Strzegom, Poland – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had a successful outing over the weekend at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Poland, holding a wire-to-wire second-place standing in the competition at LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials. The team finished on a 142.8, with The Netherlands taking first on a 133.8. “The point [of the tour] was to give a younger group team experience,” said USEF Eventing Emerging and Development Coach Leslie Law, who led the team in Strzegom....

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...

The Plains, Va. – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Squad along with alternate and reserve combinations completed their mandatory outing this weekend at MARS Great Meadow International as their final prep event before September’s 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian All five members of the squad, along with the eight reserve and alternate combinations completed the CCI4*-S at MARS GMI. Team...

Jumping athletes were put to the ultimate test Saturday as they competed for individual honors in the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships for Jumping, presented by USHJA. Over two rounds, the Children’s and Pre-Juniors attempted to record clear efforts to their overall scores and emerge on the podium. In the Children’s, Rylynn Conway (Zone 2 – Fair Haven, N.J.) took the gold medal after a tiebreaking jump-off, while in the Pre-Junior category, Lawson Whitaker...

Traverse City, Mich. – At the midway point of the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC), Ella Fruchterman has already racked up a pair of gold medals in the Junior Dressage division. Ella Fruchterman and Holts Le'Mans. ©KTB Creative Group Fruchterman (West Lakeland, Minn.) and Holts Le’Mans, her own 2011 Danish Warmblood gelding, were part of the Region 4 team that won gold on Wednesday’s Junior Team Competition. On Friday, the pair clinched the...

Traverse City, Mich. – Team dressage competition concluded Wednesday at the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships with the Young Riders completing their team tests under perfect weather conditions at Flintfields Horse Park. Sophia Schults and Conocido HGF. ©KTB Creative Group The team gold medal went to the combined USA Region 3/Region 9 team of Sophia Schults (Wellington, Fla.) and Conocido HGF; Mary Claire Piller (Oakdale, Tenn.) and Oreo; Sydney Schultz (Mandeville, La.) and...

Traverse City, Mich. – History repeated itself on the first day of competition at the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) for dressage as the Junior team representing Region 4 won team gold for the second consecutive year. The 2022 NAYC Region 4 Junior Dressage Team. ©KTB Creative Not only was it a repeat win for the region, but the roster was made up of veteran horse-and-athlete combinations from the 2021 Region 4 Junior Team. Lexie Kment (Palmyra, Neb.) and Montagny...

Traverse City, Mich. - The 2022 Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships (NAYC) presented by USHJA returned for the second consecutive year to Flintfields Horse Park in Traverse City, Mich. Wednesday, August 10, welcomed Children's and Pre-Junior competitors to the International Arena for the first day of individual qualifying competition, with each athlete battling for pole position heading into the team and individual final events to come later in the week. Lilah...

Harrodsburg, Ky. – The U.S. Saddle Seat Teams earned podium finishes this week as the 2022 Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup came to its conclusion on Friday, July 29, at the Mercer County Fairgrounds. After a week of training, camaraderie, and competition, the U.S. team won the gold medal in the three-gaited division and bronze in the five-gaited division. This marks the sixth consecutive gold-medal win for the U.S. in the three-gaited division. The 2022 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team...