Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce the 2024 Horse of the Year nominees. The International and National Horses of the Year will be announced at the 2024 SmartPak/USEF Horse of the Year Awards Dinner on Saturday, Jan. 25 during the 2025 US Equestrian Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky. Horses of Honor are nominated by their USEF affiliate organization or USEF breed or discipline committee, and the finalists are selected by the USEF Awards Committee. The final Horses of the...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian congratulates Hannah Hiiva (Roy, Wash.), recipient of the 2024 US Equestrian National Youth Sportsman’s Award. Hiiva is an active exhibitor on the Arabian circuit and serves as a Region 5 Youth Director for the Arabian Youth Horse Association. She was nominated for this award by the Arabian Horse Association . Hannah Hiiva. ©Miley DeFalco Hiiva is a junior at Yelm High School where she is active in leadership roles, including as yearbook...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce the Eventing Pathway Program Lists for 2025, including the Elite, Pre-Elite, Development, and Development 25 Programs. Eventing Elite Program: The following athlete-and-horse combinations, listed in alphabetical order, have achieved the Eventing Elite Program List for 2025. 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 Boyd Martin...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian is pleased to announce that the FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships (NAYC) will include an FEI Children Championship for dressage athletes aged 12 through 14 for the first time in 2025. Additionally, selection procedures for all divisions are now posted on USEF.org . ©Avery Wallace/US Equestrian NAYC FEI Children Championship Dressage FAQ In order to help athletes with their planning, below are some frequently asked questions regarding this...

Lexington, Ky. - US Equestrian is pleased to announce the dates and location of the 2025 USEF Dressage Training Series (Clinic). The West Coast clinic will be held at HITS Del Mar Horsepark in Del Mar, California February 20-23, 2025. ©Myah Vasquez Photography The clinic provides an educational experience for ten (10) youth athletes, between the ages of 12 and 25, to receive professional instruction and intensive training sessions from various top U.S. coaches. Individuals must be...

Thermal, Calif. – A group of 47 junior equestrians took to the arena at Desert International Horse Park on Saturday for the West Coast final of the 2024 USEF/NCEA Junior Hunter Seat Medal. The exciting final was held at the popular venue during the National Sunshine Series II. Desi Cyr (Aspen, Colo.) secured the win with solid scores across the three phases of the final. Desi Cyr and Chatino PS. ©Avery Wallace/US Equestrian All finalists compete in the first round, which is a...

Thermal, Calif . -- The 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals – West continued with excitement as the second day brought the gymnastics phase to Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California. This phase challenged the skills of the athletes as they navigated a series of intricate gymnastic lines, each carrying a score multiplier of 1.5. Victoria Zahorik and Quiwian, leaders after Phase II of the 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals - West (©Avery Wallace/US...

Thermal, Calif. - The stage is set at the 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals – West, as a group of 26 talented young athletes gathered at Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California to display their skills in the flat phase. In groups of five, the athletes entered the arena to perform a series of flatwork exercises for the judges. The riders demonstrated a working and lengthening trot, and canter and counter canter in both directions, flying changes, and a turn on the...

Thermal, Calif. – This weekend, the 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search – West will kick off during the National Sunshine Series 2, from November 6-10, 2024, at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California. The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search program is pivotal in nurturing elite jumping athletes. It encourages junior athletes to hone their skills, laying a solid foundation for future opportunities to compete on the...

Vejer de la Frontera, Spain – The U.S. Jumping Team delivered an outstanding third place finish out of 18 teams at the 2024 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Vejer de la Frontera CSIO3* at the Andalucía Sunshine Tour in Vejer de la Frontera, Spain. The team, led by Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski, alongside Team Leader Erin Keating, included Raleigh Hiler and Obora’s Chloe, Taylor Kain and Jirenze, Vani Khosla and Cream Couleur Z, as well as Zayna Rizvi and Exquise du Pachis....