mare (Double Honor x Crafty Prospector) owned by Krysta Paradis, known in the barn as "Detail," was born with a large portion of her coccygeal vertebrae missing, which gives her an

Ann Judge Has Spent Nearly 30 Years Introducing Horses to 76,000 Fans

by Kimberly Loushin | October 15, 2026

As more than 76,000 fans settle into their seats at Mile High Stadium for a Denver Broncos home game, there’s one tradition that’s a must before play can commence. Minutes before kickoff, the in-stadium announcer loudly proclaims, “Here comes ...Thunder,” cuing a gray horse to gallop down a chute and onto the field ahead of the Denver players. And for every Denver touchdown, Thunder and his rider take a tour of the field in celebration. Since his first appearance in

What’s the Role of USEF’s Breed/Discipline Committees?

by Kimberly Loushin | October 15, 2026

If you’ve ever scrolled through the list of US Equestrian committees you may have noticed a large chunk of them are dedicated to each of the 29 breeds and disciplines recognized by USEF. These committees focus on the breed or discipline they represent and work to create the best possible environment for those members and their horses. There are 17 national breed and discipline committees and each of them will be repopulated on March 1, 2027. These committees are made up of seven to 15

Jessica Thoma and The Horses That Kept Her Going

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 14, 2026

Eight years ago, Jessica Thoma lost three limbs and nearly her life following a rare diagnosis. But she found para dressage, and an Andalusian named Manny carried her to a reserve championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions this summer. Thoma and Imantado GOM competing at the 2026 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (©US Equestrian) "Without horses, I would not be here," she said Thoma grew up in a western riding family in Crossville, Tenn. As a teenager, she discovered

No Stranger to Hard Work: Kaitlyn Linck and Her "One in a Million" Horse Don Touch de Tiji Z

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 11, 2026

In the early morning hours at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, most athletes and spectators are still asleep. For Kaitlyn Linck, however, it’s the perfect time to spend a few quiet hours with her horse, Don Touch de Tiji Z. Linck (Clinton Corners, N.Y.) competed with Don Touch de Tiji Z, her own 2016 Zangersheide gelding (Don’t Touch Tiji Hero x Viva La Vida Hero Z) in the 2026 USEF/Valencia Saddlery Hunter Seat Medal Final. ©Natalie Suto Photography | Photo provided by

With Horses, Lucienne Belissimo Feels the Most Like Herself

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 11, 2026

Lucienne Bellissimo's earliest riding memory is of a Shetland pony with a strap around its middle, which was there because the children aboard were too small for saddles. She was one or two years old. Born in England's New Forest, where a breed of pony named for the region roams the land, she grew up backing and breaking young ponies, a childhood she describes as "a little bit like the Wild West, but in England." Her mother rode and was involved in racing, so horses were simply the air

Move Over Peanuts: There’s a New Charlie Brown in Town and He’s Taking the Horse World by Storm

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 2, 2026

Charlie Brown is a loveable and deeply determined main character who first appeared in the newspaper during the 1950s in a comic strip titled, “Peanuts.” The 8-year-old boy became known for his endless adventures with friends Woodstock and Snoopy, and eventually inspired a television series, “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” and many tv specials. The name Charlie Brown is familiar to millions of Americans, but in the equestrian world, it belongs to a different kind of

The Norwegian Horses You Have Never Heard Of

by Debbie Elliot | September 29, 2026

We have all heard of Norwegian Fjords, with their distinctive dun coloring and two-tone mane, but few of us are as familiar with the Norwegian Dole Horse. Dole stallion Snippen; photo courtesy of The Norwegian Stables Also known as the Dole Gudbrandsdal or Dølahest, the Dole originated in the Gudbrandsdal region of Norway and are thought to be descendants of Friesians. They were used as workhorses doing agricultural work or hauling timber for hundreds of years, but as the need for such

University of Miami’s Concussion Research Could Be a Game Changer for Equestrians

by Kimberly Loushin | September 28, 2026

When show jumper Lauren Hayes learned the University of Miami’s Acquired Neurosensory Disorder and Treatment Lab was doing research on equestrians and concussions earlier this year, she was quick to sign up. The lab, which has worked with the Department of Defense and the National Football League, was working to gather data on equestrians with and without a history of concussion to determine a normative value, or baseline, for equestrians. With that value, they could better diagnose and

Therapeutic Use of Stem Cells for Tendon and Ligament Injuries

by Holly White/Grayson Jockey Club | September 28, 2026

For decades, tendon and ligament injuries have been among the most frustrating diagnoses in equine medicine. Whether affecting an elite racehorse or beloved show partner, these injuries often require months of rehabilitation and carry a high risk of re-injury — even after horses appear clinically sound. Today, regenerative medicine is changing that outlook. Thanks in part to research funded by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, veterinarians are gaining a far better

Eventing 101: Everything You Need to Know Before the US Equestrian Open Final

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | September 24, 2026

Perhaps you’ve seen the ads on social media, or maybe your barn is planning a field trip, or you are local to Morven Park and are looking for an adventure. However you’ve heard about it, the US Equestrian Open Eventing Final has generated excitement among horse enthusiasts and newcomers alike. The US Equestrian Open Eventing Final will bring top athlete-and-horse combinations from not only across the country but around the world, to Morven Park in Leesburg, Va., for the ultimate

Keen: The Racetrack Reject Who Became an American Dressage Legend

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | September 23, 2026

In 1984, Keen carried Hilda Gurney to her second Olympic Games, and by then he was already a legend. Foaled in 1966, the 17.2-hand chestnut Thoroughbred gelding (Money Broker x Mabel Victory) started life on the racetrack in Southern California, where his sheer size made him too large for a starting gate. It cost him any chance at a successful racing career. Rather than see him traded for cattle, Gurney, a West Coast dressage pioneer, purchased him in 1969 for $1,000 when he was 3 years old and