Lexington, KY —Meagan Drew may not have started out as a cookie cutter equestrian, but then again, her break-the-mold approach may have been the leg up she needed to claim success in and out of the show ring. “I cleaned stalls two summers in a row every day so I could ride horses and take lessons,” says the 18 year old Drew. “It wasn’t my mom writing a check—it was something I had to do. It made me appreciate the lessons I did get and it made me work harder....

San Juan Capistrano, CA - Robert Dover did it again today and in some kind of style, Freestyle to be exact, with a score today of 81.70 in the Bayer/USET Foundation Festival of Champions presented by State Line Tack. The competition was the 2004 Olympic Dressage Trials and also determined the USEF Grand Prix National Championship. Gunter Seidel was second in the Freestyle on Aragon with a 78.425%, and third on Nikolaus 7 with 77.175%. Leslie Morse was fourth on Kingston with 77.025% and Steffen...

Traverse City, Mich. – Two U.S. athletes clinched the final gold medals at the 2023 Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships Presented by USHJA , bringing this year’s event to an exciting conclusion at Flintfields Horse Park. Carlee McCutcheon and Coco Mercedes ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian NAYC FEI Junior Jumping Individual Championship Carlee McCutcheon (Aubrey, Texas) expertly piloted Coco Mercedes, a 2013 Westphalian mare owned by McLain Ward and Old Oak...

Three rising dressage stars are representing the U.S. this week in Ermelo, Netherlands, at the 2023 FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses (WBC). Get to know more about these up-and-coming equine athletes with insights from their owners and trainers. Vianne and Hope Beerling. ©SusanJStickle.com Vianne (Kastel’s Vitalis x Raureif) 2016 Hanoverian mare Owner: NorCodia USA Rider: Hope Beerling (Califon, N.J.) Vianne is the product of Catherine Haddad...

It takes years and a full team effort to develop a horse to the top level of equestrian sport— with riders, owners, grooms, coaches, and many more focusing on giving a horse the best chance at success. This process was true for Mai Baum, known as Lexus, on his road to winning the 2023 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™ CCI5*-L with Tamie Smith in the irons. Smith remembered seeing Lexus, a 2006 German Sport Horse gelding owned by Alexandra...

Elkton, Md . – The 2022 MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory came to an exciting conclusion with Sunday’s show jumping phase. Combinations rode over solid tracks designed by Ken Krome (USA) to determine the final placings in the CCI3*-L and CCI5*-L divisions. Elisa Wallace and Renkum Corsair rose to the occasion to win the 2022 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship for the USEF Combined Training Trophy, while Tim Price (NZL) and Coup de Coeur Dudevin...

Wayne, Ill. – The six remaining national championship divisions concluded on Sunday at the 2022 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. A week full of seasoned competitors as well as up-and-coming talent made for an exciting, high-caliber event. USEF Children Dressage National Championship Autumn Vavrick and Dante (SusanJStickle.com) Twelve USEF Children Dressage National Championship combinations began the competition in the Grand Prix Arena by riding the second of two tests to determine...

Wayne, Ill. – It was a day filled with national championship award ceremonies at the 2022 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. Six titles were claimed by the country’s top dressage combinations following an excellent display of riding and talent. Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Dressage National Championship Adrienne Lyle and Fürst Dream (SusanJStickle.com) Twelve combinations returned to the Markel Arena to determine the Markel/USEF Young Horse Four-Year-Old Dressage...

Ella Fruchterman and Holts Le'Mans. ©KTB Creative Group Traverse City, Mich. – A phenomenal week of equestrian competition concluded on Sunday at the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships with the Juniors and Young Riders presenting their freestyle tests. Ella Fruchterman (Woodbury, Minn.) and Holts Le’Mans struck gold in the Junior division, while Erin Nichols (Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Handsome Rob AR topped the Young Riders podium. 2022 FEI NAYC Junior Dressage...

Day three of the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships, presented by USHJA, invited Junior and Young Rider teams to take center stage and vie for their podium positions. Over two rounds, teams battled it out for top honors, but it was ultimately Zone 4, with team members Caroline Mawhinney (Wellington, Fla.), Ella Duffy (Alpharetta, Ga.), Hailey Royce (Wellington, Fla.), and Mia Albelo (Miami, Fla.), taking gold in the Junior Team Final. A combined team of athletes from...