Alex Waldrop, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), shared U.S. horse racing’s history and recapped some of the challenges that horse racing has faced in the past 15 years. The challenges affected horse racing’s social license to operate and required earnest changes to improve horse welfare. “An old adage comes to mind: ‘If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.’...

USEF Chief of Sport David O’Connor, University of Kentucky Equine Science professor and member of the FEI Equine Ethics and Welfare Commission, Dr. Camie Heleski, and Chief Executive of World Horse Welfare, Roly Owers, spoke to the USEF Annual Meeting about equestrian sport and the social license to operate. Here are five takeaways from their presentation. 1. Social license to operate is an unofficial but essential piece of the puzzle. Owers describes social license to operate as...

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...

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...

Langley, British Columbia – The NetJets U.S. Jumping Team challenged the rain to finish fifth in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup of Canada CSIO5*. Team Ireland finished in first place on a final score off five with Mexico taking the silver medal position on 13 faults, and Australia following in third on 22 faults. The team was led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, which saw Karl Cook, Ailish Cunniffe, Kent Farrington, and Hunter Holloway start second in the order of six...

Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifestyle. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian Elkton, Md. – At the conclusion of a historic week at Fair Hill, Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime became the 2021 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Champions. In the first-ever running of the Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L, it was Boyd Martin and On Cue wearing the tricolor after a nail-biting finish in Sunday’s jumping phase. USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship Kurt Martin (Marshall, Va.) and D.A. Lifetime, Debbie...

Hesperus, Colo. – The 2021 USEF/AVA Vaulting National Championships had an exciting weekend of the country’s top vaulting athletes competing September 18-19 in Hesperus, Colo. After a year’s hiatus due to qualifying disruptions caused by COVID-19, the vaulting community was ready to prove their mettle. In the 3* divisions, Tessa Divita won the USEF/AVA 3* Individual Female Vaulting National Championship while Geoffrey Woolson took top honors in the USEF/AVA 3* Individual Male...

Lexington, Ky. – Friday night brought a familiar scene to the Rolex Stadium as Boyd Martin (Unionville, Pa.) took a victory lap with On Cue, the 2006 Selle Francais mare he co-owns with Christine, Thomas, and Tommie Turner. The pair turned in a double clear jumping round to finish at the top of the podium in the USEF Advanced Horse Trials National Championship, held at the American Eventing Championships. “I was thrilled with On Cue,” said Martin. “She’s just...

The first day of the Individual Final competition at the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships, presented by USHJA, took the form of the Children’s Individual Final and the Pre-Junior Individual Final. After an exciting jump-off, Mexico took the top podium position in the Children’s Individual Final as Jimena Carrillo Watanabe donned the gold medal around her neck. In the Pre-Junior Individual Final, it was the United States’ Mia Albelo to ride away with...