Gladstone, NJ – After two days of rigorous testing, topped off with a final-four ride-off, 16-year-old Brianne Goutal surpassed even her own expectations with a well-earned, but nonetheless, surprise victory. “I was never expecting to get into the top four,” Goutal says. “I asked my trainer before the last round what score I would need and she wouldn’t give me an answer. She just said ‘ride well.’” And ride well, she did. Give her a few years, and...

Aachen, Germany - Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) and his team of First Edition, Julius V, Kadora, and Kasper D, drove to an impressive win in the driving phase of the CAIO-4* at CHIO Aachen finishing the first phase of competition on a score of 38.85. The win marks another top performance Weber has achieved at Aachen throughout the years. The team finished atop the podium in a field of 25 entries. Weber has been a mainstay at CHIO Aachen for the U.S. Driving program, having competed at the venue...

This week, USEF Network viewers can tune in to the livestream from the Big D Charity Horse Show in Fort Worth, Texas. The show features exciting classes for American Saddlebreds , Morgans , and other breeds in saddle seat , driving, equitation, roadster , and pleasure classes. Big D is a longstanding tradition in the region, tracing its beginnings to 1971. In addition to being a favorite early season stop on the show circuit for many exhibitors, Big D has had a philanthropic mission since its...

The winning Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team of (front row) Rebecca Hart, Roxanne Trunnell, Fiona Howard, (back row) Cynthia Screnci, and Chef d'Equipe Michel Assouline (Kimberlyn Beaudoin/KTB Creative Group) Lexington, Ky. – The Adequan® U.S. Para Dressage Team delivered quality rides at the Perrigo CPEDI3* held March 10-12 at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival Week 9. The team of Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel, Fiona Howard and Solitaer 40, Cynthia Screnci and Sir...

Blacksburg, Va. – On Dec. 7, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab released the results of its first-ever rating of equestrian helmets. Over the past two years, Virginia Tech researchers analyzed over 100 videos of riders falling off horses, precisely measured the hardness of the sand, dirt, grass, and synthetic surfaces underfoot at equestrian events, and dragged dummy heads and other equipment — and boxes and boxes of helmets — out to Virginia Tech’s equestrian facilities to...

As the start of the 2023 competition year approaches and new rules come into place, USEF has received feedback from members requesting clarification about the qualification process for the 2023 Devon Horse and Pony Show, Pennsylvania National, Washington International, and the National Horse Show. Additionally, there have been questions raised about how awards separate from prize money affect HOTY standings or qualifications for these competitions. Earlier this Fall, a Presidential Modification...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce the third edition of the USEF Horsemastership Training Series hosted at Equestrian Village, home of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival, in Wellington, Fla., from January 5-8, 2023. The USEF Horsemastership Training Series provides intensive training and education sessions for youth jumping athletes with mounted and unmounted instruction from top industry experts and leaders. The USEF Horsemastership Training Series is designed to...

In 2003, Virginia Tech placed the first sensors inside football helmets to measure head acceleration data that could characterize concussions. Nearly two decades later, the university’s Helmet Lab is on the cusp of adding equestrian sport to its arsenal of public safety information on helmet use and unveiling its STAR (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) ratings system for helmets. At the Equestrian Symposium, held Aug. 11-12 in Blacksburg, Va., Drs. Steve Rowson, Stefan Duma,...

Traverse City, Mich. – A dream came through for Erin Nichols on Saturday at the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championship (NAYC) as she finished in gold-medal position for the Individual Young Rider Dressage division. Erin Nichols and Handsome Rob AR. ©KTB Creative Group Nichols (Yorba Linda, Calif.) expertly guided her own Handsome Rob AR, a 2012 Dutch Warmblood gelding, through a precise and flowing test that earned a 69.000% from the judges. The victory comes after Nichols and...

Lucinda Donaldson and Audi. ©Andrew Ryback When 15-year-old Lucinda (Lucy) Donaldson gave her final salute in the opening junior dressage test of the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championship , it was the realization of dreams. The top-15 finish in her NAYC debut was an accomplishment for her, her horse Audi, and her entire family. Lucinda, who represents Region 1 from Parkesburg, Pa., is the daughter of equine vet Mark Donaldson and stepdaughter of USDF gold, silver and bronze medalist...