US Equestrian is proud to announce the recipients of our 2025 Lifetime Achievement Award, 2025 Junior Equestrian of the Year, and Youth Sportsman for 2025. Jan Decker will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for her work with the Arabian breed, while Arabian and 4-H leader Mikayla Clement has been named the 2025 Junior Equestrian of the Year and Youth Sportsman. Clement and Decker will receive their awards at the Pegasus Award dinner on Jan. 15, 2026 as part of the 2026 US Equestrian annual...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce updates to the 2026 USEF Eventing Pathway Programs. Eventing Elite Program: The following athlete-and-horse combinations have achieved the criteria for the Eventing Elite Program and are listed in alphabetical order. Will Coleman (Ocala, Fla.) and Off The Record , a 2009 Irish Sport Horse gelding (VDL Arkansas x Dumagoldan Bay) owned by the Off The Record Syndicate Sydney Elliott (Bossier City, La.) and QC Diamantaire , a 2010...

In 2023, the Federation appointed a Hunter and Hunter/Jumping Seat Equitation Judges Task Force, which was tasked with evaluating, analyzing, and improving the current hunter and hunter/jumping seat equitation judging system. Over the last two years, the Task Force, in collaboration with USHJA, has evaluated various concerns regarding judging and reviewed processes related to education, licensing, and judging systems. Through this process, we identified a need to evaluate and improve the...

©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian In the midst of the ongoing outbreak of EHV-1/EHM following the WPRA World Finals and Elite Barrel Race, US Equestrian understands that many horse owners are anxious to maintain their horses’ health and have a lot of questions about biosecurity and events. Dr. Katie Flynn, senior staff veterinarian at USEF, will be part of a webinar panel hosted by the American Association of Equine Practitioners on Nov. 25 . USEF will also be offering its own webinar...

US Equestrian has been made aware of an outbreak of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) associated with barrel racing and rodeo-type events in Texas and Oklahoma. Several horses displaying neurologic signs of Equine Herpes Myeloencephalopathy (EHM) have been identified, with some horses testing positive on PCR. USEF is continuing to actively monitor the situation. As of November 21, 2025, the identified cases have been in the barrel racing/women’s professional rodeo subpopulation of horses. Any...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian reminds competition organizers, licensed officials, and driving professionals that applications for the 2026 USEF Competition Grant for Combined Driving and the Licensed Official Grant for Combined Driving are due January 1, 2026. These annual grants are designed to strengthen the pipeline of opportunities within the U.S. driving community by supporting licensed competitions, developing organizers, and providing education and experience for current or aspiring...

The LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games announced the launch of the LA28 Volunteer Program presented by Delta Air Lines. This is a great avenue for members to get involved with a home Olympic and Paralympic games! As volunteer events become available in the LA region, registered volunteers will receive email invitations to sign up for specific events based on their location and interests. THE PROCESS : Registration is open now for community volunteering. Submit the form, and you’ll be...

Thermal, Calif. – Ben Ebeling (USA) and Bellena stole the show in the inaugural US Equestrian Open Dressage Final, hoisting the impressive trophy to conclude the first year of the finals across the three Olympic disciplines. The partnership earned a personal best score of 79.903% for their freestyle composition to a mix of iconic female pop artists to stand firmly atop the podium. Felicitas Hendricks (GER) and Drombusch OLD took second place on a final score of 78.260%, while Anna Marek...

Kansas City, Mo. – With two nearly perfect patterns and dazzling rail work, Finley Wood and Seven Oaks Heir Show secured the 2025 USEF Saddle Seat Medal National Final champion title. Under the direction of trainer Shelley Fisher, Wood added the medal to her impressive resume in the sport of saddle seat equitation. Finley Wood and Seven Oaks Heir Show. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian Wood (Columbus, Ohio) and “Lily,” her 2012 American Saddlebred mare (Undulata’s Heir...

Thermal, Calif. – US Equestrian Open Dressage Series winner, Anna Marek, rode Fayvel to the top of the FEI Grand Prix CDI5* ahead of the highly anticipated FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI5* tomorrow, which will crown the inaugural US Equestrian Open Dressage Final champion. The partnership topped the standings with a score of 70.804%, followed by fellow American, Ben Ebeling aboard Bellena who earned a 70.522%. Felicitas Hendricks (GER) and Drombusch OLD rounded out the podium on a 70.500%,...