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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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Collegiate Equestrian Programs See Growth During Spring Championship Season

by Glenye Cain Oakford | April 24, 2018

There’s plenty of good news about intercollegiate equestrian programs, with new teams getting involved and national championship season now underway. The SCAD equestrian team’s (left to right) Hannah Hlopak, assistant coach Abbie Gibson (standing), Sarah Gordon, Adam Edgar, head coach Ashley Henry (standing), and Madelyn Keck celebrate the team’s fourth ANRC National Intercollegiate Equitation Championship. Photo credit: Giana Terranova Photography In California, UC Davis

“The People’s Pony”: Honoring Theodore O’Connor at LRK3DE

by Ashley Swift | April 24, 2018

Famed eventer Theodore O’Connor might have been small of stature, but the 14.1-hand Thoroughbred/ Arabian / Shetland -cross eventing pony certainly had an outsized impact. Bred by Wynn Norman and owned by the Theodore O’Connor Syndicate, “Teddy” was an unexpected star who set the eventing world on fire with multi-time Olympic, Pan American, and World Equestrian Games veteran, Karen O’Connor. She began riding him in 2005 after young rider Christan Trainor competed

From US Equestrian Magazine: Preparing for Disaster

by Glenye Cain Oakford | March 27, 2018

Tornadoes, hurricanes, flooding, and wildfires—these natural disasters are some of horse owners’ worst nightmares, and we’ve seen them play out to devastating effect in recent years. Horsemen are powerless to control the weather, of course, but having a good disaster-preparedness plan can help horse owners and managers respond faster and more effectively if such a disaster does occur. Having a good emergency plan and readying supplies in case of disaster can make a crucial

Ten Things You’ll Love About the Longines Masters of New York

by Longines Masters Of New York | March 20, 2018

The Longines Masters of New York , which takes place in New York for the first time this year at the newly renovated NYCB LIVE, Home of the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, from April 26-29, is part of an innovative three-event series of competitions staged in three of the world’s most glamorous cities—New York, Paris, and Hong Kong. The show jumping events offers first-class equestrian sport and more, including live music, one-of-a-kind artwork, and delectable cuisine. The

TJ O'Mara Talks: Mixing Horses and College

by Glenye Cain Oakford | March 6, 2018

TJ O’Mara, a 19-year-old Rumson, N.J., native, found much success in the equitation championships during his junior years. In 2016, O’Mara won the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East and the US Hunter Seat Medal Final and finished third in the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay National Championship. He is now a sophomore at the University of Kentucky, where he is an Agricultural Economics major. In addition to his studies, O’Mara also is maintaining a

The Triplets: A Love Story

by Glenye Cain Oakford | February 13, 2018

When the yearlings Epona Elleison, Elle Vitorina, and Big Man in Town make their show-ring debut this spring in the halter division, they will mark an important milestone for owner/breeder Lisa Gaudio—and for equine reproductive science. Lisa Gaudio and her husband Jim Kazanjian with (left to right) Elle Vitorina, Epona Elleison, and Big Man in Town. Photo: Javan Schaller The trio are full siblings, by the Arabian stallion Vitorio TO and out of Gaudio’s beloved mare, Kyrie Elleison.

Combined Driving Gives Eventer a Different View

by Glenye Cain Oakford | February 6, 2018

Trying a different discipline, even temporarily, can open your eyes to new possibilities. That’s what 17-year-old eventer Heather Kottwitz is finding since she started taking combined driving lessons in addition to her dressage, stadium, and cross-country riding. Kottwitz, from Ashland, Mo., isn’t planning to hang up her saddle; she competes her Morgan gelding Sidney at Training level and loves it. But her recent foray into combined driving has helped her learn a different language

Is Your Horse at Risk of Choking?

by Glenye Cain Oakford | January 30, 2018

Choking—an obstruction in the esophagus, often involving food—can affect horses of any age or type. And it can be serious: a bad choke can cause potentially life-threatening secondary lung infection and can injure the esophagus. Grass has more moisture content than hay or dry feed. In the winter, horses whose diets switch from less pasture to more dry matter--and who possibly are also drinking less--can be at higher risk of choking. Fortunately, there are things you can do to help

WEG Talk: Dressage and Para-Dressage

by FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018 | January 30, 2018

Dressage is the ultimate expression of communication and elegance between a horse and athlete and has rapidly grown in popularity each year around the world. This Olympic equestrian discipline is often compared to ballet, with a scoring system similar to that of figure skating. The harmonious connection between the human and equine athletes allows each pair to perform an intricate pattern of movements for which they receive scores from a seven-member judging panel. The rider’s cues are

American Horse Council Webinar to Discuss ELD Mandate

by Glenye Cain Oakford | January 30, 2018

The American Horse Council will host a webinar on Feb. 12 at 3 p.m. ET to discuss the recent Electronic Logging Device (ELD) Mandate, which the AHC notes has caused much confusion in the equine industry. In addition to hosting the webinar—which requires registration but is open both to AHC members and to non-members—the AHC also has published two informational brochures. One is about the ELD Mandate , and the other is about the Commercial Driver’s License , or CDL. Both

Nine Lives and a Big Personality

by Kathleen Landwehr | January 23, 2018

Sarah Medler and Ares competing at the 2017 IFSHA World & Grand National Championships (Avalon Photography) Sarah Medler and Ares, her 17-year-old Friesian gelding, were featured in the Snapshot department of the 2017 winter issue of US Equestrian magazine . The photo showed two individuals, human and equine, who appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves while competing at the International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFHSA) World & Grand National Championship. US Equestrian

Seven Ways Vaulting Can Improve Your Ride

by Glenye Cain Oakford | January 16, 2018

Vaulting —gymnastics on horseback—is one of the world’s oldest equestrian sports. And while it might look exotic to those of us more used to riding or driving, the sport of vaulting offers a wealth of great training for any equestrian, regardless of discipline. Not surprisingly, many vaulters have fast-tracked into other disciplines, like dressage, jumping, and eventing, after building a strong foundation in vaulting. So what can you get from vaulting? We asked two vaulting