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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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A Full Circle: How Texas Me LF Helped Kim Stevenson Find Her Way Back to the Sport She Never Stopped Loving

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | July 24, 2026

Kim Stevenson describes herself as a “horse crazy girl,” having been obsessed with them from an early age. Every Christmas, her favorite present was a renewed subscription to the Arabian Horse World magazine. She would tear out pages and cover her bedroom with photos of her favorite horses. Stevenson (left) and one of her sisters (right) | Photo provided by Kim Stevenson “Most girls my age had posters on their wall of popular music artists or celebrities on their

A First Time for Everything: Stella Fryer and Rock Hill

by Raelyn Baker/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | July 23, 2026

Stella Fryer was in the right place at the right time when Rock Hill walked into her life. “Rocky,” who was previously ridden by another junior in her barn, was up for sale, which presented Fryer with the opportunity of a lifetime. Having never ridden him before, she took to the derby field at Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma, Calif., for their first outing and returned home winner of the modified Hunt-and-Go Derby. With it being the middle of the show season, Fryer decided to lease

“He Was Not Bothered at All by Being at an Auction House”

by Debbie Elliot | July 17, 2026

When she visited a livestock auction in December 2019, Kristen Spendlove’s plan was to sell tack that was no longer used at the therapeutic riding center where she worked as an instructor. However, fate intervened in the form of an Appaloosa with kind, soft eyes sticking his head out of a stall waiting to be auctioned. Hamilton stood out at the auction; photo courtesy of Kristen Spendlove “He was so friendly and so inquisitive. He was not bothered at all by being at an auction

Building her Future in the Saddlebred Industry

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | July 14, 2026

Jacqueline Schatzberg has been immersed in the horse industry for as long as she can remember. As the daughter of top show photographers, Howard and Megan Schatzberg, horses have always been a central part of her life. Growing up ringside and behind the scenes at horse shows, it was only natural she would find her own place in the sport. Today, she is an active competitor within the Arabian, Morgan, Hackney, and Saddlebred communities, balancing a busy show schedule with a growing list of

Inside FAULTLESS: How a New Docuseries Aims to Bring Show Jumping to a Mainstream Audience

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

A new reality series is set to give show jumping the "Drive to Survive" treatment, and U.S. athletes are front and center. The series premiered officially on June 23, 2026, on Roku, with a global Amazon Prime rollout expected by early August. FAULTLESS, in partnership with ROLEX, follows the riders, horses, and behind-the-scenes operations of the show jumping world, filmed largely around Spruce Meadows' landmark 50th-anniversary season. The series is the brainchild of brothers Ben Asselin

A Place to Start: US Equestrian Releases Data on Hunter/Jumper Competition Frequency and Overuse

by Natalie Voss | July 13, 2026

If you’ve ever been at a horse show and recognized a horse in the ring as a frequent flyer in class after class, show after show, you may have wondered about whether that horse is OK. Are they competing too often, placing their physical or mental well-being at risk? For some time now, US Equestrian has heard concerns from members about whether horses and ponies are competing too frequently, particularly from hunter and jumper members. ©Devyn Trethewey/US Equestrian Although licensed

Interested in Becoming a Licensed Official? Here’s How to Get Started

by Kimberly Loushin | July 13, 2026

If you’ve ever attended a horse show thought, “Maybe I could do that,” after watching a judge, steward, technical delegate, or course designer perform their duties, but didn’t know where to start, this is for you. During a July webinar titled “ Becoming an Official: Steps to Success ,” Alina Brazzil, US Equestrian Director of Licensed Officials, outlined the steps involved in becoming licensed. The application process can be broken into five basic steps.

How It Works: Warning Cards and Yellow Cards

by Natalie Voss | July 13, 2026

If you’ve ever flagged down an official at a horse show to draw their attention to something that seemed off – a conversation between a horse and human that wasn’t going well, a loose dog, an equipment issue, or unsportsmanlike conduct – you may have wondered what that person could do with the information you provided. In April 2025, the US Equestrian board approved changes to the Warning Card System to give Judges, Stewards, and Technical Delegates more tools and

Training with a Purpose: How Kelly Kraegel is Developing the Next Generation of Top Horsemen

by Isabelle Whiteside/US Equestrian Communications Dept. | July 9, 2026

Kelly Kraegel grew up in Southern California with little connection to horses, her only exposure coming from a neighborhood pony ride that came through for photos. Today, she is a respected trainer and owner of Cottonwood Creek Ranch in Oklahoma City, instructing future horse lovers with a focus on Morgans and American Saddlebreds. Back to the Beginning For her seventh birthday, Kraegel received riding lessons at a local ranch, an experience that would ultimately shape her future career.

Taking a Closer Look at: SGLT2 Inhibitors

by Kimberly Loushin | July 2, 2026

Over the past three years, veterinarians have increased prescriptions of the SGLT2 inhibitors as they have been proven to be effective drugs for treating acute laminitis, a life-threatening condition in horses. These medications are used in horses who are actively experiencing or are at risk for developing laminitis due to insulin dysregulation or equine metabolic syndrome. As these medications are used more frequently, we are seeing positives show up more often during drug tests. In humans,

Operant Conditioning: Get to Know the Science Behind What You’re Doing in the Field

by Natalie Voss | July 2, 2026

You know by now that when you gently squeeze your horse’s side with your leg, they will move away, or that you may be able to entice a horse to walk towards a suspicious trailer ramp with the aid of a treat – but did you know that when you use these tools to change your horse’s behavior, you are using operant conditioning? You’ve likely heard of classical conditioning, which is a learning process made famous by Ivan Pavlov and his dog. Classical conditioning pairs a

Cooling the Threat: How Grayson-Funded Research Is Changing the Fight Against Laminitis

by Grayson Jockey Club | July 1, 2026

Few diagnoses strike fear into a horse owner's heart like laminitis. This painful and often devastating disease damages the sensitive tissues that connect the hoof wall to the underlying coffin bone. Laminitis not only threatens a horse's athletic career but remains one of the leading causes of premature death in horses, second only to colic. Laminitis can affect horses of all breeds and disciplines and generally falls into three categories: Endocrine-related laminitis , associated with