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 the athletes selected to represent the NetJets ® U.S. Jumping Team at the Longines League of Nations™ Abu Dhabi CSIO5*-LLN in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, from February 8-11, 2024. The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland and Team Leader Lizzy Chesson and supported by one of the team’s veterinarians, Dr. Diego Ulibarri, along with the grooms and horse owners. The following athletes have been named...

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...

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – The NetJets U.S. Jumping Team started their quest to earn qualification to the Longines League of Nations Final in Barcelona later this year with a promising finish in the first leg of the season, taking sixth place overall. Testing the new FEI League of Nations format for the first time ever, the team held their own against serious competition from Europe, finishing on a final team total of 28, with all eyes now turning to the home-leg of the series to...

Lexington, Ky. - Dr. Katie Flynn, US Equestrian Senior Staff Veterinarian, led a biosecurity workshop to kick off the 2024 US Equestrian Annual Meeting on Jan. 13 in Louisville, Ky. During the workshop, Dr. Flynn shared ways to best prevent and manage an equine infectious disease outbreak. Attendees were also given biosecurity outbreak situations to problem-solve from the viewpoint of either a veterinarian, competition manager, trainer, or event communications representative. Dr. Flynn...

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...

Boyd Martin and Fedarman B (Libby Law Photography) Lexington, Ky. – The Dutta Corp./USEF Eventing High Performance Flight Grants benefited two athletes in their travels to compete in Les 5 Étoiles de Pau CCI5*-L in Pau, France, from October 26-29, 2023. The grants were established for eventing athletes who are targeting the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. US Equestrian awarded the two horse flight transportation grants, with a value up to $20,000 each, to Boyd Martin with Fedarman B and...

Vilamoura, Portugal – It was an exciting finish in the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Vilamoura CSIO3* in Vilamoura, Portugal for the U.S. Jumping Team. A three-way tie for first place resulted in a jump-off between Belgium, Great Britain, and the U.S. Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski led the team of Zayna Rizvi and Exquise du Pachis, Caitlyn Connors and Falcon de Hus Z, Hannah Selleck and Cloud 39, and Jacob Pope and Highway FBH to a third-place finish out of 14 teams. The team also finished...

Lexington, Ky . – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the recipients of the Lifetime Achievement Award and the Junior Equestrian of the Year Award, to be presented at the 2024 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky. Cecile Hetzel Dunn is the winner of the 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award, while Marin McKee is the 2023 Junior Equestrian of the Year. Dunn and McKee will be recognized at the Pegasus Awards Dinner on Sunday, January 14. Cecile Hetzel Dunn (Adam Brennan - www....

Show season may be winding down, but there’s still a lot of exciting equestrian activity yet to come. The final months of the year bring top competition for Andalusians/Lusitanos, saddle seat equitation, dressage, hunters, and jumpers. ©Howard Schatzberg Photo November 10 & 11 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals Kansas City, Mo. New for 2023, the medal finals for juniors and adult amateurs will be held at the same competition—the UPHA American Royal National Championship. The...