Breaking US Equestrian news releases contain the latest information regarding the organization, national championships, U.S. athletes and teams in international competition, breed news, and important member alerts. Manage the news you receive at the US Equestrian Preference Center.

US Equestrian Congratulates the Award Winners at the 2025 Pegasus Awards Dinner

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 1/15/2026 10:47:00 PM

Louisville, Ky. - US Equestrian recognized multiple outstanding equestrians during the 2025 Pegasus Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 15. Among the honorees were 2025 International Equestrian of the Year Boyd Martin and 2025 National Equestrian of the Year Daniel Geitner. Martin and Geitner were nominated as Equestrians of Honor and selected by US Equestrian members voting in the month of December. 2025 International Equestrian of the Year – Boyd Martin...

Vote Now for 2025 USEF Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year Awards

by US Equestrian Communications Department | 12/15/2025 4:24:00 PM

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2025 Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2025 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 17, and the International and National Equestrians of the Year will be announced at the 2025 Pegasus Awards Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 14, at the 2026 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky. Horses of Honor and Equestrians of...

Jan Decker Receives US Equestrian Lifetime Achievement Award; Mikayla Clement Junior Equestrian of the Year and Youth Sportsman for 2025

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 12/8/2025 11:45:00 AM

US Equestrian is proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, 2025 Junior Equestrian of the Year, and Youth Sportsman for 2025. Jan Decker will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with the Arabian breed, while Arabian and 4-H leader Mikayla Clement has been named the 2025 Junior Equestrian of the Year and Youth Sportsman. Clement and Decker will receive their awards at the Pegasus Award dinner on Jan. 15, 2026 as part of the 2026 US Equestrian annual...

2025 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals to Take Place This Week at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 11/14/2025 12:00:00 PM

Kansas City, Mo. - The competition season for saddle seat equitation athletes comes to its exciting conclusion each year at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show in Kansas City. The historic show hosts the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals for both adult amateur and junior riders. The adult amateur final takes place on Friday, Nov. 14, as the final class of the morning session. All riders will complete railwork as a group followed by individual patterns, after which the champion...

Ben Ebeling and Super Mare Bellena Reign Supreme in US Equestrian Open Dressage Final

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 11/16/2025 2:20:00 AM

Thermal, Calif. – Ben Ebeling (USA) and Bellena stole the show in the inaugural US Equestrian Open Dressage Final, hoisting the impressive trophy to conclude the first year of the finals across the three Olympic disciplines. The partnership earned a personal best score of 79.903% for their freestyle composition to a mix of iconic female pop artists to stand firmly atop the podium. Felicitas Hendricks (GER) and Drombusch OLD took second place on a final score of 78.260%, while Anna Marek...

Registration Opens for 2026 US Equestrian Annual Meeting

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 11/13/2025 11:25:00 AM

Registration is now open for the 2026 US Equestrian Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Ky., from Jan. 15-18, 2026. US Equestrian will once again host a series of educational presentations and workshops in a three-day interactive format with the goal of providing hands-on, immediately actionable information to members, affiliates, officials, and competition managers. For those unable to attend the annual meeting in person, full coverage of the sessions will be...

Kiss Me Blue Wins Annual 2025 Heart Horse Award

by US Equestrian Communications Department | 11/4/2025 11:47:00 AM

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce that Kiss Me Blue, fondly known as “Chrissy,” is the 2025 USEF Heart Horse Award winner. Chrissy is a 2001 American Quarter Horse and is part of the herd at Maryland Therapeutic Riding (MTR) in Crownsville, Md. Chrissy was selected as the winner by the USEF membership and will be honored during the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 15, 2026. For 17 years, Chrissy has been the...

Updates Made to Driving Athlete Pathway Program for 2026

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 10/30/2025 10:32:00 AM

Lexington, Ky – US Equestrian is pleased to announce updates to the Driving Athlete Pathway Program for 2026. The program has been updated for 2026 and goes into effect on December 1, 2025. Applications for the Developing Athlete Program for Combined Driving (DAP) will open November 1, 2025, and close November 30, 2025. Applications can be submitted by going to the athlete dashboard and clicking on online applications. Developing Athlete Renewal and Developing Equine applications can be...

US Equestrian Announces First in a Series of Equine Research Project Grants

by Natalie Voss | 10/27/2025 7:36:00 PM

As part of an ongoing commitment to supporting horse welfare, US Equestrian is proud to announce the funding of the first two equine research projects through the newly created Chromatic Fund. The Chromatic Fund was established in late 2024 as a collaborative effort between the American Association of Equine Practitioners, US Equestrian, Chromatic’s breeder KC Branscomb, and The Foundation for the Horse. The fund is named in honor of Chromatic BF, a 13-year-old Oldenburg U.S. show jumper...

Olivia Sweetnam and Efendi Secure 2025 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final Championship Title

by US Equestrian Communications Dept. | 10/12/2025 10:04:00 PM

Harrisburg, Pa. - Junior weekend at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show concluded on Sunday with one of the most anticipated events of the year - the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final. A total of 157 athlete-and-horse combinations took to the Harrisburg Coliseum to contest the national championship, showcasing the highest level of equitation over a technical 3’6” course designed by Alan Lohman. ©Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian After two challenging rounds and a...