Equestrian Weekly Articles

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

It takes courage to walk away from something you love and an even rarer kind to walk back in 40 years later as if no time has passed at all. For Teri Bohl, a now-68-year-old adult amateur hunter rider based in Lexington, Ky., that walk back wasn't just a return to the sport, it was a reclamation of herself. Horses From the Beginning Teri's relationship with horses didn't start in a ring, but at the racetrack. Growing up in upstate New York, her family was steeped in Thoroughbred

Quidley Kellermann grew up in Texas, finished high school a year early, and hasn't looked back since. For the last four seasons she has been based in England working for Kevin McNabb, soaking up life around Australians and Brits alike. But wherever home is these days, she has a horse she's built from the ground up, and that's what matters most right now. Kellermann and Blakeneys Cruise competing at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships CCI2* at Mondial du Lion (FRA)

Horses N Heroes in Citra, Fla., has become a safe haven for countless girls from families with extreme financial constraints, and for many of them, founder Mindy Morrow became a surrogate mother. Angel Antonaccio jumping Cirque du Soleil while at Horses N Heroes; photo courtesy of Horses N Heroes “The majority of the kids in my program live either at or below the poverty level,” Morrow explained. “I have kids who have come through the foster care system. I had one who came to

Meg Pellegrini has emerged as one of eventing’s rising talents, building a reputation of consistent results over the past several years. Her momentum was further validated earlier this year when she was named to the 2026 USEF Eventing Development 25 Program. Pellegrini now plans to compete in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S, a US Equestrian Open Eventing qualifier. ©US Equestrian Raised in Oklahoma, Pellegrini was the first in her family to develop an interest in horses. “No one

The 2026 Defender Kentucky Three-Day presented by MARS Equestrian™ is days away with the first draw of horses set to head down the center line on Thursday, April 23 rd . An elite field of world-class horse and athlete combinations will compete across three phases including dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. The best weekend all year is not only comprised of exciting competition but also unlimited shopping, delicious food, and so much more! Defender Defender, the title sponsor of

The first time Isabelle Bosley sat on Conner, she knew he was something special. “The moment I sat on him, the feeling he gave, the balance he had as a straggly little five-year-old, was just something I had never felt before,” she recalled. Conner, a 2017 Oldenburg gelding (Casiro 3 x Monique) owned by Karen Martin, had been imported from Germany by Kara Angulo in the fall of 2022 and Bosley had been waiting. She told Angula at the Maryland 5 Star the previous year that she had

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