The United States Equestrian Federation’s 2018 Annual Meeting, which ended Saturday, celebrated the achievements of equine and human athletes and provided reason for great optimism about equestrian sports’ future.

Themed “Bringing Joy, Embracing Change,” this year’s convention honored champions, delivered updates on key strategies and initiatives, hosted a number of popular educational forums, and welcomed lively open discussion on topics of interest to members and affiliate organizations.

US Equestrian President Murray Kessler’s upbeat progress report on the organization’s strategic plan was the Annual Meeting’s centerpiece, with good news that gave the audience of equestrians from around the nation a lot to feel excited about. 

“We want to be accountable for the things we say we’re going to do,” Kessler said. “At the end of the day, we have a 28% increase in membership, a $5 million revenue increase, and a whole lot more benefits and programs, and we’re having one of the winningest years that we have ever had internationally, with success across the disciplines and all levels.”

For a report on Kessler’s keynote address at the Jan. 17 General Session, click here. To watch the entire General Session, including Kessler's presentation and those by senior staff across US Equestrian’s departments, visit USEF Network.

The meeting’s prestigious USEF Pegasus Awards dinner on Jan. 19 saw Olympic show jumper McLain Ward receive the Robert P. Strub Trophy as the 2017 USEF Equestrian of the Year, while Joseph F. Dotoli was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award in Honor of Bill Steinkraus after more than 50 years of quality training and his legacy of educating young equestrians in all aspects of horsemanship. For a complete list of award recipients from the Pegasus Awards, click here. To watch the entire Pegasus Awards ceremony on demand, including a moving video tribute to Dotoli’s career, visit USEF Network.

The signature USEF Horse of the Year Awards on Jan. 20 was another highlight, bringing together hundreds of horsemen, -women, and youth equestrians to honor champions and reserve champions across all breeds and disciplines. The climax of the glittering night was the crowning of Double H Farm and François Mathy’s HH Azur as 2017’s International Horse of the Year and John and Stephanie Ingram LLC’s Cuba as 2017’s National Horse of the Year. Full details about those award are available here.

The Annual Meeting also brought together US Equestrian's 29 diverse breed and discipline affiliates for the annual Affiliate Roundtable. Based on feedback from the affiiate organizations, the collaborative meeting promoted idea-sharing on a number of issues, from membership to marketing to support for licensed officials and ways to improve communication between US Equestrian and affiliates. For a report from the Affiliate Roundtable, click here. 

The 2018 Annual Meeting’s educational opportunities were highlighted by a series of moderated forums on such topics as crisis communications with communications professional Sarah Hamilton, the SafeSport initiative with Malia Arrington of the U.S. Center for SafeSport, and a detailed discussion of a proposed Coach Register by US Equestrian’s Director of Sports Programs, Will Connell. Mark Bellissimo, the guiding force behind the FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018, also updated attendees on that event and the accompanying World Equine Expo.

The 2018 Annual Meeting opened on Jan. 16 with a new feature that was open to all: the Competition & Member Summit, which had a theme of “Facing Challenges Together” and covered competition calendar management, the cost of participating in equestrian sport and competition, show standards, and prize money and bonus money. 

Want to take advantage of all the joy, information, and education that US Equestrian’s Annual Meeting has to offer? Don’t miss next year’s Annual Meeting, which will take place in January 2019 at the Hilton West Palm Beach in West Palm Beach, Florida.

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