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Here you can find our archive of stories from Equestrian Weekly, our once-a-week look at affiliate news, international competition, amateur profiles, horse care tips, and more. You’ll also find stories from the USEF Insider, a twice-monthly email newsletter packed with features about USEF people and programs, including our drugs and medications program, regulations, and competitions departments.

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What’s Happening With That Rule? Reclassification of Dexamethasone

by Kimberly Loushin | October 26, 2026

At the end of September, rule change proposals were posted for comment on the US Equestrian website . One of those proposals is Tracking 023-26, which relates to the use of dexamethasone in USEF-licensed competition. Dexamethasone is a corticosteroid commonly used to relieve swelling, redness, itching, and allergic reactions in horses, and can be given intramuscularly, intravenously, or orally. Submitted by the USEF Veterinary Committee, this proposed change to GR410 would move dexamethasone

“His Kindness and Patience Has Allowed Me to Achieve What Once Felt Impossible”

by Sara Norris Kamerer | October 26, 2026

In the summer of 2022, almost a year after the devasting loss of my previous horse, I took a leap of faith. With the encouragement of my husband and the help of a trusted agent, I decided to import a horse I had never personally met. The day the trailer delivered him was the first time I had ever laid eyes on the big, black gelding that would change my life. One of the requirements for any new horse was that it was comfortable to sit on as I had been dealing with lower back and hip pain for

When a Healthy Foal Suddenly Becomes Critically Ill

by Grayson Jockey Club | October 26, 2026

For anyone who breeds or raises horses, few things are more frightening than watching a seemingly healthy foal suddenly struggle to breathe. That was what one breeder experienced, when their 3-month-old colt went from thriving to developing severe respiratory distress. A lung scan revealed Rhodococcus equi (R. equi) pneumonia, and within hours, the foal went from appearing healthy to requiring hospitalization and intensive care. R. equi can be particularly challenging because the infection may

No Tail, No Problem: Meet Courtney Sendak and Where's My Tail

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 20, 2026

When it comes to her horse, Courtney Sendak knows the first question she’ll get before anyone asks it. Sendak and Where's My Tail competing at the Morven Park CCI3*, part of the USEF Eventing National Championship League. (©US Equestrian) Sendak’s horse, Where's My Tail, a 2011 Thoroughbred mare (Double Honor x Crafty Prospector) owned by Krysta Paradis, known in the barn as "Detail," was born with a large portion of her coccygeal vertebrae missing, which gives her an

Ann Judge Has Spent Nearly 30 Years Introducing Horses to 76,000 Fans

by Kimberly Loushin | October 15, 2026

As more than 76,000 fans settle into their seats at Mile High Stadium for a Denver Broncos home game, there’s one tradition that’s a must before play can commence. Minutes before kickoff, the in-stadium announcer loudly proclaims, “Here comes ...Thunder,” cuing a gray horse to gallop down a chute and onto the field ahead of the Denver players. And for every Denver touchdown, Thunder and his rider take a tour of the field in celebration. Since his first appearance in

What’s the Role of USEF’s Breed/Discipline Committees?

by Kimberly Loushin | October 15, 2026

If you’ve ever scrolled through the list of US Equestrian committees you may have noticed a large chunk of them are dedicated to each of the 29 breeds and disciplines recognized by USEF. These committees focus on the breed or discipline they represent and work to create the best possible environment for those members and their horses. There are 17 national breed and discipline committees and each of them will be repopulated on March 1, 2027. These committees are made up of seven to 15

Jessica Thoma and The Horses That Kept Her Going

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 14, 2026

Eight years ago, Jessica Thoma lost three limbs and nearly her life following a rare diagnosis. But she found para dressage, and an Andalusian named Manny carried her to a reserve championship at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions this summer. Thoma and Imantado GOM competing at the 2026 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions (©US Equestrian) "Without horses, I would not be here," she said Thoma grew up in a western riding family in Crossville, Tenn. As a teenager, she discovered

No Stranger to Hard Work: Kaitlyn Linck and Her "One in a Million" Horse Don Touch de Tiji Z

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 11, 2026

In the early morning hours at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, most athletes and spectators are still asleep. For Kaitlyn Linck, however, it’s the perfect time to spend a few quiet hours with her horse, Don Touch de Tiji Z. Linck (Clinton Corners, N.Y.) competed with Don Touch de Tiji Z, her own 2016 Zangersheide gelding (Don’t Touch Tiji Hero x Viva La Vida Hero Z) in the 2026 USEF/Valencia Saddlery Hunter Seat Medal Final. ©Natalie Suto Photography | Photo provided by

With Horses, Lucienne Belissimo Feels the Most Like Herself

by Danielle Henson/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 11, 2026

Lucienne Bellissimo's earliest riding memory is of a Shetland pony with a strap around its middle, which was there because the children aboard were too small for saddles. She was one or two years old. Born in England's New Forest, where a breed of pony named for the region roams the land, she grew up backing and breaking young ponies, a childhood she describes as "a little bit like the Wild West, but in England." Her mother rode and was involved in racing, so horses were simply the air

Move Over Peanuts: There’s a New Charlie Brown in Town and He’s Taking the Horse World by Storm

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | October 2, 2026

Charlie Brown is a loveable and deeply determined main character who first appeared in the newspaper during the 1950s in a comic strip titled, “Peanuts.” The 8-year-old boy became known for his endless adventures with friends Woodstock and Snoopy, and eventually inspired a television series, “The Charlie Brown and Snoopy Show” and many tv specials. The name Charlie Brown is familiar to millions of Americans, but in the equestrian world, it belongs to a different kind of

The Norwegian Horses You Have Never Heard Of

by Debbie Elliot | September 29, 2026

We have all heard of Norwegian Fjords, with their distinctive dun coloring and two-tone mane, but few of us are as familiar with the Norwegian Dole Horse. Dole stallion Snippen; photo courtesy of The Norwegian Stables Also known as the Dole Gudbrandsdal or Dølahest, the Dole originated in the Gudbrandsdal region of Norway and are thought to be descendants of Friesians. They were used as workhorses doing agricultural work or hauling timber for hundreds of years, but as the need for such

University of Miami’s Concussion Research Could Be a Game Changer for Equestrians

by Kimberly Loushin | September 28, 2026

When show jumper Lauren Hayes learned the University of Miami’s Acquired Neurosensory Disorder and Treatment Lab was doing research on equestrians and concussions earlier this year, she was quick to sign up. The lab, which has worked with the Department of Defense and the National Football League, was working to gather data on equestrians with and without a history of concussion to determine a normative value, or baseline, for equestrians. With that value, they could better diagnose and