Member News
Join us for the 2025 USEF Annual Meeting in Lexington, Ky- January 23-25, 2025. Register today!
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!
Chef

Mark Dial

Hometown: Aubrey, Texas Birthday: 8/6/1959 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

Mark Dial was appointed to the position of U.S. Endurance Team Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe in April of 2015. Dial was first active in the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), including his role as Vice-Chair of the AERC International Committee.


Team Leader

Kristen Brett

Hometown: Georgetown, Ky. Birthday: 5/27/1975 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

In 2008, Brett joined USEf as a Regulation Representative and moved into the Sport Department as an Assistant in 2013. Following the 2014 Alltech® FEI World Equestrian Games™, Kristen was promoted to Director of Dressage & Endurance Programs.


Competitor

Danielle Crouse

Hometown: White Post, VA Birthday: 4/1/1971 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

Danielle Crouse earned a top-five at the 2005 Pan American Games in Pinamar, Argentina, a team top-ten at the 1997 European Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy, and placed second at the 2017 FITS CEI3* with AM Mysterious Mopsa. In the last three years, she has successfully completed seven of the ten races she entered with a top-four placing and above.


Competitor

Gwen Hall

Hometown: Woodland Park, Colo. Birthday: 10/7/1966 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

Since 2013, Gwen and SizeDoesntMatter have completed 11 of the 13 races they have entered, always finishing in the top five. The combination placed first in the 2018 Fire Up Ridgecrest CEI2*, first in the 2017 Ft. Howes CEI2*, and first in the 2017 Lone Star Express CEI1*.


Competitor

Kelsey Russell

Hometown: Williston, Fla. Birthday: 10/23/1995 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

Kelsey Russell has competed in endurance riding on the international stage since her youth. In 2011, she won individual and team gold at the North American Youth Championships riding My Wild Irish Gold. The pair finished fifth at the 2013 FEI Endurance World Championship for Juniors and Young Riders in Tarbes, France, and went on to represent the U.S. on the senior team for the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy before earning a final NAYC double-gold result in 2015. In 2018, Russell was selected for the FEI World Equestrian Games team in Tryon, N.C., riding Fireman Gold. Russell has ridden Juno Im Gold, Valerie Kanavy’s 2015 Half-Arabian gelding, throughout his FEI endurance career beginning in 2021, and the pair have successfully completed every FEI ride they’ve contested. Russell and Juno Im Gold were named to the U.S. team for the 2024 FEI Endurance World Championship for Seniors.


Competitor

Rae Shumate-Tysor

Hometown: Cumming, Ga. Birthday: 11/22/1996 Sport/Disciplines: Endurance

Since 2013, Shumate-Tysor and DM Michaelangelo have 18 top-five finishes in races, as well as three wins in CEI1* and CEI2* races in 2018, and were second in the 2018 Broxton Bridge CEI3* race.