Two Champions "Three-Peat" as Breed Show Wraps Up When individual breed classes took center stage on day three of Dressage at Devon 2009, two horses who had dominated the news in the prestigious show's first two days continued to grab headlines. Perfect Qredit, a yearling colt by Quaterback, added an 83.80% win in the Oldenburg (GOV) division to his Grand Championship, Young Horse Championship, Colt Championship, and Yearling Colts and Geldings title for owner Michelle Coursin, an air-traffic...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the return of Debbie McDonald to the U.S. Dressage Program in the role of Technical Advisor to lead and oversee training preparation for Elite combinations through the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. McDonald served as Technical Advisor for the U.S. Dressage Program from 2019 through 2021, culminating with a historic silver medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. McDonald’s responsibilities will be designated specifically to training...

Lexington, Ky. – The qualification periods for two US Equestrian para dressage opportunities are open for interested applicants. The USEF Para Dressage Athlete of Honor Awards Program and the USEF Para Dressage National Championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions are key opportunities for para dressage athletes in 2023. The USEF Para Dressage Athlete of Honor Awards Program is a new program that celebrates excellence and strives to develop a solid foundation for future success...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce its continued partnership with SmartPak. SmartPak has been a longtime partner and sponsor of US Equestrian and will continue as the title sponsor of the SmartPak USEF/Horse of the Year program for 2022. Additionally, all US Equestrian members receive a 5% discount on SmartPak orders through the MemberPerks program. “We’re thrilled to continue our partnership with US Equestrian as the official title sponsor of the Horse of...

Lexington, Ky. – Participants in the US Equestrian (USEF) Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program (E25) and the Eventing 18 Program (E18) completed their winter training sessions last month. The Emerging Athlete Lists are the first step in the athlete pathway as developed in the 2019 Strategic Plan . The program aims to provide basic skills necessary for future team athletes and athletes focused on reaching Elite status. Over the course of intensive three-day training sessions, the groups...

Lexington, Ky. – Participants in the US Equestrian (USEF) Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program (E25) and the Emerging Athlete Eventing 18 Program (E18) completed their winter training sessions last month. The Emerging Athletes List designates athletes with the potential to evolve into future team candidates. Tayler Stewart, E25 (Christina Vaughn) Over the course of intensive three-day training sessions, the groups rode in mounted lessons with the USEF Eventing Emerging Athlete Coach...

The April 12 application deadline for the Zones 6, 8, 9 and 12 Emerging Athletes Program through the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) is fast approaching. And the USHJA doesn’t want anyone to miss out on the chance to participate in the program and the chance to work with former Olympic rider Melanie Smith Taylor. Athletes interested in applying to participate in the Level I Training Session must be able to display proficiency in completing jumper style courses over the...

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) has created a new program for shows with Morgan classes called the Star Rating Program, which is a way to encourage horse owners to compete on all levels and for smaller shows to expose others to the breed. The program, which is in its inaugural year, was designed with two goals in mind: to educate and increase awareness of all types and levels of competitions that promote the breed, and to provide a tool to help horse owners identify competitions...

Photo by Denisha Sproul Photography/USEF Archives Lexington, KY – With more than a thousand high school equestrians already working to earn their varsity letters, and new registrations arriving daily, it’s clear the United States Equestrian Federation’s new High School Equestrian Athlete program is a huge hit across the country. Applications are still being accepted for the 2009-2010 school year, and there’s still plenty of time left for those who would like to apply by the June 1, 2010...

Photo by Whitney Allen (Carly Anthony and Ricky Neal) Carly Anthony, 19 of Redmond, WA, and Richard “Ricky” Neal, 17 of Pasadena, CA, were named the inaugural winners of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session. For their amazing accomplishments, Carly and Ricky will each receive 30 days of advanced training with a high-performance athlete, as well as $1,500 in gift certificates from Dover Saddlery to purchase show clothes. When...