Traverse City, Mich. – Dressage competition started with a bang at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF, with the Young Riders and U25 divisions completing their team tests. Marie Claire Piller and Caterina. ©KTB Creative Group In the Young Rider division, a total of 22 combinations representing six teams entered the arena for their first tests of this year’s NAYC. The Region 3 team proved dominant, earning a team total of 212.353 to take...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the athletes who will represent the Land Rover U.S. Driving Team for the FEI Driving World Championship for Combined Ponies. This championship will take place August 30-September 3, 2023, in Oirschot, Netherlands. Single: Amy Cross (Chestertown, Md.) and Eulenhof Spencer , a 2010 Welsh Pony gelding owned by Wendy O’Brien Hilary Mroz-Blythe (Leverett, Mass.) and Bijou , her own 2006 pony cross mare Alternate: Anna Koopman...

Megan “Meg” Kepferle of Long Valley, N.J., was a longtime groom for Sinead Maynard (née Halpin) before starting her own business and pursuing her own riding goals. Kepferle groomed multiple times for Maynard at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian™, and she made her riding debut at the 2023 event in the CCI4*-S with Anakin, Rogue Won Syndicate LLC’s 2009 Thoroughbred gelding. When asked about her favorite memory grooming at the...

James "Jimmy" C. Wofford (Chrissy Miller of Szemere Photography) James “Jimmy” C. Wofford had a profound influence on the shaping of equestrian sport as we know it today. He was a complete horseman, focused and skilled competitor, and a “teacher’s teacher” who will be remembered for his humor, charm, and wit. Wofford was born into an equestrian family on November 3, 1944, in Junction City, Kansas. His father, Col. John W. Wofford, competed for the U.S. Jumping Team...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce Ryder Richardson (Parker, Colo.) as the winner of the 2022 USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award in recognition of his contributions and achievements this year. The USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award identifies outstanding youth members actively involved in their respective discipline or breed organizations and acknowledges their potential as future leaders in the equine industry. The American Connemara Pony Society and United States Hunter...

Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team has officially secured qualification for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, capturing the first team world championship medal for the program since 2002, as they hoisted the silver medal on the podium. The team finished on a final score of 100.3 behind the German team who took gold on a 95.2. New Zealand followed closely in third on a combined total of 100.7. The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team captured the first team medal since 2002...

Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had a fantastic day on cross-country in the hills of Pratoni, finishing all four team combinations and individual combination around the course designed by Giuseppe Della Chiesa (ITA). The team currently sits in second behind Germany on a team score of 77.4, while Tamie Smith and Mai Baum hold third place individually overnight on their score of 24.0. “Today absolutely met my expectations and I think everyone leading up...

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...

Traverse City, Mich. - Sunday marked a special milestone for Zayna Rizvi (Zone 4 – Wellington, Fla.) as she claimed her second individual gold medal at the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships for Jumping (NAYC) presented by USHJA, aboard Excellent. Zayna Rizvi and Excellent. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian On 3.02 penalties after day one, she saw herself lower on the leaderboard than riders who put in extremely quick rounds. A double-clear effort–one of only...

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...