Equestrian Weekly Articles

It’s not often you're able to merge your professional career and equestrian lifestyle, but Dr. Wendy Rice is one of the few who found a way to do it and is doing it well. Like many young equestrians, Dr. Rice was a true “barn rat” growing up and was grateful for the opportunity to sit on anything handed to her. She had her first lesson on a palomino named Willing at Lake Bryn Mawr Camp in Honesdale, Pennsylvania, and three lunge line lessons in the summer of 1978, which

Before he became a teacher for a driven young rider, Figaro des Premices was an Olympic-experienced horse with a resume most eventers spend a lifetime chasing. He had seen the biggest stages the sport has to offer. Then, he found his way to Reese Dellangelo, a rider who got her first pony in 2020 and did her first event not long after, and the two of them got to work building something new. Dell'Angelo and Monte at the 2026 USEF Eventing Young Riders Championships (©US Equestrian)

Anna Rose Erickson wasn't looking for a five-star horse. She was looking for something she could afford, a horse that would help her earn her Pony Club A, and maybe, if things went well, take her a little further than she'd been before. What she got was Unmarked Bills: a bay Thoroughbred with a five-star resume, an enormous ego, and absolutely no interest in being anyone's backup plan. Talley and Unmarked Bills at the 2019 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event (©Shannon

Equine-assisted services have become a popular and effective way to support people with physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioral challenges, including PTSD, anxiety, depression, autism spectrum disorder, grief, and substance-use recovery. Photo courtesy of Kindle Hill However, incorporating horses to help older people suffering from Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson’s, dementia, or those who have suffered traumatic brain injuries, is less common. “I believe the geriatric

When twin athletes, Shannon and Ashley Zupan, representing Area II, arrived at Loch Moy Farm on Thursday morning, it wasn’t with their saddles in hand or their competition gear neatly packed. Instead, they stepped into a different but equally significant role, cheering on their teammates, lending a hand wherever needed, and soaking in every moment of the experience. The Zupan sisters are returning to the USEF Eventing Young Rider National Championships for a second consecutive year to

Caroline Light started her show morning how she normally spends it, feeding her gelding Modelo, a banana, still in its peel. 2026 marks Light’s first time attending and competing in the USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships at the picturesque Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. The Evington, Virginia native is basking in this milestone opportunity with the horse of her dreams right alongside her. Having grown up on a beef cattle farm, Light has always been surrounded by livestock,

For Katelyn Smith, the road to the 2026 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships began not in the competition arena, but at a small lesson barn down the road from her Marietta, Georgia, home. She was inspired by a group of school friends who convinced her to start taking lessons with them and give riding a try. What started as a once-a-week lesson gradually grew into a passion that has shaped her life ever since. HSH Henry (Photo courtesy of Katelyn Smith) Smith spent time in the hunter/jumper

There is a reason Grier Van Rooyen's barn nickname for Oswald van de Leeuwerk is "Ozzy." The 2014 Belgian Warmblood (Indouglas van het Bevrijdthof x Persinaa), owned by Calogera Borrello, has a rockstar personality as big as his jump. Van Rooyen and Oswald van de Leeuwerk (©US Equestrian) Van Rooyen grew up around horses from the start. Riding runs in the family as her mother rides, and Grier was in the saddle by age four. She grew up in Wyoming where she and her mother spent time in

The moment 12-year-old Caden Nolt swung his leg over the newly minted off-the-track Thoroughbred; he knew it was meant to be. Since the beginning of their partnership, the pair have paved the way for fellow thoroughbreds competing within the hunter discipline and continue to outshine fellow competitors in the ring. Caden and Gio (Photo courtesy of the Nolt family) It’s not most parents’ dream to give their child a Thoroughbred that had only finished racing three months prior, but

When Truth Samuels walks into the show ring aboard A Colorful Affair, heads tend to turn. Iggy and Truth at the 2025 Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter Championship – East (©Winslow Photography, Courtesy of the Samuels family) Known around the barn as "Iggy," the striking Danish pinto stands out in a sea of bay and chestnut hunters. His unique coloring draws compliments from fellow competitors and spectators alike, but according to Samuels, it's what's behind those colorful markings

1. JHNC was established in 2001 The championship made its inaugural debut in 2001, with the East Coast event taking place at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, N.J. Courtney McKay secured the first title aboard Aspen Grove Ranch’s Onyx. 2. 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the championship ©US Equestrian 3. The Championship is held on both coasts The 2026 East Coast Championship is set at the iconic Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., from June

As most youth riders would probably tell you, Young Riders is a magical experience. But when those fantastic years come to an end, it can be easy to think, now what? The Grand Prix Senior tour is an incredibly big jump, but for many people, stepping into the national arena lacks luster after the CDIs. When my time at Young Riders came to an end, I jumped headfirst into the world of U25. U25 is a unique experience where riders ages 16 to 25 compete in the I2 and U25 Grand Prix tests against