In an ongoing effort to support equine welfare, US Equestrian is unveiling a new, free feature for recorded horses called Lifetime Care Contacts. The feature is designed to allow a USEF member to add themselves to a horse’s USEF record, signifying that if the horse should someday be in need of financial assistance or a home, they would like to be contacted. “We understand that many breeders, owners, athletes, and grooms care deeply for the horses who have touched their lives and...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2025 Horse of the Year and Equestrian of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2025 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 17, and the International and National Equestrians of the Year will be announced at the 2025 Pegasus Awards Dinner on Thursday, Jan. 14, at the 2026 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Louisville, Ky. Horses of Honor and Equestrians of...

Kansas City, Mo. – With two nearly perfect patterns and dazzling rail work, Finley Wood and Seven Oaks Heir Show secured the 2025 USEF Saddle Seat Medal National Final champion title. Under the direction of trainer Shelley Fisher, Wood added the medal to her impressive resume in the sport of saddle seat equitation. Finley Wood and Seven Oaks Heir Show. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian Wood (Columbus, Ohio) and “Lily,” her 2012 American Saddlebred mare (Undulata’s Heir...

Thermal, Calif. – Ben Ebeling (USA) and Bellena stole the show in the inaugural US Equestrian Open Dressage Final, hoisting the impressive trophy to conclude the first year of the finals across the three Olympic disciplines. The partnership earned a personal best score of 79.903% for their freestyle composition to a mix of iconic female pop artists to stand firmly atop the podium. Felicitas Hendricks (GER) and Drombusch OLD took second place on a final score of 78.260%, while Anna Marek...

Lexington, Ky. - Earlier this fall, US Equestrian released a series of Horse Welfare Guidelines to members, including those based on the familiar concept of a stoplight guidance recently published by USEF. In addition to this work, the USEF Dressage Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Task Force led by Betsy Juliano and Lisa Gorretta, has been meeting regularly to discuss changes needed nationally within the discipline of dressage. As a result of the Task Force discussions Riding Standard Guidelines...

Registration is now open for the 2026 US Equestrian Annual Meeting, which will be held at the Omni Hotel in Louisville, Ky., from Jan. 15-18, 2026. US Equestrian will once again host a series of educational presentations and workshops in a three-day interactive format with the goal of providing hands-on, immediately actionable information to members, affiliates, officials, and competition managers. For those unable to attend the annual meeting in person, full coverage of the sessions will be...

Thermal, Calif. – The athletes of the 2025 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – West completed the first two phases of competition on Friday morning at Desert International Horse Park. A total of 22 entries completed their flatwork and gymnastic phases ahead of Saturday’s jumper course. Katalina Raiszadeh and Cetello. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian Katalina Raiszadeh (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) finished day one at the top of the leaderboard with...

Thermal, Calif. – After a thrilling third round and final ride off, Nicole McMillion secured the champion title at the 2025 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – West . Nicole McMillion and Change Up PS. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian McMillion (Huntington Beach, Calif.), who trains with Jim Hagman, partnered with Change Up PS, a 2016 Oldenburg stallion owned by Summerhouse Farm, LLC, for the finals. With this win, Change Up PS, known as...

Harrisburg, Pa. – Top junior equitation athletes took to the Keystone Arena at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show last Sunday to vie for champion honors in the 2025 USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal Final – East. This unique medal final is based on the format used in NCEA varsity competition and challenges riders to demonstrate their skill over a 3’3” equitation course and an under-saddle phase. The top four are brought back for the bracket phase in which they switch...

Harrisburg, Pa. - Over 150 athletes are set to enter the Harrisburg Coliseum Sunday to contest the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final. This prestigious equitation national championship features two rounds over a course set to 3’6” in height, and is judged based on the style, position, and effectiveness of the rider. ©Avery Wallace/US Equestrian Following round two, the judges must ask at least the top four entries to return for additional testing to determine the...