During the General Session of US Equestrian’s 2026 annual meeting, the Federation’s leadership evaluated where the organization is relative to its long-term goals, and what work still lies ahead. The session was held as part of a three-day series of educational events during the US Equestrian’s 2026 Annual Meeting at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Ky. 

For groups like US Equestrian, a strategic plan is crucial to illustrating a long-term, big-picture vision. The Federation’s current strategic plan was approved in 2025 and will carry the organization through 2028. 

Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Sonja Keating, Chief of Sport David O’Connor, Chief Financial Officer Mike Delahanty, and Chief Marketing and Content Officer Vicki Lowell gave an overview of US Equestrian’s progress against its strategic plan goals, while Chief Executive Officer Bill Moroney and President Tom O’Mara introduced and concluded the panel discussion. 

Strengthening Operational Excellence 

This goal is broad and essentially translates to the Federation doing what it does better and more efficiently. That includes being more accessible and responsive to members and also raising awareness of what the Federation does for them. 

The panel acknowledged that many members may not always feel heard or seen by USEF, and repairing that relationship is a central focus in the future. While there is still more work to do, there was progress in 2025, including: 

• A series of horse welfare-focused town halls to better understand what members were concerned about relative to this important topic.  

• The creation of the [email protected] email address, open to members and monitored for feedback, questions, and comments of all kinds. 

• The launch of the USEF Insider e-newsletter in December to help members better understand our programs and services, and why we do what we do. 

• Implementation of hair testing and the collapse rule, in direct response to member requests and concerns about horse welfare. 

In 2026, work in this area will include: 

• A renewed slate of town hall-style events (in-person and virtual) will take place in 2026 with a broader focus – horse and member welfare. A schedule of winter and spring events and locations will be available soon. 

• A clearer, more accessible policy about the timing and length of suspensions to help members understand how and why cases are resolved. 

• Expanded liability insurance for licensed officials in response to numerous requests. This expansion will give them increased protection in the event one of their decisions is challenged in an administrative hearing setting. (Previous liability coverage for licensed officials did not include this feature.) 

Sustaining the framework of organized sport 

For the Federation, sustaining the framework of organized sport is all about horse welfare, since the horse is the basis of the sport.  

In 2025, these initiatives included: 

• The stoplight horse welfare guidelines that debuted in fall 2025, which provide an easy guide for observers at a horse show who may be struggling to decide whether to report an incident to an official or to USEF. The guidelines organize interactions and equine body language into green, yellow, and red categories to make clear when a line has been crossed. 

• A new warning card system for stewards to track and publicly record formal warnings, which can include warnings about horse treatment. 

In 2026, we look forward to: 

• The USEF Lifetime Care program, which launched earlier in January, is another way the Federation is prioritizing horse welfare. The program allows both members and free fans to add their contact information to a horse’s USEF record. If the horse falls on hard times and needs assistance in the future, someone can request a copy of the horse’s Lifetime Care Contact list to connect the horse with people who care about them. In the event the horse ever falls on hard times and needs assistance. Access to Lifetime Care lists will be available to free fans or members and is connected to a horse’s microchip number, better enabling rescue workers to identify a horse and seek help in the aftermath of a weather emergency, legal situation, or other vulnerable circumstances. 

• More focus and innovation around the costs of competition, including renewed energy into USEF Lite and regional competitions. 

• Publishing the full decisions from the Hearing Committee, rather than just a summary of their conclusions, to promote greater transparency and understanding of the administrative hearing process. 

Focus on competitive excellence 

This goal includes not just high-performance athletes but national-level competitors, too. While the US Jumping team dominated internationally and eventers medaled every time they were in a team competition, other sports are taking a building year towards the 2026 World Championships and LA28. National championships also grew in 2025. Program changes around pony jumpers saw a tremendous jump in entries for that division at Pony Finals, and the USEF Network worked to amplify the many affiliate-owned championship events.  

In 2026, USEF’s focus on competitive excellence will also include coaching development. The Federation will begin voluntarily registering trainers and coaches to give them expanded educational opportunities about the way horses and humans learn.  

BIG Initiatives 

This goal deals with investment in new business ideas that can bring long-term benefits to the horse industry.  

In 2025, this included a partnership with EquiRatings to provide data and coverage support to the US Open, as well as the Open itself. The goal of the Open isn’t just to provide a new form of incentives to high performance riders, but rather to create an opportunity outside of the Olympics for horse sports to be featured on mainstream sports television. 

In 2026, this will include the rollout of EZ Entry, a completely free digital entry platform that’s fully integrated in the USEF database. Pilot shows will be testing EZ Entry in the field this year before it becomes broadly available to all competitions. More information is accessible here. 

Leveraging unique horse and human stories 

With more than 83,381 unique horse recordings in 2025, there is no shortage of stories to be told about equine athletes and the humans who love them. Last year, some of the most popular stories in US Equestrian’s newsletters and magazine included features on non-traditional breeds and profiles of amateur members enjoying the joy of horse sport.  

If you have a great story of a unique horse/human partnership in one of our breeds or disciplines, email us at [email protected].  

Later this week, the team will be presenting a multi-year marketing campaign to the USEF Board with the help of BOLD Studios. The goal of the campaign will be to celebrate the power of horses and to seize the chance to bring in new participants and fans at the grassroots level going into LA28. 

Watch a full replay of the general session here.