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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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What’s the Role of USEF’s Adaptive Sport Committee?

by Natalie Voss/US Equestrian Commmunications | September 14, 2026

This spring, USDF silver medalist Sara Norris-Kamerer was frustrated. She had been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, fibromyalgia, and functional neurological disorder. All of these conditions added a challenge in the saddle, creating tremors and pain that have real impacts on her stability and balance, but even taken together they did not meet the standard for a para athlete classification. Norris-Kamerer sent an email to Ellie Brimmer, president of the United States Para Equestrian

Tad Coffin Reflects on the 50th Anniversary of Winning Double Olympic Gold

by Debbie Elliot | September 14, 2026

Photo courtesy of Tad Coffin At just 21 years old, Edmund “Tad” Coffin had the surreal experience of standing on the podium at the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympic Games to receive a gold medal, not once, but twice. Coffin, on his mount Bally Cor, became the first American to win the individual eventing gold medal at the ‘76 Games, and was also a member of the gold-medal winning U.S. team. Photo courtesy of Tad Coffin Fifty years on, Coffin reflected on his road to the

Meet the Rescue Pony Who Made It All the Way to USEF Pony Finals

by Debbie Elliot | September 14, 2026

When the best ponies from across the U.S. travelled to the Kentucky Horse Park in August, there was a very special pony among them who had already beaten the odds. Photo courtsey of Leigha Schrader Just Do It (“Nike”) and his owner/rider Adelaide Thompson had their dreams come true when they qualified for the pony jumper division in the large pony category at the 2026 USEF Pony Finals presented by Marshall+Sterling. But Nike isn’t any ordinary pony. As a yearling in 2016, he

College Best Friends Find a Shared Love for Something They Never Expected: Arabians

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | September 13, 2026

If you asked the younger versions of Mary Scott Head and Hayden Weinstein if they would ever stray from their hunter/jumper roots, they would say never. Until both girls found themselves unexpectedly finding their way back to the saddle with the help of two very special Arabians. Nowadays, neither girl can imagine a life without the horses they describe as dedicated, intelligent, willing, and their heart horses. After meeting in college, the girls instantly became best friends. While they may

“It’s a dream come true because, for a long time, I thought it was all gone.”

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

Most equestrians will experience an injury at some point in their lives. Nearly everyone remembers sitting in a doctor’s office, anxiously awaiting the verdict that determines how long they’ll be sidelined, and perhaps more painfully, how much time they’ll spend away from the horses they love. For some, an injury means pressing pause on a dream. For others, it forces a reevaluation of long-term goals. Sometimes, it's simply time away from a place that feels like home.

A Legacy in Two Fillies: How Kristen Petzold is Honoring Her Past Mare, Diamond Dolly, with Kheckmate CL and Kosmic Kreation CL

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | September 9, 2026

Kristen Petzold has always loved Arabians. Her first horse was an Arabian, and she credits that experience with introducing her to not only a remarkable breed, but a close-knit community that would shape her life. “I’ve been so lucky to have so many horses of a lifetime, and I think partly due to the fact they’re all Arabians,” she said. “The bond you feel with an Arabian is something I haven’t experienced with any other breed of horse. Once I discovered how

No Greater Honor: How Nyssa Sheridan and Her Homebred Mare Turned Setbacks into New Opportunities

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | September 6, 2026

Nyssa Sheridan has been a part of Chili’s life since the very beginning. From deciding to breed her beloved mare, Dancing Gdynia, to watching the embryo that would become Chili develop through an ultrasound, Sheridan has been a part of her journey every step of the way. Long before Chili entered the show ring, Sheridan was there imagining what kind of horse she might become. Years later, the foal has grown into No Greater Honor+++/, a versatile Arabian mare preparing to compete on one of

The History and Legacy of Paso Finos: From Puerto Rico to Tryon International

by Debbie Elliot | September 6, 2026

The rich breed history of Los Caballos de Paso Fino, better known as the Paso Fino, dates back over 500 years to 1493 when Christopher Columbus brought a combination of Berber Horses (also known as Barbs), Spanish Jennets, and Andalusians to the Americas. Photo courtesy of Javier Suarez Following orders from King Ferdinand II and Queen Isabella of Spain, Columbus landed with his horses and Spanish conquistadors on the island of Borinquen at the Bay of Aguada, which is now known as

From Rescue to Show Ring: Zoe Lewis and Pedro's Multi-Generational Journey to the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | August 30, 2026

Some horses are purchased, but some are priceless. Pedro was rescued for $900 out of a neglect situation, and more than a decade later, he's carried two generations of the same family to national competition, most recently finishing sixth in the Aspen Leaf Farm/USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship with 15-year-old Zoe Lewis of Elgin, Texas, in the irons. Pedro and Zoe Lewis with her mother, Marsha (left) and older sister, Ruby (right). (©US Equestrian) Pedro, a 2003 Appaloosa

From the Sidelines to the Podium, Candoit’s Scala Gives Adam Steffens-Smienk a Sweet Return to the Saddle

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | August 30, 2026

Adam Steffens-Smienk made the move from his native Minnesota to Wellington, Fla. at the age of 16 to chase his dreams. This week, that leap of faith has led him all the way to the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions at HITS Lamplight Equestrian Center. When Steffens-Smienk made the move, he had to start from the ground up, putting in lots of early mornings. He had started dressage lessons aboard Arabians in Minnesota and made the leap to Florida to accept a working student position at

Bitsy’s Itsy is All Business: A Cheerleader With Boss Mare Energy

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | August 28, 2026

Elan Stremmel of Cazanozia, N.Y., is making her first appearance at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions this week, riding her longtime partner Bitsy's Itsy, an 11-year-old Connemara-Oldenburg-Thoroughbred cross (Wasabi x Bitsy), in the Aspen Leaf Farm/USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship. Stremmel and Itsy with George Williams, US Equestrian Dressage Youth Coach and High Performance & Pathway Development Advisor (©US Equestrian) "She loves to work, and she loves to

From Yearling to Prix St. Georges, Halegro Has Been by Cassie Benson’s Side

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | August 26, 2026

Practically raised in the dressage saddle, Cassie Benson grew up riding alongside her family members at Hilltop Dressage, located in Heber City, Utah. Eventually, Benson took over her grandmother’s role in the business as a trainer alongside her aunt, Margo Gogan. As a child, the farm was a haven for Benson. Whether she was frustrated or sad, horses were her safe space, and you could always find her down at the barn. ©Impulsion Images “Being with them, hearing them eat, their