Ju’Riese Colón is the Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport with a professional background in children’s safety policy and education. She spoke at the USEF Annual Meeting about participant protection and SafeSport in the equestrian community. Here are five takeaways from her presentation. 1. The equestrian community has become a leader in participant protection efforts. The U.S. Center for SafeSport was designated in 2017 as the nation’s safe sport...

Sydney Moriarty is a lifelong hunter/jumper rider and a second-year medical student at the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine. In 2021, she graduated with a B.S. in Clinical Neuroscience from Virginia Tech, where she worked at the Helmet Lab assisting on the Equestrian STAR helmet rating project . Moriarty gave a presentation on the history, future, and current research around equestrian helmets, body protectors, and air vests. Here are five key takeaways from her presentation: 1....

Sarah Hamilton from strategic communications consulting firm Kivvit gave a presentation on social media to kick off Friday’s Workshop Sessions. She reviewed the basics, different platforms, strengths and weaknesses of social media, and best practices. Hamilton concluded by fielding questions from the audience for a thoroughly informative session. Social media is a communication tool “Social media is just one tool in a larger communications and marketing external relations plan that...

Photos taken at the US Equestrian Annual Meeting by Adam Brennan are now available here . Browse and download images from the Pegasus Awards and SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards. If you share photos on social media, please credit the photographer as Adam Brennan @picturesbyab. To purchase high-quality prints and downloads from photographer Adam Brennan, go to picturesbyab.com . To access the US Equestrian 2022 gallery, use password Equestrian2022 . For media requests of high-resolution...

Alex Waldrop, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), shared U.S. horse racing’s history and recapped some of the challenges that horse racing has faced in the past 15 years. The challenges affected horse racing’s social license to operate and required earnest changes to improve horse welfare. “An old adage comes to mind: ‘If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.’...

USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor, University of Kentucky Equine Science professor and member of the FEI Equine Ethics and Welfare Commission, Dr. Camie Heleski, and Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare, Roly Owers, spoke to the USEF Annual Meeting about equestrian sport and the social license to operate. Here are five takeaways from their presentation. 1. Social license to operate is an unofficial but essential piece of the puzzle. Owers describes social license to operate as...

Quarteira, Portugal – The U.S. Jumping Team had a podium finish on Sunday, November 20, at the FEI Jumping Nations Cup Vilamoura CSIO3* in Portugal, winning second place. Under the direction of Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski, the team of Kelly Arani and Impossible Dream, Cathleen Driscoll and Arome, Mimi Gochman and Celina BH, and Mavis Spencer and Carissimo 25, edged out 13 other teams to finish second behind the gold-medal team from France. ©VillaMoura Equestrian Center...

Thermal, Calif. - The last of three USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Finals of 2022 took place on November 12 at National Sunshine Series II with 35 junior equestrians competing in a unique three-phase final. Ella Dyson emerged victorious with Cetello in the USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final – West with consistent performances and impressive scores. “It feels so surreal, and so exciting,” Dyson said of her champion title. “I am so honored to have won and...

Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE) is pleased to announce the award of its Winter 2023 Ever So Sweet Scholarship to Micah Green, 23, of Jacksonville, FL. As the fourth recipient of the Ever So Sweet scholarship, Micah will receive fully-paid training and mentorship from Sara Kozumplik at her winter base in Ocala, FL. Micah, who is a repeat applicant for the Ever So Sweet Scholarship, demonstrated determination and a clear-cut vision of his intentions should he be chosen as an ESS recipient....

Mill Spring, N.C. – The Para Dressage competition at Tryon Fall Dressage 3 saw a small but mighty contingent of five up-and-coming combinations who took advantage of the opportunity to gain experience at the CPEDI3* level. The athlete-and-horse pairs completed their FEI Para Dressage Team and Individual Tests, then completed the weekend with the FEI Para Dressage Freestyle Tests. At the end of the three tests, Fiona Howard (Boston, Mass.) had the top combined score to win the CPEDI3*...