Last month, more than 300 of the country's top Hunter horses and riders took to the Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium for five days of competition with over $600,000 in prize money on the line. Tune in to hear from the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive and International Hunter Derby Champions as we recap all the action.
2024 marks 20 years of USHJA. As we reflect on two decades of helping to shape the equestrian landscape, we invite you to join us on our journey through our past, into our present and on to the future. Carly Anthony is the inaugural USHJA Emerging Athletes Program winner, topping the Nationals back in 2009. Now an accomplished professional in the world of Show Jumping, Carly gives back to the sport in a variety of ways, including as an active member of the EAP committee. Taking her advocacy for ...
Today's guest comes to us straight from the 2023 Marshall & Sterling Insurance/USHJA National Championships! We caught up with Allyn Marie Creel, a Junior rider who is a veteran at the Championships with a touching story, during a quiet moment in Vegas. Hear from her on how the week went and why the Championships are so special.
Britt McCormick is a judge, course designer, trainer and the newly elected President of USHJA. With years of sport governance experience and a degree in organizational leadership, Britt has served on the USHJA Board of Directors and Executive Committee as well as a variety of USHJA and USEF committees and task forces. After a 15-month transition period, Britt will take office at the conclusion of the 2024 USHJA Annual Meeting. Tune in as we chat about his passion for the sport and his vision for...
Archie Cox is a rider, trainer and judge based out of his own Brookway Stables in California. In the judges box, he holds his "R" Hunter and Equitation cards, notably judging the 2021 ASPCA Maclay Finals. As a trainer, he has guided numerous riders to top placings in the country's most popular equitation finals, including the USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic, presented by Emory and Henry College; ASPCA Maclay Finals; USEF Show Jumping Talent Search and USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final. Tune in...
We just wrapped up a week of top Hunter competition at the Kentucky Horse Park, where over $500,000 in prize money was awarded throughout our annual Platinum Performance/USHJA Hunter Championship Week. In this episode, instead of being joined by a guest, we are recapping the week's best moments and hearing from all of our newly crowned champions just moments after they were awarded their titles.
This month we are getting excited for a week of top Hunter competition during the 2023 Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships and Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship by chatting with a Hunter Week veteran, Nick Haness. The country's best Hunters will take to the Kentucky Horse Park on August 15-19 to compete for thousands of dollars in prize money and the championship titles. Catch all the action in person or stream both Championships from ...
As groom to U.S. Olympian Laura Kraut, Margo Thomas spends her days taking care of horses competing at the top of Show Jumping. Throughout her 10 years as a professional groom, she has had her hand in the Tokyo Olympics Team Silver and has cared for a string of top horses at competitions around the world. Join us as we chat about what it takes to be a head groom, her best tricks of the trade, why Confu is one of her favorite horses to care for and just HOW she keeps him so clean.
A longtime Hunter rider, Maya Schneider recently made the switch to the Jumper ring where she and her horse, Noble, were members of the winning 1.10/1.15m Adult Amateur Jumper team at the 2022 Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships in Saugerties. She's also an active participant in diversity, equity and inclusion efforts as a member of USHJA's DEI committee and a manager of the @blackequestrians Instagram account. Tune in as we chat all about her transition to Jumpers and her passion for in...
If Kylie Cohen doesn't hold the record for the most trips to USHJA's Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, she must be close! Kylie has put her equestrian knowledge to the test for years, attending Nationals seven times. When she isn't studying equine anatomy or first aid, she competes as an adult amateur in all three rings. Tune in today as we chat about her experience in the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge and why she finds horsemanship so important. The USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge and Adul...
From the saddle to the judge's booth, Joe Dotoli has an extensive history in the Hunter/Jumper sport. He has presided over show rings across the country; has had his hands in the makings of events and venues such as the New England Equitation Championships, HITS and Ox Ridge Hunt Club; and along with his wife Fran, is the trainer behind the beginnings of Olympic gold medalist Peter Wylde. Joe also has a strong passion for safety as chair of USHJA's Safety Committee. In the early 2000s, he spearh...
Shaq Blake is the author and rider behind The Black Equestrian , a blog chronicling her riding journey as an equestrian of color. Fueled by the Black Lives Matter movement, her writings on diversity in the equine industry have been featured in Elle, Noelle Floyd, and Heels Down Magazine. Her passion for increasing accessibility to horses for all riders led to her involvement with the Optimum Youth Equestrian Scholarship , which provides opportunities for youth from marginalized communities to be...
