Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check the USEF Week in Review on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions within the USA and international FEI competitions in...

A guest blog post from Katie Shoultz You touch the future when you embrace the youth. In keeping with this spirit, the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) has a sharp focus on the future with their efforts to engage younger generations in equestrian sports. The IEA was established to promote horsemanship skills in the middle and secondary education level. The 2011-2012 competition year marks the Association’s 10th Anniversary with their yearly National Finals set to take place...

Cardi (Team Cardi LLC) Welsh Cob stallion North Forks Cardi recently piaffed and passaged his way to four impressive wins in Intermediaire II classes at the Festival of the Horse and the Golden State Dressage Show. Competing against all breeds in a field traditionally dominated by warmblood horses, this eleven year old Welsh Cob stallion, standing 14.3 1/2 hands high, produced his best ever score of 67% and also qualified for the Grand Prix Freestyle, earning a 62% for their Grand Prix ride....

Christopher Hickey and Witness Hilltop earned the top score at the Intermediaire I Freestyle (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, FL - Two U.S. Dressage teams competed in the Intermediaire I Freestyle Saturday night at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO 3* presented by Stillpoint Farm. Both went home with medals. Helped by three of the night's top seven scores the first U.S. team beat out their American counterpart, a team from Europe, and two teams from Latin America to capture the FEI...

Waco, TX - Going into Saturday’s National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) Championship matchups Texas A&M had already clinched the Overall National Championship. That wouldn’t mean there was any lack of drama for the day. Both the Hunter Seat and Western finals came down to raw score tiebreakers after hard fought 4-4 ties. Texas A&M added to their Overall NCEA National Championship with a fourth consecutive Western National Championship. The Aggies narrowly defeated...

Raeford, NC - Competitors in the USEF National Single Horse Championship set scorching paces through Richard Nicholl’s eight obstacle marathon course. Leading times through each obstacle dipped lower and lower as the afternoon went on. Sterling Graburn, Friday’s dressage leader, posted the quickest marathon score of the division; lengthening his overall lead and he heads into Sunday’s cone phase on a score of 116.33. Sterling Graburn and Ulano (Picsofyou.com) Graburn...

Waco, TX - The Texas A&M equestrian team will be the 2012 NCEA Overall National Champions. The finals in both Hunter Seat and Western competition will be contested later today but the Aggies are guaranteed at least a second place finish in both disciplines. It will be the program’s second National Championship. The success of the Aggie Western team is no surprise. They came into Extraco Events Center the #1 seed and defending National Champion. The team stayed true to form with wins...

Caroline Roffman & Pie were the top pair at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO3* Prix. St. George (Susan J. Stickle) Lexington, KY – Eight teams entered the Prix St. Georges at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO3* today looking to earn a shot at the Nations Cup Title. At the end of competition it was the Americas that ruled the day. Two teams from the United States and two teams representing Latin American will be joined by a team representing Europe to compete in...

Sterling Graburn (Picsofyou.com) Raeford, NC - Thirteen of the best U.S. drivers in the Single Horse division went to task Friday afternoon on the Twin Gates Farm Derby Field at the Carolina Horse Park. The USEF National Single Horse Championship got underway with the dressage phase under sunny skies. At the end of the first day Sterling Graburn holds a six point lead in the division. Graburn (Georgetown, KY) drove a flashy and accurate test to score a 37.97. Graburn’s KWPN gelding,...

Instructor Jean White teaches rider Lee Burton on her PRE stallion Amando the ins and outs of the Gate obstacle (Catherine Peak) Riding Instructors are the unsung heroes of the horse world! WEUSA would like to bring these heroes into the lime light and recognize the instructor’s achievements through their student’s successes! WEUSA’s new Instructor Recognition and Awards Programs are supporting and rewarding the contribution our instructors make to the education of riders and...