Louisville, Ky. – US Equestrian congratulates 2023 International Equestrian of the Year McLain Ward and 2023 National Equestrian of the Year John French. Ward and French were nominated as Equestrians of Honor and selected by US Equestrian member voting in December. Both Equestrians of the Year were honored at the 2023 Pegasus Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky., on Jan. 14. International Equestrian of the Year – McLain Ward McLain Ward, 2023 USEF...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce updates to the U.S. Dressage coaching structure within the program pathways, an initiative in the works for months, leveraging key stakeholder feedback and athlete participation throughout the process. The restructure will broaden the opportunity to engage with qualified coaches and allow for greater accessibility to program-affiliated resources, creating a more sustainable pathway for the future, while also increasing the depth of...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is now accepting applications for the Endurance Competition Grant and Endurance Licensed Officials Grant. Applications for both grants are due February 1, 2024. USEF Endurance Competition Grant The purpose of this grant is to support U.S-based FEI endurance competitions in order to maintain a healthy calendar of competitions within the U.S. Eligibility: Competitions must be licensed with USEF and sanctioned by the FEI as an endurance competition....

Cheryl Van Deusen and JG General. ©Liz Gregg/FEI Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian congratulates the winners of the year-end awards for endurance. As the top-ranked senior endurance athlete, Cheryl Van Deusen (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) will receive the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award. Avery Betz-Conway (Kingsland, Ga.) will receive the Brunges Junior/Young Rider Trophy as the top U.S. junior or young rider endurance athlete. With this year’s win, Van Deusen has now won the...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2023 Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2023 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 13, and the International and National Equestrians of the Year will be announced at the 2023 Pegasus Awards Dinner on Sunday, Jan. 14, at the 2024 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky. Horses of Honor and Equestrians of...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce that Kiley Hamilton (Linden, Calif.) has been named the 2023 USEF National Youth Sportsman’s Award winner. Hamilton is a competitive Western dressage rider, an active member of the Linden High School FFA Horse Judging Team, and an aspiring equine veterinarian. She was nominated for this award by the Western Dressage Association of America . Kiley Hamilton. ©Faith Osborn Hamilton trains and competes in Western dressage with...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who will be participating in the 2024 USEF Horsemastership Training Series. The first in-person session will take place January 4-7 at Equestrian Village at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival grounds in Wellington, Fla. The Horsemastership Training Series is designed to identify and develop the next generation of top U.S. Jumping team athletes and includes mounted and unmounted sessions with top professionals. This...

Fulton, Mo. – A total of 23 of the country’s top saddle seat equitation athletes have convened at William Woods University this weekend for the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Trials. The trials will determine the roster for the three-gaited and five-gaited teams that will compete at the 2024 International Saddle Seat World Cup in Parys, South Africa, next December. Athletes at the World Cup compete on horses they’ve never ridden before, loaned by owners in the host country....

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who have been selected to participate in the 2024 Robert Dover USEF Horsemastership Clinic Week (RDHCW) presented by Zen Elite Equestrian Center . The clinic will take place January 3-7 at the Adequan ® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla. The following participants are listed in alphabetical order: Taylor Allen (Niwot, Colo.) Korey Denny (Williston, Fla.) Leah Drew (Lincoln, Mass.) Kat Fuqua (Atlanta, Ga.)...

Fulton, Mo. – Twelve saddle seat equitation athletes earned their tickets to South Africa on Saturday at the Saddle Seat World Cup Selection Trials. The U.S. will field two teams—one three-gaited and one five-gaited—with six athletes on each team for the 2024 International Saddle Seat World Cup in Parys, South Africa, next December. The team members are listed below in ranked order. 2024 Saddle Seat World Cup Three-Gaited Team. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian Three-Gaited:...