Lexington, Ky. - The 2025 Eventing Development 25 and Developing Programs started the year with two educational training sessions held in Ocala, Fla., throughout January, setting the tone early and helping to shape future success for participating athletes. Combinations rode in a multi-day clinic with USEF Eventing Development Coach Leslie Law and Ian Stark, providing valuable coaching and guidance to help further their skills and to better prepare them for the competitive season and the next...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian recognized multiple outstanding equestrians during the 2024 Pegasus Award Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky., on January 23. Among the honorees were the 2024 International Equestrian of the Year, Liz Halliday, and the 2024 National Equestrian of the Year, Nick Haness. Halliday and Haness were nominated as Equestrians of Honor and selected by US Equestrian member voting in December. 2024 International Equestrian of the Year – Liz Halliday...

Lexington, Ky. – The 2025 USEF Annual Meeting returns to Lexington and will adopt an agenda that builds off the interactive format and strategic topic of social license and horse welfare, which became a major focus two years ago and continues to be at the forefront of our industry. Under the theme, It’s All About the Horse , we will bring in a well-known media expert to help with crisis communication challenges many of you may face, veterinarians to address the latest horse health...

Lexington, Ky. - Following thorough debriefs and in-depth program assessments after the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, the USEF Dressage coaches, team staff, and key stakeholders have been hard at work reviewing the structure and criteria of the pathway programs. Entering the start of the new home quadrennial period leading into the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games the vision is set on realistic and achievable goals for sustainable success and improvements. Effective December 1, 2024, changes have...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is proud to announce the recipients of the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award and Junior Equestrian of the Year, both of which will be awarded at the Pegasus Awards Dinner at the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting . Dressage trainer and educator Lendon Gray will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award. Hunter, jumper, and equitation athlete Paige Walkenbach is the Junior Equestrian of the Year. Lendon Gray. ©Mary Livernois Lifetime Achievement Award: Lendon...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2024 Horse of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2024 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 25 during the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky. Horses of Honor are nominated by their USEF affiliate organization or USEF breed or discipline committee, and the finalists are selected by the USEF Awards Committee. The final Horses of the...

US Equestrian encourages all dressage competitors, licensed officials, and competition managers to review a new memo regarding the rule update to DR121.3.a – Crownpieces . The rule update went into effect on Sept. 1, 2024, and the memo can be viewed here . The rule update specifies that padding on the crownpiece “must be smooth and continuous across the poll while on the horse and rectangular or in the same shape as the crownpiece. Padding may extend no more than 1.5 centimeters...

Harrisburg, Pa. - The spotlight shone brightly on the 2024 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final, the highlight event on Sunday at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. A field of 169 qualified junior athletes took on the challenge of the first round, navigating the intricate course designed by Steve Stephens in conjunction with judges Tammy Provost and Rachel Kennedy. As the competition intensified, the top 25 riders advanced to the second round, featuring a fresh course, narrowing the...

Woodside, Calif. – Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm have announced the retirement of Suppenkasper, a staple of the U.S. Dressage Team for the past six years. Ridden by six-time Olympian Steffen Peters, Suppenkasper represented the U.S. Dressage Team at two World Championships, two Olympics, an FEI Dressage World Cup Final, and numerous Nations Cup competitions. Suppenkasper, known adoringly in the barn as Mopsie, is one of the most successful horses in U.S. Dressage history, earning...

Lexington, Ky. – As of December 1, 2024, the use of any progestogens in stallions and geldings while competing in USEF licensed competitions will be considered prohibited under Chapter 4 of the USEF rulebook. Altrenogest, known as Regu-Mate® commercially, is the FDA-approved synthetic progestogen commonly administered to mares to suppress estrus and associated seasonal behaviors in competing horses, and to aid in breeding practices with broodmares. “There is no legitimate...