Search
Become a Member
Member News
Join us for the 2025 USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky- January 23-25, 2025. Register today!
View
US Equestrian offices will be closed December 24th through January 1st as our staff members take time off to celebrate the Holidays. We wish you and your family a wonderful holiday season!
  1. Home
  2. Equestrian Weekly

Equestrian Weekly

The all new Equestrian Weekly newsletter showcases the best of US Equestrian, including new Learning Center videos, the USEF Network schedule, and original articles. Equestrian Weekly keeps members informed about affiliate news, international competitions, information on rule changes, membership updates, special member offers, and more.

Subscribe to Equestrian Weekly and receive a FREE US Equestrian Fan Membership!

Sign Up

Ringbone 101

by Ashley Swift | Oct 26, 2020, 3:00 PM EST

Ringbone is a disease that does not discriminate; horses of all breeds, ages, and functions can be at risk. An arthritic, degenerative disease of the pastern and coffin joints, ringbone comes in two types. High ringbone affects the pastern, and low ringbone affects the coffin. Similar to arthritis in people, ringbone develops in our equine counterparts from causes such as injury, infection, and normal wear and tear. There are also developmental factors to be aware of, including bone cysts and...

NIGHTWATCH® Smart Halter™: Because You Can't Always Be There

by US Equestrian | Oct 20, 2020, 12:37 PM EST

The NIGHTWATCH® smart halter™ noninvasively monitors a horse’s heart rate, respiration, and activity and is capable of alerting caretakers to early signs of distress. Photo: Courtesy of Protequus® Jeffrey Schab has lived every horse owner’s nightmare twice, once when he lost his first horse to an immune disorder and more recently in 2013, when his husband’s American Saddlebred succumbed to colic. “It was like, ‘Oh, my God, we love our animals and we...

A Passion for Horses Leads to Painting Works of Art

by Kathleen Landwehr | Oct 6, 2020, 9:00 AM EST

Burgess works on one of her paintings in her studio (Courtesy of Suzie Burgess) Suzie Burgess has loved horses for as long as she can remember and always appreciated their beauty. As an artist, she was able to unite her passion for horses and art in the form of large oil-on-canvas paintings. Burgess admires the diverse people who love horses and how these amazing animals touch people’s lives. As a child, Burgess did whatever she could to be around horses. “It was always in my blood....

Paso Finos Keep This 80-Year-Old Amateur Rider in the Competition Ring

by Ashley Swift | Sep 22, 2020, 6:31 PM EST

Dick Miller, the Paso Fino Horse Association’s newest Hall of Fame inductee, was first introduced to the Paso Fino breed in the 1980s when he saw a sign on Interstate 80 in Nebraska advertising the “SMOOTHEST RIDING HORSE IN THE WORLD.” Nearly 40 years later, Miller (Fort Myers, Fla.) is not only still riding, but is also competing at top horse shows around the country, thanks to these unique horses and the tight-knit community of people who love them. Though he grew up riding...

Hoof Help: Thrush

by Glenye Cain Oakford | Sep 21, 2020, 1:00 PM EST

It’s a scenario every horse owner dreads: a runny, black, foul-smelling discharge around the frog area of a horse or pony’s hoof sole. That’s the classic sign of thrush, a bacterial infection that involves the frog, including the grooves on either side of it and the cleft between the heel bulbs. “It can affect any part of the frog, but that’s where we see it the most, right where the owner would be using the hoof pick along the sides of the frog and along that...

Talent Search Finals Champion Perspectives with Emma Reichow and Ellie Ferrigno

by Kathleen Landwehr | Sep 17, 2020, 11:30 AM EST

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals serve as an excellent stepping stone for junior athletes looking to further their riding careers. The 2019 Finals champions learned much from their experiences and feel they are better prepared to reach their goals. Emma Reichow and Ellie Ferrigno topped the West and East leaderboards, respectively, and shared a look back at the 2019 Finals. 2019 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals-West with Emma Reichow...

Maplewood Warmbloods Delivers Quality U.S.-Bred Horses at 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions and Beyond

by Kathleen Landwehr | Sep 1, 2020, 3:01 PM EST

Maplewood Warmbloods' horses had top results at the 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions, such as MW Ave Maria (right with Lindsey Holleger) (Taylor Pence/US Equestrian) Many of the country’s top U.S. dressage horse breeders set their sights on the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions each year. The Markel/USEF Young Horse and Developing Horse Dressage National Championships held at Festival provide an excellent opportunity to showcase horses who are carefully produced to be...

Behind the Lens with the Schatzbergs

by Ashley Swift | Aug 24, 2020, 2:08 PM EST

Three generations of Schatzberg family photographers (left to right): Casey McBride. Jack Schatzberg, and Howie Schatzberg. photo: Courtesy of the Schatzberg Family Photography is more popular than ever, with numerous photo sharing and editing apps just a tap away on our phones. But for photographer Howie Schatzberg and his nephew, fellow photographer Casey McBride, professional horse show photography is a family tradition. Howie and Casey grew up in the business learning from the late Jack...

Lily of Chincoteague Provides a Splash of Color at 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions

by Kathleen Landwehr | Aug 22, 2020, 8:17 PM EST

Lots of cute ponies have been on display at the 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions. Lily of Chincoteague is an eye-catching 16-year-old Welsh Chincoteague Pony cross mare, and she has an interesting story to match her lovely pinto color. Paydan McLaughlin pats Lily of Chincoteague after their test (Tayler Bicandi/US Equestrian) Fifteen-year-old Paydan McLaughlin of Greenfield, Rhode Island, found an excellent partner in Lily of Chincoteague, known as Lil or Squish in the barn. Paydan has...

Catching Up with the 2019 Pan American Games U.S. Dressage Team

by Kathleen Landwehr | Aug 21, 2020, 6:56 PM EST

It has been one year since the U.S. Dressage Team won the team silver medal at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru. Three of the four individuals named to the team are competing at the 2020 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions: Nora Batchelder, Sarah Lockman, and Endel Ots. US Equestrian asked them to take a look back at the Pan American Games and share how those experiences have affected their plans for the future. Sarah Lockman Sarah Lockman and First Apple at the 2019 Pan American Games...