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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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Lessons from Horsemanship for Life, Career, and Resilience

by Katey Duffey | March 26, 2019

“It is easy to conquer the world from the back of a horse” ~ Genghis (Chinggis) Khan Ask someone who their favorite teacher is, and their response will probably be a human. For me, horses have fulfilled the role of invaluable mentors. Horses teach us responsibility and to prioritize taking care of what’s Katey Duffey and Max. "Max was part of the major milestones of my life, teaching me to push beyond my limits and try new things," Duffey said. Photo: Courtesy of Katey Duffey

Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center Unveils Hidden Potential as USEF/USPEA Para Dressage Center of Excellence

by Dana Riddlemoser, US Equestrian Communications Department | March 19, 2019

Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee, Fla. Photo: Dana Riddlemoser Susan Guinan’s first introduction to para dressage came unexpectedly one day in 2011. United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) President Hope Hand pulled up to the Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center looking for a facility to host the U.S. Para Dressage Team as they prepared to qualify for the London 2012 Paralympics. Vinceremos welcomed them wholeheartedly, and this situation laid the groundwork

First Batch of Coaches Participate in Inaugural Para Dressage Fast-Track Program

by Dana Riddlemoser | March 12, 2019

Participants in the first USEF Para Dressage Coach Certificate Fast-Track Program. Photo: Jean Pierre Hourdebaigt According to US Equestrian Para Dressage Technical Advisor and Head of Coach Development Michel Assouline, a coach has two students: one is themselves. This was obvious for the 11 coaches who participated in the first USEF Para Dressage Coach Certificate Fast-Track Program on March 3-4 at Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center in Loxahatchee, Fla. Vinceremos is a United States

An Insider's View: Licensed Officials Share Advice and Thoughts

by Margaret Buranen | January 29, 2019

What are licensed officials at equestrian competitions really thinking? We asked four to share their wisdom on a range of topics: tips for competitors, insights into the challenges of officiating, and more. Photo: Andrea Evans/US Equestrian Danny Robertshaw, Lisa Gorretta, Donna Pettry-Smith, and Cindy Mugnier all graciously agreed to discuss their work in different areas of equine sport. The joy of competing in their respective disciplines, and the desire to give back to those disciplines or

US Equestrian Members are Making it Happen

by Glenye Cain Oakford | January 10, 2019

All around the country, US Equestrian members are having a positive impact on horse sports and breeds, as well as on their communities. They’re teaching lessons, launching youth and amateur programs, volunteering at competitions, serving on their breeds’ boards and committees, and much more. At US Equestrian’s 2019 Annual Meeting, we caught up with three members who described how their organizations are introducing people to the equestrian life and building

Warrior Horses Raise Spirits and Funds to Treat Pediatric Cancer

by Glenye Cain Oakford | December 25, 2018

Ryan Melendez knows a lot about the comfort and strength people derive from their connection with horses. Ryan Melendez (right) with a Warrior Kid meeting her Warrior Horse (Courtesy of Warrior Horses) Ryan, the son of judge and trainer Bill Melendez and rider Kristal Raiger, grew up riding and showing Arabian horses . After he was diagnosed with Very High Risk Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2015 at age 17, the younger Melendez found that the equestrians and horses in his life supported him

Double the Joy: Caudill Finds Success in both Dressage and Western Dressage

by Glenye Cain Oakford | December 18, 2018

For Andrea Caudill, the road to better horsemanship so far has wound through four disciplines. Caudill, who grew up in Rochester, Minn., started riding in an English saddle at age seven. By age 14, after she got her first horse and joined 4-H, she had switched to Western tack and later competed in reining . Since moving to Amarillo, Texas, where she works as an editor for the American Quarter Horse Association’s AQHA Media, Caudill has shown to a high level in both dressage and Western

All Ears: Caring for Your Horse’s Ears

by Margaret Buranen | December 4, 2018

Mother Nature designed horses’ ears to be pretty much self-cleaning. She worked on the principle of preventing a problem, rather than correcting it. “In most situations, the normal amount of hair a horse has in its ears keeps debris out and the ears stay clean,” explained Dr. Nimet Browne of Hagyard Equine Medical Institute , in Lexington, Ky. Photo: AdobeStock/Mark But if you do clean your horse’s ears, Browne recommends doing it “not more often than once a week.

Maggie Hill: Multi-Disciplinary Approach Paying Off

by Glenye Cain Oakford | November 20, 2018

Maggie Hill on O'Ryan at the 2018 Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. Photo: Brenda Carpenter Photography Maggie Hill is only 16, but she’s already got a wealth of experience with several different disciplines. Hill recently took the reserve championship in the Pennsylvania National Horse Show’s large junior hunter, 15 and under, section aboard Stella Styslinger’s Cassanto. Her other successes this year also included a championship in the Devon Horse Show and Country

Integrating a New Horse into a Herd

by Margaret Buranen | November 13, 2018

Good biosecurity protocols are key when a new horse arrives. Photo: AdobeStock/Rita Kochmarjova When a new horse joins your barn, he also joins your herd of horses. As he finds a place in your heart, he also finds his place in the herd. Your new horse’s connection with the other horses begins before he steps out of the trailer at his new home. Thinking of that relationship focuses your attention where it should be first: on the health of all of the horses. “Be sure the new horse is

Horseshoe Greetings Lives the Equestrian Life

by Glenye Cain Oakford | October 30, 2018

When the staff at Horseshoe Greetings need inspiration for the company’s equestrian line of greeting cards, all they have to do is step outside the office. Horseshoe Greetings, the equestrian branch of the corporate greeting company Wall Street Greetings, is based at a historic farm in Versailles, Ky., that company founders Laura and Tim Members of the Horseshoe Greetings staff, with Jefferson the Welsh pony and Brussels the retired hunter. Photo: Moon Ko Voss own. Among the

A Passion for Dressage

by Glenye Cain Oakford | October 23, 2018

Jenaya Olsen, a 14-year-old dressage rider from Naples, Fla., is one of the youngest equestrians to earn a United States Dressage Federation gold medal by achieving four scores of 60% or higher—two at Intermediate and two at Grand Prix level—at USEF-licensed/USDF-recognized competitions, achieved when she was 13. She credits her mom—dressage rider and coach Nicole Olsen—and coach Franziska Seidl in Ocala, Fla., with helping her achieve her gold medal. We caught up with