Lexington, Ky. – The board of directors and staff at US Equestrian would like to extend our condolences to all those who loved Catch Me, the 2016 USEF National Horse of the Year. Catch Me, fondly known as “Snoopy,” passed on Friday, June 27, at the age of 18 due to complications from colic. Photo Credit: WIHS “Catch Me was the most remarkable horse that I ever owned,” said owner Becky Gochman. “He was both competitive and kind. Scott Stewart showed him...

Olivia Lagoy-Weltz during the Robert Dover Horsemastership Clinic Week in Wellington, Florida on January 2, 2019 (© US Equestrian) Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce the addition of two new coaches to the U.S. Dressage Program coaching staff and pathway programs, strengthening access to resources and supporting additional opportunities for program participants. Olivia LaGoy-Weltz and Guenter Seidel will join the program as USEF Dressage Assistant Pathway Coaches, working...

Lexington, Ky. - The 2025 Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championship – East (JHNC) attracts hundreds of youth athletes each year. This year, ten athletes received grants sponsored by Split Rock Jumping Tour (SRJT), covering the costs associated with competition for one horse. Selections were made based on financial need, in addition to the exhibition of exemplary sportsmanship and horsemanship. ©Christine Rivet/US Equestrian Grant recipient Maya John of Morrisvile, N.C., will...

Tryon, N.C. – The Katydid Combined Driving Event at Tryon International Equestrian Center was the host for the 2025 USEF Driving National Championships for Ponies last week, and a total of 10 new national champions emerged from the event. Fferm Gwenffrwd Onyx Star with Sarah Reitz. ©Sharon Packer Advanced Single Pony: Fferm Gwenffrwd Onyx Star with Sarah Reitz The longtime partnership of Sarah Reitz (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) and Fferm Gwenffrwd Onyx Star (Hilin Peredur x Cotrell...

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...

Basel, Switzerland – U.S. veteran Adrienne Lyle guided her Paris Olympic mount Helix to a top ten finish in the FEI Grand Prix class on the first day of the 2025 FEI Dressage World Cup™ Final. The pair earned a 72.565% from the judging panel to take ninth overall in the class of 17 entries. The FEI Grand Prix Freestyle to determine the 2025 FEI Dressage World Cup Final champion will begin at 7:30 p.m. GMT+2/1:30 p.m. ET tomorrow evening. ©ShannonBrinkmanPhotography “I...

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...

Lexington, Ky . – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the appointment of former USEF Eventing Development Coach Leslie Law to the position of Chef d’Equipe and High Performance Manager for the Defender U.S. Eventing Team, and Karyn Shuter, who will take on the newly developed role of U.S. Eventing High Performance Advisor. Both Law and Shuter will begin in their respective roles immediately. “As riders, we are very excited with the selection of Leslie Law and Karyn Shuter as...

Wellington, Fla. - The horse inspection for the FEI Dressage Nations Cup USA CDIO3* set the scene for an exciting week of competition at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., from February 20-23, 2025. Teams from five countries— the U.S., Canada, Germany, Australia, and Sweden— will compete. The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team (from left to right) Erin Nichols, Christine Traurig, Devon Kane, Jennifer Williams, and Kevin Kohmann (©Avery Wallace/US...

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...