Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the formation of a US Saddle Seat Equitation Young Rider Team in 2013. The purpose of this team is to develop riders for future US Saddle Seat World Cup competitions. During years that the Saddle Seat World Cup competition is not held, members of the Young Rider Team will be eligible to represent the United States in other international competitions. The USEF is currently seeking twelve young equestrians, five...

Lexington, KY - A modification to the Veterinary Regulations was approved at the 2011 FEI General Assembly held in Buenos Aires. Beginning January 1, 2013, all horses newly-registered with the FEI must be microchipped. (2012 FEI Article 1011.1.2.3). The microchip must be compatible with ISO 11784 and ISO 11785, and all microchip information must be entered in the horse's passport and reported to the USEF. This requirement applies to initial FEI registration only. The standard microchip...

Suzy Stafford at the 2011 FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies. (Marie de Ronde) Lexington, KY - Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, DE) represented the U.S. at the 2011 FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies in Lipica, Slovenia held September 21-25, 2011. She drove her Morgan-Arabian Cross mare Josephine to an impressive finish in the cones phase and was awarded the Bronze medal in the Singles Pony Championship. Stafford has been notified by the FEI that the Swedish single...

Elkton, MD - The Dansko Fair Hill International CCI once again boasts top quality fields in both two- and three-star competition. The annual fall championship, running October 18-21, is always a fixture of the eventing calendar and will again crown USEF National Two- and Three-Star Eventing Champions. USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship A total of 34 horses were presented and accepted without incident at the First Horse Inspection Wednesday and 30 of those are in the running for the...

Jenny Taylor and the 2012 World Champion Park Saddle, PLS High Pine Picasso (© Stephen Kinney/AMHA) Oklahoma City, OK - David and Cindy Vogels had a lot to celebrate Sunday evening when their homebred AMHF I've Got A Secret won both the World Champion Senior Gelding and World Champion Gelding honors with trainer Robert Kellert. The two-year-old FRF Supreme Judge was the World Champion Junior Gelding with John Hufferd showing for Fire Run Farm. In a switch, the World Champion Junior Mare,...

Nina Montross and Caprifol. (Al Cook.) Despite a two-month layoff from riding, Nina Montross of Bedford, NY, and Caprifol impressively captured the $10,000 North American League Children's Jumper Finals at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Tuesday. The talented 14-year-old high school freshman was on an equestrian hiatus in order to attend Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. "I was nervous because I had not ridden in two months," said Montross. "But I was really excited...

Madison Goetzmann and Sirius Black . (Al Cook) Madison Goetzmann, of Skaneateles, NY, piloted Sirius Black, owned by Christina Gellos, to victory in the $10,000 North American League Children's Hunter Finals at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Monday. Lily Blavin of Scottsdale, AZ, and Pringle were the Reserve Champions. The competition was fierce. Goetzmann was worried about Blavin, who came to the NAL Finals as the year-end division leader. "I was thinking ever before...

The seventeenth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last weekend we attended the second Western Dressage classes held here in the Inland Northwest. We rode the NAWD tests through Level 4. The tests are wonderful and the dressage spectators were very interested in how the WD tests are both similar and different from the USEF tests ridden in the USDF shows. The judge was super and even though the day was very long for her, very positive about the work saying "I enjoyed judging...

Nick Maupin is a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin majoring in Business Marketing and plans to graduate in 2015. From Sussex, Wisconsin, he is on the five-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. It would not surprise any member of the Saddle Seat world to hear me say that the discipline is generally, along with Saddle Seat Equitation, a female dominated sport. Quite possibly the only time one will see a male majority in a class is in the Open divisions. Not...

Victory in the final leg at Boekelo (NED) clinched the overall win for Germany in the first FEI Nations Cup Eventing (left to right): Michael Jung, Bettina Hoy, Julia Krajewski and Ingrid Klimke with Chef d'Equipe Hans Melzer (Jon Stroud/FEI) The German team produced yet another first-rate performance to win at Boekelo (NED), the final leg of the inaugural FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, and rounded off what has been an outstanding year for the country’s senior riders with a comfortable...