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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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Operant Conditioning: Get to Know the Science Behind What You’re Doing in the Field

by Natalie Voss | July 2, 2026

You know by now that when you gently squeeze your horse’s side with your leg, they will move away, or that you may be able to entice a horse to walk towards a suspicious trailer ramp with the aid of a treat – but did you know that when you use these tools to change your horse’s behavior, you are using operant conditioning? You’ve likely heard of classical conditioning, which is a learning process made famous by Ivan Pavlov and his dog. Classical conditioning pairs a

Cooling the Threat: How Grayson-Funded Research Is Changing the Fight Against Laminitis

by Grayson Jockey Club | July 1, 2026

Few diagnoses strike fear into a horse owner's heart like laminitis. This painful and often devastating disease damages the sensitive tissues that connect the hoof wall to the underlying coffin bone. Laminitis not only threatens a horse's athletic career but remains one of the leading causes of premature death in horses, second only to colic. Laminitis can affect horses of all breeds and disciplines and generally falls into three categories: Endocrine-related laminitis , associated with

Dr. Wendy Rice: Equestrian and Psychologist

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 29, 2026

It’s not often you're able to merge your professional career and equestrian lifestyle, but Dr. Wendy Rice is one of the few who found a way to do it and is doing it well. Like many young equestrians, Dr. Rice was a true “barn rat” growing up and was grateful for the opportunity to sit on anything handed to her. She had her first lesson on a palomino named Willing at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and three lunge line lessons in the summer of 1978, which

Through Military Moves, Taylor Kamataris Leaned on Horses to Ground Her

by Kimberly Loushin | June 29, 2026

Growing up with both parents in the Air Force, Taylor Kamataris had to learn to adapt to change at an early age. But through all the moves, each time she started over at a new school, and long deployments, Taylor found it was horses, and the friends she made at the barn, who remained constant and provided comfort. “It was really nice to be able to have something to ground me, look forward to, and to have something constant,” she said. Taylor Kamataris and her mom meet her dad

From Paris to the USEF Eventing Young Riders Championships: Meet Figaro des Premices

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

Before he became a teacher for a driven young rider, Figaro des Premices was an Olympic-experienced horse with a resume most eventers spend a lifetime chasing. He had seen the biggest stages the sport has to offer. Then, he found his way to Reese Dellangelo, a rider who got her first pony in 2020 and did her first event not long after, and the two of them got to work building something new. Dell'Angelo and Monte at the 2026 USEF Eventing Young Riders Championships (©US Equestrian)

Meet Unmarked Bills: Anna Rose Erickson’s Confident Cuddle-Bug Who's Done It All

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 27, 2026

Anna Rose Erickson wasn't looking for a five-star horse. She was looking for something she could afford, a horse that would help her earn her Pony Club A, and maybe, if things went well, take her a little further than she'd been before. What she got was Unmarked Bills: a bay Thoroughbred with a five-star resume, an enormous ego, and absolutely no interest in being anyone's backup plan. Talley and Unmarked Bills at the 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (©Shannon

How Horses Give New Life to Alzheimer's and Parkinson’s Patients

by Debbie Elliot | June 26, 2026

Equine-assisted services have become a popular and effective way to support people with physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, grief, and substance-use recovery. Photo courtesy of Kindle Hill However, incorporating horses to help older people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s, dementia, or those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, is less common. “I believe the geriatric

Teamwork and Sisterhood: Grooming at the USEF Eventing Young Rider National Championships

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 25, 2026

When twin athletes, Shannon and Ashley Zupan, representing Area II, arrived at Loch Moy Farm on Thursday morning, it wasn’t with their saddles in hand or their competition gear neatly packed. Instead, they stepped into a different but equally significant role, cheering on their teammates, lending a hand wherever needed, and soaking in every moment of the experience. The Zupan sisters are returning to the USEF Eventing Young Rider National Championships for a second consecutive year to

Meet Modelo: Caroline Light’s Little Bay Horse

by by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 25, 2026

Caroline Light started her show morning how she normally spends it, feeding her gelding Modelo, a banana, still in its peel. 2026 marks Light’s first time attending and competing in the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships at the picturesque Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Evington, Virginia native is basking in this milestone opportunity with the horse of her dreams right alongside her. Having grown up on a beef cattle farm, Light has always been surrounded by livestock,

Meet Katelyn Smith & HSH Henry: An Ambitious Young Rider and a Horse Unlike Any Other

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 25, 2026

For Katelyn Smith, the road to the 2026 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships began not in the competition arena, but at a small lesson barn down the road from her Marietta, Georgia, home. She was inspired by a group of school friends who convinced her to start taking lessons with them and give riding a try. What started as a once-a-week lesson gradually grew into a passion that has shaped her life ever since. HSH Henry (Photo courtesy of Katelyn Smith) Smith spent time in the hunter/jumper

Meet Oswald van de Leeuwerk: Easy to Spot in the Ring and a Prankster in the Barn

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 21, 2026

There is a reason Grier Van Rooyen's barn nickname for Oswald van de Leeuwerk is "Ozzy." The 2014 Belgian Warmblood (Indouglas van het Bevrijdthof x Persinaa), owned by Calogera Borrello, has a rockstar personality as big as his jump. Van Rooyen and Oswald van de Leeuwerk (©US Equestrian) Van Rooyen grew up around horses from the start. Riding runs in the family as her mother rides, and Grier was in the saddle by age four. She grew up in Wyoming where she and her mother spent time in

Meet Gio Lemon: The One-Eyed Thoroughbred

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | June 19, 2026

The moment 12-year-old Caden Nolt swung his leg over the newly minted off-the-track Thoroughbred; he knew it was meant to be. Since the beginning of their partnership, the pair have paved the way for fellow Thoroughbreds competing within the hunter discipline and continue to outshine fellow competitors in the ring. Caden and Gio (Photo courtesy of the Nolt family) It’s not most parents’ dream to give their child a Thoroughbred that had only finished racing three months prior, but