Equestrian Weekly Articles

At the 2025 US Equestrian Open Eventing Final, a new partnership became the talk of the weekend. Will Coleman and Very Dignified delivered an impressive performance in their CCI4*-L debut, finishing third in a highly competitive field. After a bold and efficient cross-country round vaulting them from 18th place to 6th, the duo sealed their podium finish with a fault-free show jumping round, proving their fresh partnership had already started to find its rhythm. ©US Equestrian To

Wellington, Florida has long held a singular place in the world of equestrian sport. Since the Winter Equestrian Festival first began in 1974, the West Palm Beach-area venue has grown into the largest and longest-running hunter/jumper horse show in the world. The grounds at Wellington International are open for twelve weeks, sprawl across 111-acres, and become an annual sanctuary for over 7,000 horses and 4,000 equestrian athletes from around the world. Christian Kukuk and Checker 47, winners

When Jordan LaPlaca traveled to Hagen, Germany, to shop for a Grand Prix prospect at Hof Kasselmann, Gold Play wasn't even on the roster. Younger than LaPlaca had in mind, the bay gelding was pulled out almost as an afterthought at the very end of the visit. The fateful day Jordan met GP in Hagen, Germany at Hof Kasselmann. Pictured with German dressage athlete, Frederic Wandres. (Courtesy of Jordan LaPlaca) It took about thirty seconds in the saddle to change everything. "It was like

(©Shannon Brinkman) Mya Poulos spent the 2025 season doing what she does every year: mapping out her competition schedule, trusting her horses and her plan, and putting in the work. Throughout last year’s season, she logged a remarkable 17 runs with three of her top horses at the CCI2* level which was more than any other competitor in the USEF National Championships League and emerged as the YETI/USEF CCI2* Eventing Amateur National Champion. What makes the accomplishment even more

We all know that a balanced diet with essential nutrients will improve your horse’s performance but often overlook the impact of nutrition on our own performance and mindset. We have all heard the famous quote, “You are what you eat,” and what we consume truly impacts how we look, feel, and think, as well as our stress management, energy levels, and immune system. Not only does the right diet make us healthier and happy overall — it also makes us better equestrians.

"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

On Sunday, March 15, Hollywood’s elite will gather at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles for the 98th Academy Awards. While movie stars and filmmakers wear their finest designer dresses and custom suits on Oscar night, many of them are more comfortable in riding clothes in real-life as they indulge their passion for horses. As the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences honors the best films and performances of the past year, we are celebrating former Oscar nominees and winners who

Greetings from the West Coast, Photo courtesy of Andrea Pfeiffer It is a winter day with a fair amount of rain but as I sit in my office and write this, I can look out over the fields turning green and the vineyards getting ready for another bloom. We get to stay here year-round, no need to pack up and leave for the winter. Horseshave a vacation after the competition season without the complications of snow and ice. A medium weight rug is the maximum and most days they are out and able to enjoy

February 16, 2026, is Presidents Day, when Americans celebrate George Washington’s birthday and remember past U.S. presidents. In honor of this special day, we are commemorating people whose actions have had a positive impact on the equestrian industry with the 2026 Presidential Shout-Outs. US Equestrian President Tom O’Mara announced the recipients for his second annual Presidential Shout-Outs during the general session at the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky., where he

As equestrians, we often spend endless time and effort on our horse’s diet, training, and wellness routines, and neglect our own. Our horses have strict nutritional plans, a dedicated training schedule, stringent warmups and cool downs, a masseuse, a chiropractor ... while we wolf down breakfast while driving to the barn and count mucking stalls as a cardio workout! Haybales & Barbells founder Jamie Graham and her horse, Quilan “We never focus on our own training. We only focus

Catherine Lee’s love for horses began not in the heart of horse country, but on the tropical island of Guam where riding wasn’t part of the culture, and access to horses was limited. There, on the small U.S. territory in the western Pacific Ocean, horses entered her life through something simple: slow trail rides that were organized by her father for their family on Sundays. Equestrian sports are nearly non-existent on the island. What may have started as a novelty became a

When Stacey Sather and her 12-year-old daughter, Caroline, purchased Wildcard, affectionately known as “Hawk,” in 2024, they didn’t just bring home a promising jumper, they brought home a living piece of equine history. Wildcard, a 2014 gelding (Ahneen x Willow) is an Ojibwe/Thoroughbred cross and one of just over 200 known Ojibwe horses in existence today, a rare representative of a breed whose survival once hung by a thread. A Spirit Horse Nearly Lost Wildcard as a foal |