Have you heard about the potential threat of screwworm entering the United States? In December 2024, Mexico confirmed its first case of screwworm. Unfortunately, screwworm is spreading northward in Mexico and is now less than 700 miles away which is not far when it comes to fly movement. On May 13, 2025, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) closed all land border crossing stations along the Mexico/US border, stopping all movement of animals from Mexico into the United States. Recently, Dr....

Lexington, Ky. - Over the past two years, US Equestrian, USHJA, and the USEA have been collaboratively discussing the use of equestrian safety vests and how to best develop safety vest standards. This process has involved multiple meetings with leadership and volunteers serving on the safety committees of both organizations. Throughout this process, our collective goal has been to improve rider safety and to do this we identified the need to evaluate the efficacy of existing safety vest and...

Lexington, Ky. - The FEI Vaulting Working Group, tasked with the revision of the FEI Vaulting Code of Points - Degree of Difficulty (DoD), has created a survey to collect feedback from Vaulters, Coaches, Officials, as well as members of the Vaulting community to identify areas of improvement. The goal is to ensure that the rules governing free tests reflect the true challenge of movements, encourage creativity, and support the growth of the sport. Your insights will help identify areas for...

Ocala, FL - In a remarkable gathering of veterinary professionals, 28 esteemed veterinarians convened on Monday and Tuesday at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala to address critical issues in the sport of equestrian. With a singular focus on horse health and wellbeing, the summit aimed to establish best practices for the care of performance horses. Organized by US Equestrian, the summit was designed to foster collaboration among veterinary professionals dedicated to equine horse care,...

US Equestrian recently received an update regarding the pending amendments to the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and the Horse Protection Program. The USDA has announced that there will be no regulatory changes between the 2024 show season and the 2025 show season. This includes a stay on enforcing the new requirement that was to take effect April 2, 2025, mandating that competition and event management of any equine event held in the United States that is covered under the Act, register with and...

Lexington, Ky. - Young dressage athletes participated in the annual USEF Dressage Training Series. The youth restricted segment of the series consisted of two sessions held on the East and West coast. The USEF Dressage Training Series – East Coast was hosted from January 2-5 at the Equestrian Village, home of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla. The West Coast session was held February 20-23 at the HITS Del Mar Horsepark in Del Mar, Calif. ©Avery Wallace/US...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) prioritizes the safety and well-being of horses that compete in USEF competitions. In support of this effort, USEF has established biosecurity resources and protocols to assist our members, including competition organizers (click here to access). Competition organizers are required to create their own protocols, including an equine isolation plan for competitions that have onsite stabling, to address potential virus outbreaks at USEF licensed...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce a new partnership with EquiTrace , a leading provider of tech solutions for the horse industry, as the Official Verified Horse Health Record Provider of US Equestrian. This partnership has led to the development and creation of an EquiTrace® EventPass that will enhance the verification and tracking of horse health documents in the show world. EventPass will allow US Equestrian members the opportunity to manage the health documents and...

Lexington, Ky. - Dr. Katie Flynn and Dr. Stephen Schumacher co-led a conversation on Biosecurity and Medications on Thursday, Jan. 23, at the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting. The session, which was presented by Neogen, started with Dr. Flynn leading a conversation on the new microchip requirement that is to go into effect in December 2025. Dr. Schumacher’s presentation focused on Pharmacology, providing an overview of pharmacokinetics vs pharmacodynamics, how medications work within the...

US Equestrian Annual Meeting attendees from across all breeds and disciplines reconvened on the morning of Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, to continue the previous day’s discussion about horse welfare in the equestrian world. Representatives from different segments of the industry shared some of the challenges and solutions they’ve seen from their community in an open session moderated by US Equestrian Chief of Sport David O’Connor. Changing Culture “We have worked tirelessly for...