Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is excited to announce the launch of the Para-Equestrian Dressage Coach Certification Program developed by Michel Assouline, USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Technical Advisor and Head of Coach Development. This is a first of its kind coaching program for the industry in the U.S. The certificate program comprises of four levels: master coach, silver coach, bronze coach, and apprentice coach. In 2018, US Equestrian launched the pilot program, which played a role in...

During the US Equestrian Annual Meeting on Thursday, US Equestrian Director of Sport Will Connell defined his goals for sustained high-performance success. The list includes assisting in the development of young athletes and developing world-renowned coaches. These goals go hand-in-hand, and on Friday, the Coaching, Youth, and Para Dressage panelists, Michel Assouline, USEF’s Para-Equestrian Dressage Head of Coach Development and Para-Equestrian Dressage Technical Advisor, Alison Brock,...

Photo: US Equestrian/Taylor Pence Wednesday’s second annual Competition and Member Summit at US Equestrian’s 2019 Annual Meeting in West Palm Beach, Fla., focused largely on proposed rule changes to Chapter 3 of the Rule Book . The proposed changes comprise phase one of the effort to update Chapter 3, which covers competition licensing. US Equestrian CEO Bill Moroney moderated the panel discussion, which also included members of US Equestrian’s Competition Calendar Task Force....

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the updated U.S. Dressage Elite and Pre-Elite Lists for 2019. “In my first three weeks on the job, we have conducted home visits with our Elite and Pre-Elite combinations,” said U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Debbie McDonald. “The home visits have provided me the opportunity to see their horses, discuss plans, and set targets. The horses are looking great and 2019 should serve as a great...

North Salem, N.Y. – Alexander Dawson qualified for his first Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) presented by Gotham North two years ago. He anticipated competing against talent from all across North America. Unfortunately, three days before the NAYC he was riding at home and his horse reared, lost his footing, and landed on its side. One of Dawson’s stirrups ended up lodged between his foot and horse, which broke Dawson’s tibia and fibula. This...

Paris, France – World number one Kent Farrington (Wellington, Fla.) has claimed the award for the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Rider and HH Azur, the 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Double H Farm and François Mathy, was declared the Longines FEI World’s Best Jumping Horse at a special presentation in the Paris City Hall last night. Olympic silver-medalist Farrington took over the number one slot in the Longines World Rankings in May 2017 and refused to...

Ocala, Fla. – The USEF Combined Driving National Championships got underway with the first of three phases at Live Oak International. Two of the five championship divisions completed their dressage tests; Scott Adcox takes the early lead in the Intermediate Pair Horse division with a score of 60.88 penalties. Chester Weber tops the leaderboard in the four-in-hand division with a score of 40.11 penalties. USEF Intermediate Pair Horse Combined Driving National Championship Adcox (Myakka...

The United States Equestrian Federation’s 2018 Annual Meeting, which ended Saturday, celebrated the achievements of equine and human athletes and provided reason for great optimism about equestrian sports’ future. Themed “Bringing Joy, Embracing Change,” this year’s convention honored champions, delivered updates on key strategies and initiatives, hosted a number of popular educational forums, and welcomed lively open discussion on topics of interest to members and...

Leaders from collegiate and scholastic organizations gathered Friday at US Equestrian’s Annual Meeting to share ideas, discuss marketing and promotional opportunities, and learn more about US Equestrian’s many resources for educational partners. “We wanted to get together to discuss how we can promote participation in equestrian sport, how we can assist the scholastic and collegiate groups in raising awareness of what they do, what their formats are, what the opportunities...

Lexington, Ky. – With an emphasis on identifying, selecting, and supporting U.S. combinations, the US Equestrian (USEF) Eventing High Performance Program has recently undergone revisions and changes that emphasize strategic development for the immediate and future goals of U.S. eventing athletes and team success. USEF announced Erik Duvander as the newly hired Eventing Performance Director in October 2017. Duvander brings with him 30 years of strategic planning and program development at...