Lexington, Ky. – Tabitha Okitsu and Spoot De La Jourlais completed four perfect rounds to win the 2017 USEF National Pony Jumper Championship on Saturday. The championship, part of the USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm, saw 12 combinations advance to the final round. Tabitha Okitsu and Spoot De La Jourlais (Shawn McMillen Photography) Zone 10’s Okitsu (South Pasadena, Calif.) and her own 11-year-old Connemara/Arabian gelding entered the Alltech Arena on Saturday as...

Lexington, Ky. - The USEF Hunter Pony Championships came to a close on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Medium Regular Hunter Ponies went to task in the Walnut Ring in their Over Fences phase to determine the 2017 Champion. Augusta Iwasaki and News Flash emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon, collecting not only the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans, but also the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title for the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting...

Lexington, Ky. - It was another exciting day of competition at the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm as two more championship titles in the USEF Hunter Pony Championship were decided on Friday. Madeline Jordan and Shamrock collected the Medium Green Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans, while Libbie Gordon and Small Wonder were named the Large Green Hunter Pony Champions as well as the Overall Grand Champion Green Hunter Pony. Augusta Iwasaki and...

Givrins, Switzerland – The Platinum Performance U.S. Junior Team earned the team silver medal at the 2017 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. The team, comprised of Sam Flarida, Emma Lane, and Emilia Reutimann, claimed the team silver medal with a score of 639.0 under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Jeff Petska. Italy won gold with a score of 645.0 and France received bronze with a score of 634.5. The Platinum Performance U.S. Young Rider Team finished...

Lexington, Ky. – The 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm continued on Thursday with another champion unveiled. Ashley Lamers and In A Dream came away with the Small Regular Hunter Pony Championship. The pair garnered a total score of 1007.88, moving to the top from the 17th position following Thursday’s final Over Fences phase. Ashley Lamers and In A Dream (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lamers (Caledonia, Wis.) and Lindsey Ayres’ 10-year-old Welsh Pony mare...

Givrins, Switzerland – The world’s rising stars in the sport of reining have converged at the 2017 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Jeff Petska, team members Sam Flarida, Emma Lane, and Emilia Reutimann will compete for the Platinum Performance U.S. Junior Team, while Gabriella Kammerer, Dani Latimer, Cade McCutcheon, and Jack Medows will represent the Platinum Performance U.S. Young Rider Team. In the team...

Dublin, Ireland – The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team has little to prove heading into FEI Nations Cup CSIO5* Dublin on Friday. They earned a coveted spot in September’s FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final along with five of six Nations Cup podium appearances along the way. However, the team of Lauren Hough, Lillie Keenan, Laura Kraut, and Beezie Madden will apply the same level of intensity in Dublin, working to thwart other nations’ podium efforts. Chef d’Equipe Robert...

Lexington, Ky. - Para-equestrian dressage athlete Katie Jackson has been named a recipient of a 2017 Travel & Training Grant from the Women’s Sports Foundation. Jackson, a Grade V para-equestrian dressage competitor, joins 14 athletes and five teams across 17 sports who have received grants through the Women’s Sports Foundation’s Travel & Training Fund program. Jackson will use the grant to help offset expenses associated with training for a spot on the U.S. team at...

Saugerties, N.Y. - The 2017 USEF Junior Hunter National Championship - East Coast came to a close on Tuesday, August 1, following two days of competition in Saugerties, N.Y., at HITS-on-the-Hudson. More than 178 of the country’s top juniors headed to the Championship to complete three phases in front of the judging panel made up of Ralph Caristo, Todd Karn, and Keri Kampsen over the Rian Beals-designed Classic Round course and Handy Hunter course, both of which counted for 40% of the...

Dear Fellow Member, The US Equestrian Board of Directors met last week on Monday and Tuesday, July 24 and 25. During this meeting, it was evident that our Sport and our Federation is moving in the right direction and that our Strategic Plan, while still in its early days, is working. This is evidenced by a growing membership, teams and individuals winning on the world stage, balanced financials, and the implementation of many new initiatives. The Board meeting was productive, energizing, and...