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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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Wild Pony Becomes Both Student and Teacher

by Glenye Cain Oakford | September 24, 2019

Bobbidi Boo, nicknamed Noelle, has come a long way since the Jacksonville sheriff's department picked her up as a stray. Photo: Anneliese Murch Hunter jumper trainer Kirsty Wright isn’t sure what possessed her to drive from her base in Odessa, Fla., to Jacksonville, Fla., in April 2018 and bring home an unbroken 13.2-hand mare that took more than an hour to catch in her pasture. The eight-year-old pony had an unusual history. The Jacksonville sheriff’s department had picked her

American Saddlebred Goes from Rescue to Show Ring

by Glenye Cain Oakford | September 23, 2019

Lisa Gaboury and her husband, Scott, with Ro and Me's Gypsy Moon at the Blue Ridge Classic Horse Show. Photo: Courtesy of Lisa Gaboury When the St. Louis National Charity Horse Show ’s Saddlebred Week begins on Sept. 25, at least one competitor in the Saddle & Bridle Shatner Western Pleasure Championships will feel like a winner before she and her horse even step into the ring. Lisa Gaboury and her American Saddlebred gelding, Ro and Me’s Gypsy Moon, took a slightly unusual

Five Things to Know About Paso Finos

by US Equestrian Communications Department | September 17, 2019

The Paso Fino Grand National takes place through Sept. 21 in Perry, Ga. Photo: Stunning Steeds The Paso Fino Horse Association Grand National Championship Show takes place Sept. 16-21 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds in Perry, Ga.—watch it live now at USEF Network . Hosted by the Paso Fino Horse Association through Sept. 21, the show will deliver six days of world-class competition, featuring the best Paso Fino horses in the nation exhibited by professionals, amateurs, and young

Kate Baldino and Maria Muzzio Are Looking Forward to a Fun Young Rider Finale in Italy

by Molly Sorge|Jump Media | September 17, 2019

Four years ago, Kate Baldino and Maria Muzzio were 17-year-old first-timers on the U.S. team at the FEI Endurance World Championships for Young Riders and Juniors. This year, they’re headed to Pisa, Italy, for the 2019 edition of the championships as good friends looking forward to their last competition as Young Riders. In June, Kate, from Marietta, Ga., and Maria, from Clifton, Va., took part in the United States Equestrian Federation Mandatory Training and Evaluation Session for the

A Talent Search Tale

by Alyssa Bansbach & Caitlin Azevedo | September 17, 2019

Since the Show Jumping Talent Search Program began in the 1950s, it has played a key role in the pathway for promising riders to represent the United States in show jumping competition. Familiar names like Beezie Madden, Richard Spooner, Lauren Hough, McLain Ward, and Meredith Michaels (Beerbaum) are just a handful of the previous Talent Search Champions to go on to international show jumping fame. In the case of Lauren Hough, her Talent Search Final win preceded her Olympic debut by only six

The USEA Foundation Supports Eventers on Their Way to the USEA American Eventing Championships

by Jessica Duffy, United States Eventing Association | August 27, 2019

The impact of the USEA Foundation can be felt throughout the 2019 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) taking place Frankie Thieriot Stutes, recipient of a $50,000 Rebecca Broussard International Developing Rider Grant last year, and Chatwin at The Event at Rebecca Farm in 2018. Photo: Taylor Pence/US Equestrian this week at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. From educational seminars available to all attendees to the very horses and riders themselves, the USEA Foundation plays an

Ward Inspires New Generation of Hampton Classic Competitors

by Jesse Wasser | August 27, 2019

My daughter, 12-year-old Evangeline Wasser, is a devoted equestrian who loves every aspect of the world of horses. In fact, everything she does is about horses: riding, competing, grooming, education, and the dream of one day owning her own horse. I have rarely seen someone so young who knows what she wants to do with her life and remains so focused day in and day out. Evangeline Wasser Photo: Jesse Wasser In August 2017, I had the opportunity to be in the press room after the $300,000 Hampton

Riders Welcome American Saddlebred Hunter Country Pleasure Division’s Debut at 2019 World’s Championship Horse Show

by Glenye Cain Oakford | August 20, 2019

The historic World’s Championship Horse Show , which takes place Aug. 17-24 in Louisville, Ky., is already underway. And this year, supporters of the popular American Saddlebred hunter country pleasure division will be celebrating the competition with even more enthusiasm than usual, as the 2019 show marks that division’s debut at the World’s Championship. Phyllis Brannon's champion Harlem’s Sweet Success, ridden by the owner's daughter Caitlin, is among the

Conquering Obstacles, Overcoming Limitations: The Shetland Ponies That Are Changing Lives

by Ashley Swift | August 16, 2019

The American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) recently hosted the 73 rd annual National Congress in Lake St. Louis, Mo., where registered Shetland ponies vied for national championship titles in everything from halter to jumpers in-hand to multi-hitch driving. One small but mighty group competing for a variety of championships was the Palas family of Story City, Iowa. Greg Palas, along with his wife and their three children, brought a very special group of Shetland ponies to show in the Conquering

The Science Behind Your Horse’s Feed

by Glenye Cain Oakford | August 13, 2019

“Research into the equine microbiome and specific probiotics already has affected nutrition knowledge a lot,” Dr. Bill Vandergrift says. Photo: Kim Russell Feeding horses today isn’t just a matter of tossing every horse the same kind of grain and adjusting the amount based on each horse’s weight. Today, thanks to research and advances in equine nutrition, feed works in a more efficient and targeted way. That presents opportunities to pinpoint and address specific needs

$600 Rescue Pony Makes a Splash at 2019 USEF Pony Finals Presented by Collecting Gaits Farm

by Ashley Swift | August 11, 2019

Eleven-year-old Alpine Griffin (Fort Collins, Colo.) and her mom/trainer Suzanne Cox Griffin attended the 2019 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm with a black and white pinto new to the pony hunter scene and a remarkable background. Always Chipper, Suzanne’s nine-year old pony gelding, is an exhibitor favorite everywhere they go but this is the first year he has competed at Pony Finals. They finished in the top 20 of the Small Green Hunter Pony National Championship and

Personal Bests and Family Support Mean More than Ribbons for Pony Finals First-Timer Ann Frances Truluck

by Ashley Swift | August 11, 2019

The USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm enthusiastically welcomes a new group of riders and ponies every year. This year, Ann Frances Truluck (Columbia, S.C.) came to Pony Finals for the first time to compete one pony in the largest section of the hunter championships, the Medium Regular Hunter Pony National Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans. Truluck rode Jessie Spade’s 13-year-old Warmblood gelding All Yours, and this relatively new partnership has been