Equestrian Weekly Articles

Taking center stage the moment they enter the sandbox is Juliana Sardelli and her own black and white pinto pony, Cupid. Known for his goofy personality and love for food, this 2017 Gypsy Cross gelding (Lazarus of Feathered Gold x Turning Point Sateen) is one everyone falls in love with, including his pasture mates. “He has an incredible personality and can help you do pretty much anything you set your mind to. He is so sweet and cuddly, and I love how willing he is,” said Sardelli.

The FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships, presented by USDF, is considered one of the most exciting weeks of the year for many young athletes, but for Region 6 Young Rider Olivia Martz, it has also become a week of remembrance and celebration for a different reason. Olivia and Rihanna at the 2025 NAYC (Photo courtesy of the Martz family) Born into a horsey family, Martz was surrounded by horses the moment she opened her eyes, and she learned to walk at NAYC while her mother was

Emmeline Adamick has her eyes set on stepping onto the podium as a winner at this year's Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by USHJA. Set to take place at Traverse City Horse Shows’ Flintfields Horse Park, Adamick shares what makes this event so special to her and fellow competitors alike. Serving as the only FEI-recognized youth championship in North America, NAYC gives young and aspiring athletes an opportunity to compete in a format similar to

Three and a half months ago, Vee Stavroula Dravilas didn't know she'd be heading to NAYC aboard her trainer, Kathryn Fleming-Kuhn's, Grand Prix mare, Wilona HSR. She didn't even know the mare would be her ride at all for the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF . Getting there meant working through a disappointment first. Dravilas aboard Wilona HSR at the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF (©US Equestrian) In late

With multiple podium finishes at Capital Challenge, Pennsylvania National, Devon, WIHS, and USEF Pony Finals, Cisy Zhou is well known amongst pony competitors. However, in the past year, the 11-year-old rider from New York, N.Y. has expressed her growing interest in the jumper ring and will be one to watch out for. In the saddle since she was 3, Zhou has taken to riding as fish takes to water, and now finds herself excelling in the hunters, equitation, and jumpers. Attending the Gotham

Like many young athletes, Ayers can speak to the magnitude this championship has had not only on herself, but others as well. “The thing about NAYC is that I’ve made so many friends and getting to show somewhere different is amazing,” she said. “I'm so excited; you really can’t top the team experience; I really do love it.” Last year, Ayers assisted the Zone 4 winning team to gold and finished seventh in the individual competition in a division

At just 14 years old, Ellington Vasan is heading into the 2026 Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships presented by USHJA with a new partner, a change in division, and a story that's come together in a matter of months. Vasan (Los Altos Hills, Calif.) is moving up to the Pre-Junior Jumpers this year after a successful debut at NAYC last year in the Children's Jumper division aboard Bling vd Duvelshoeve Z, where she earned a Children's Jumper team silver medal as

In 2017, a young Ben Ebeling stepped atop the podium at the FEI North American Youth Championships, celebrating team gold alongside teammates Christian Simonson, Aleyna Dunn, and Ava Bingley. Nearly a decade later, Ebeling has established himself as a competitive professional U.S. dressage athlete, earning multiple victories at the international levels and making history as the inaugural US Equestrian Open Dressage Final Champion with Bellena. From L to R: Ben Ebeling, Aleyna Dunn, Ava

Prost is German for “cheers,” but if you ask some, it is used as a more meaningful way to signify gratitude and friendship, and to Sadie Severson, the name Prost means exactly that. Growing up, her love of horses stemmed from the frequent trail rides she had while spending time at her grandparents’ small farm in the “Hawkeye State” of Iowa. It took a bit of convincing to visit the local western barn near her family's home, and at the age of 11, her parents

Stella Fryer was in the right place at the right time when Rock Hill walked into her life. “Rocky,” who was previously ridden by another junior in her barn, was up for sale, which presented Fryer with the opportunity of a lifetime. Having never ridden him before, she took to the derby field at Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma, Calif., for their first outing and returned home winner of the modified Hunt-and-Go Derby. With it being the middle of the show season, Fryer decided to lease

When she visited a livestock auction in December 2019, Kristen Spendlove’s plan was to sell tack that was no longer used at the therapeutic riding center where she worked as an instructor. However, fate intervened in the form of an Appaloosa with kind, soft eyes sticking his head out of a stall waiting to be auctioned. Hamilton stood out at the auction; photo courtesy of Kristen Spendlove “He was so friendly and so inquisitive. He was not bothered at all by being at an auction

A new reality series is set to give show jumping the "Drive to Survive" treatment, and U.S. athletes are front and center. The series premiered officially on June 23, 2026, on Roku, with a global Amazon Prime rollout expected by early August. FAULTLESS, in partnership with ROLEX, follows the riders, horses, and behind-the-scenes operations of the show jumping world, filmed largely around Spruce Meadows' landmark 50th-anniversary season. The series is the brainchild of brothers Ben Asselin