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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 English...

For Sophia Goetz, a 17-year-old from Windsor, Colo., the path to being in the saddle began at age six and took shape with her first lesson horse at nine. It was a green start which quickly turned into an all-consuming passion. Sophia and Mickie (Photo courtesy of the Goetz family) "They keep you honest," Goetz said of horses. "You can't fake your way through a run, and you can't force that kind of raw power." Goetz's early years in the sport were shaped by a small, just-starting-out...

Before she was “Chloe Kim, three-time Olympic medalist and snowboarding superstar,” she was Chloe Kim, a horse-obsessed preschooler who aspired to one day be a famous equestrian. “I said I wanted to be a ‘horsey racer’ like a jockey,” Kim laughed, recounting the moment at her preschool graduation when every kid took the stage to announce their big dreams. “I was obsessed [with horses] since I was a little girl.” It’s a passion that may...

Before sitting down for her interview with US Equestrian, 17-year-old Hannah Kim had just finished an AP exam. A day full of balancing academic rigor with a passion for the barn is pretty much Hannah's normal. Hannah, a saddle seat rider based in Tampa, Florida, is this month's USEF Interscholastic Athlete of the Month , and it's easy to see why. She's the definition of a student athlete: sharp, thoughtful, and deeply committed to both her studies and her sport. From Summer Camp...

"Little Orchid" and Justin showing at Ledges in the late 90s. At 10 a.m. sharp, Orchid Bertelsen was ready. Forms filled out. Credit card saved. Filters pre-selected. Cursor hovering. “It’s literally like trying to get Taylor Swift tickets,” she said, laughing. The mission? Summer camp registration. “In previous years, it was fully booked by 10:03,” she explained. “So, the night before, I needed to make sure everything was filled out. I needed to make sure my...