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Equestrian Weekly Articles

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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Nicole Aaberg Promotes Helmet Safety En Route to Girl Scout Gold Award

by Kathleen Landwehr | January 19, 2021

Nicole Aaberg with Cody (Courtesy of Georgette Aaberg) Nicole Aaberg is a US Equestrian Interscholastic Athlete Program graduate whose passion for horses led her to helping her community and achieving a major award in 2020. She has been a Girl Scout for most of her life and received her Girl Scout Gold Award after completing a project that involved raising awareness for helmet safety and providing helmets to a local equine-assisted growth and learning therapy program in her hometown of Thousand

Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy Preserves Urban Black Cowboy’s Legacy, Shares Love of Horses with Community

by Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group | January 12, 2021

Left to right: PURA Executive Director Erin Brown with rider Jessie Schulman on Kidd, rider Stephon Tolbert on Kowboy, and Michael Upshur. Photo: Courtesy of Phelps Media Group Horses and city life—these two things are not often seen as synonymous, but for the founders of the Philadelphia Urban Riding Academy , these are an ideal they strive toward every day. PURA was founded to preserve the life, legacy, and culture of Black urban cowboys in the city of Philadelphia. It was established

Blanketing Basics

by Glenye Cain Oakford | January 4, 2021

When temperatures drop, many horse owners’ thoughts turn to blankets. And with horse clothing choices ranging from summer scrims to heavyweight blankets with attached neck covers for deepest midwinter, it’s no wonder they often find themselves wondering which blanket best suits their horses and the weather conditions. Fortunately, we've got great resources to help, starting with the video "Blanketing 101" with top eventing groom Emma Ford in our online Learning Center . We also

Equine Herpesvirus: What You Need To Know

by Glenye Cain Oakford | November 30, 2020

Ask horse owners to name their most-feared horse diseases, and chances are equine herpesvirus, or EHV, will be on the list. With the competition season underway, it’s important for equestrians to be vigilant and take preventive measures, from vaccination to biosecurity. A good first stop for information is the Equine Disease Communication Center’s website , which tracks outbreaks and provides biosecurity protocols . EHV spreads from horse to horse through nasal discharge, whether

Four Tips to Help Prevent Gastric Ulcers

by Glenye Oakford | November 23, 2020

Hand-walking, grazing, and turnout can help reduce the stress that can contribute to gastric ulcers. (Rita Kochmarjova Photo) Has your horse’s behavior changed? Are his eating habits different? Does he seem mildly colicky after meals? Gastric ulcers could be the culprit. As many as 80% of active sport horses might have gastric ulcers at one time or another, says Dr. Nathan Slovis, a board-certified internal medicine veterinarian and the director of the McGee Medical Center at Hagyard

Need Health Coverage? Try US Equestrian’s Affordable Member Benefits.

by US Equestrian Communications | November 16, 2020

Are you considering your health coverage options, weighing monthly costs and benefits? Take a look at US Equestrian’s affordable new benefits program for members, with super price points and coverage plans for individuals and small businesses. This program offers access to expansive health coverage, including medical, dental, vision, and disability coverage, for all competing USEF members and USEF subscribing fan members. Prices are highly competitive: healthcare coverage can run as low

Meet the Team for the 2020 Saddle Seat World Cup

by Kathleen Landwehr | November 3, 2020

The 2020 Saddle Seat World Cup was one of many competitions affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Originally scheduled to take place July 19-25 in Parys, South Africa, the U.S. Saddle Seat Team withdrew from the competition in April in an effort to prioritize the safety and well-being of the athletes. Despite the unfortunate outcome, the team members remained proud to have been selected to represent their country at the international level. US Equestrian is pleased to introduce the athletes and

Ringbone 101

by Ashley Swift | October 26, 2020

Ringbone is a disease that does not discriminate; horses of all breeds, ages, and functions can be at risk. An arthritic, degenerative disease of the pastern and coffin joints, ringbone comes in two types. High ringbone affects the pastern, and low ringbone affects the coffin. Similar to arthritis in people, ringbone develops in our equine counterparts from causes such as injury, infection, and normal wear and tear. There are also developmental factors to be aware of, including bone cysts and

NIGHTWATCH® Smart Halter™: Because You Can't Always Be There

by US Equestrian | October 20, 2020

The NIGHTWATCH® smart halter™ noninvasively monitors a horse’s heart rate, respiration, and activity and is capable of alerting caretakers to early signs of distress. Photo: Courtesy of Protequus® Jeffrey Schab has lived every horse owner’s nightmare twice, once when he lost his first horse to an immune disorder and more recently in 2013, when his husband’s American Saddlebred succumbed to colic. “It was like, ‘Oh, my God, we love our animals and we

A Passion for Horses Leads to Painting Works of Art

by Kathleen Landwehr | October 6, 2020

Burgess works on one of her paintings in her studio (Courtesy of Suzie Burgess) Suzie Burgess has loved horses for as long as she can remember and always appreciated their beauty. As an artist, she was able to unite her passion for horses and art in the form of large oil-on-canvas paintings. Burgess admires the diverse people who love horses and how these amazing animals touch people’s lives. As a child, Burgess did whatever she could to be around horses. “It was always in my blood.

Paso Finos Keep This 80-Year-Old Amateur Rider in the Competition Ring

by Ashley Swift | September 22, 2020

Dick Miller, the Paso Fino Horse Association’s newest Hall of Fame inductee, was first introduced to the Paso Fino breed in the 1980s when he saw a sign on Interstate 80 in Nebraska advertising the “SMOOTHEST RIDING HORSE IN THE WORLD.” Nearly 40 years later, Miller (Fort Myers, Fla.) is not only still riding, but is also competing at top horse shows around the country, thanks to these unique horses and the tight-knit community of people who love them. Though he grew up riding

Hoof Help: Thrush

by Glenye Cain Oakford | September 21, 2020

It’s a scenario every horse owner dreads: a runny, black, foul-smelling discharge around the frog area of a horse or pony’s hoof sole. That’s the classic sign of thrush, a bacterial infection that involves the frog, including the grooves on either side of it and the cleft between the heel bulbs. “It can affect any part of the frog, but that’s where we see it the most, right where the owner would be using the hoof pick along the sides of the frog and along that