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...

Lexington, Ky. - The ability to teach does not always go hand in hand with athletic achievement. The athletes with the most impressive competitive record aren’t necessarily the ones who are the most adept at teaching others to achieve success. In many sports, including equestrian, there are well-supported pathways to competitive achievements as an athlete, but the systems for teaching teachers are less well established. Cam Kiosoglous, Ph.D., is an Assistant Clinical Professor and Program...

L-R: Dana Glass, Katherine Bateson-Chandler, and Beezie Madden sit on a panel during the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting ©Avery Wallace/US Equestrian Lexington, Ky. – An accomplished panel of athletes and trainers from diverse backgrounds highlighted the Thursday afternoon session of the 2025 US Equestrian Meeting Annual Meeting. The session, which was led by US Equestrian Chief of Sport and Olympic gold medalist, David O’Connor, featured conversations with U.S. Jumping Team...

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...

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...

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...

Lexington, Ky. – During the General Session of the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting, US Equestrian President Tom O’Mara and CEO Bill Moroney spoke to members and staff. A presentation by U.S. Para Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe and Technical Advisor Michel Assouline highlighted the program's success in 2024 and the roadmap that contributed to the team’s performance at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Following the overall theme of “It’s All About the...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce that Caracole de la Roque, Signe Ostby’s 2012 Selle Français mare, was voted the 2024 International Horse of the Year, and McQueen, Walkenbach Equestrian LLC’s 2014 KWPN gelding was voted the 2024 National Horse of the Year by the USEF membership. Caracole de la Roque and McQueen were honored during the SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky., on January 25, 2025....

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. - 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...