Dear Fellow Members, We just finished our Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky where we reported on the great results of the first year of our Strategic Plan. I was happy to report that we grew membership for the first time in years, increasing almost 30% to over 105,000 members. We also reported strong financial results, growing financial reserves, 23 signed and/or re-signed sponsors, new initiatives launched to strengthen the developmental pathway for horses and riders, increased access to...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian (USEF) grieves the loss of one of equestrian sports’ leading figures, Keith Bartz (Naples, Fla.), who passed away on Saturday, January 27, at the age of 84. Bartz’s impact spanned equestrian sport, as he was a competitor, trainer, governance leader, and champion for the American Saddlebred. Keith Bartz (Adam Brennan - www.picturesbyab.com ) “Keith Bartz gave [back] to the horse-showing industry in so many ways. He had a strong moral...

Wellington, Fla. – The U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team presented by Deloitte had another victorious outing at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) presented by Deloitte on January 19-21. The team consisted of Sydney Collier (Ann Arbor, Mich.), Katie Jackson (Austin, Texas), Angela “Annie” Peavy (Wellington, Fla.), and Kate Shoemaker (Peoria, Ariz.). The team competed in two tests – the FEI Team Test on Friday and the FEI Individual Test on Saturday –...

The United States Equestrian Federation’s 2018 Annual Meeting, which ended Saturday, celebrated the achievements of equine and human athletes and provided reason for great optimism about equestrian sports’ future. Themed “Bringing Joy, Embracing Change,” this year’s convention honored champions, delivered updates on key strategies and initiatives, hosted a number of popular educational forums, and welcomed lively open discussion on topics of interest to members and...

Leaders from collegiate and scholastic organizations gathered Friday at US Equestrian’s Annual Meeting to share ideas, discuss marketing and promotional opportunities, and learn more about US Equestrian’s many resources for educational partners. “We wanted to get together to discuss how we can promote participation in equestrian sport, how we can assist the scholastic and collegiate groups in raising awareness of what they do, what their formats are, what the opportunities...

Representatives from the United States Equestrian Federation’s 29 breed and discipline affiliates convened Friday at the Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky., for a vibrant Affiliate Roundtable discussion on a broad range of topics. The Roundtable agenda was based on feedback from the affiliates, who submitted topics of interest they’d like to discuss. The meeting covered such subjects as opportunities for collaboration, growing membership, and sponsorship ways to improve communications...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian (USEF) is pleased to announce Old Salem Farm as the host site for the 2018 Dressage Adequan® FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC), as well as the 2018 and 2019 Jumping Adequan® FEI North American Junior Children and Young Rider Championships (NAJChYRC) presented by Gotham North pending FEI approval. Rebecca Farm will host eventing, the NAJC and CICOY in 2018 and 2019, pending FEI approval. Photo...

Lexington, Ky. – On a night dedicated to celebrating the horse, US Equestrian is pleased to share that HH Azur, owned by Double H Farm and François Mathy has been voted the 2017 International Horse of the Year and Cuba, owned by John and Stephanie Ingram, LLC, has been voted the 2017 National Horse of the Year. International Horse of the Year HH Azur (Shannon Brinkman Photo) HH Azur (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Sion van de Zuuthoeve/Sir Lui) 2006 Belgian Warmblood mare Owners:...

Lexington, Ky. – The U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team presented by Deloitte will compete in its second competition of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) winter circuit, taking place January 19-21, in Wellington, Fla. The U.S. will compete against Canada beginning with the FEI Team Test for all grades on Friday, which will count 50% toward the overall team score. The FEI Individual Test for all grades follows on Saturday, which will count 50% toward the overall team score. In...

One year after launching an ambitious strategic plan—including rebranding the United States Equestrian Federation as US Equestrian—President Murray Kessler took the stage at Thursday’s live-streamed General Session to update members. Kessler set the theme of “Bringing Joy, Embracing Change” right from the start, showing how US Equestrian is rising to the challenges of its vision, to bring the joy of horse sports to as many people as possible. US Equestrian...