Welcome to the first episode of 2023! In this episode, we are joined by Ryder Richardson. Ryder is involved in and out of the saddle with the Hunter/Jumper sport. With USHJA, he is active on committees, was a Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals recipient in 2018 and received the USHJA Youth Leadership Award in 2021. In 2022, Richardson was awarded the USEF Youth Sportsman's Award after receiving nominations from USHJA and the American Connemara Pony Society. In addition to competing in the Jumper...
In this episode we are joined by Anne Sherwood, an adult amateur rider who topped the inaugural USHJA 3'3" Adult Jumping Seat Medal Final - West in September. After taking a break from riding and traveling the world as a photojournalist, Anne has returned to the ring with her sights set on Adult Equitation. Tune in to hear what brought her back to the sport; why she loves it now more than ever; and how she balances being a rider, a mother and a photographer.
In this episode, we are joined by Teagan DeJong. A Junior rider based in Canada, Teagan spends her time competing in the U.S. and in her home country. Most recently, she competed as the only Junior in the second annual USHJA Young Jumper Championships in Traverse City, Michigan, with Genesis Z. Affectionately known as Ramses, Teagan and the warmblood gelding finished fourth in the 5-Year-Old championship amid competitive company. Tune in to hear her why she chose to bring up a young horse and wh...
In this episode, we are joined by equestrian and Miss California USA 2021, Sabrina Lewis. Sabrina is an avid rider, having participated in the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program in 2017, captained her IHSA team at UC Berkeley, and recently took to the Jumper and Equitation rings at her first rated show. Outside the saddle, she trades her tall boots for heels and was crowned Miss California USA in 2021. Her passion for public service has led her to work with the Compton Junior Equestrians and Best B...
This month we are wrapping up four months of highlighting all things USHJA. June is Equitation month and we are celebrating with a replay of one of our most loved episodes with equitation superstar Ellie Ferrigno. Originally recorded in September of 2020, right after she took third in the 2020 USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic - East, Ellie was an expert in the equitation ring during her junior years and has continued her success on Auburn University's NCEA team and in all three rings as an...
This month we are celebrating Jumpers with Zoie Brogdon, a young rider who is making her mark on the sport in more ways than one. Zoie got her start in the horse world through the Compton Junior Equestrians and now has a few 1.10/1.15m national championships under her belt. In 2021, she topped Zones 9 and 10's Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships, claiming individual gold, and took reserve champion in the USEF/USHJA 1.10/1.15m Children's Jumper National Championship at the 2021 Marshall &...
Welcome back to USHJA On Course! This month we are celebrating all things Hunters with an episode featuring one of USHJA's latest champions, Geoffrey Hesslink. Geoffrey recently added another big win to his list of accomplishments in the Hunter ring when he won this year's $100,000 WCHR Peter Wetherill Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular. As a young professional, he has brought clients to great success in all three rings alongside his partner Brendan Williams and their co-founded Hesslink Williams LLC...
Enjoy meeting multi-disciplined equestrian, Lizzy Traband, in this month's episode! Lizzy has participated in everything from trick riding to para-dressage to the Hunter, Jumper and Equitation rings. She is a past recipient of multiple USHJA grants, including the $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education Scholarship and the now discontinued Making a Dream Grant; is also a two-time Emerging Athletes Program National Finalist; was USHJA's Nominee for the USEF Youth Sportsman Award; an...
We're back and kicking off a second season with two guests from a collaboration like we've never done before! USHJA has teamed up with inventive equestrian apparel brand Free Ride Equestrian for a limited edition co-branded collection featuring co-branded sun shirts with SPF 50 protection, breeches with four-way stretch, uni-sex vintage style tees and more. In addition, a donation of 12% of the gross sales from the collection will benefit USHJA programs. Shop the collection now at shopUSHJA.org/...
Wren Blae Zimmerman is a Jumper rider who has a unique story. Diagnosed with Stargardt’s Macular Dystrophy, Wren is legally blind but doesn't let that stop her from her riding goals. With no recognized para-equestrian discipline for Hunter/Jumpers, she competes against able-bodied riders on her mission to change the perception about what those that are blind and visually impaired are capable of. Hear from her about how she persevered in the saddle and how we can further the sport for others with...
Caitlin Creel is an amateur Jumper rider who used her voice to speak up about the rule change proposal put forward by the USHJA Joint Amateurs Task Force in late 2020. Caitlin's petition quickly caught the eye of Task Force members, fostering a pivotal conversation that helped lead to revaluation of the amateur rules as a whole. Now, Caitlin sits on the USEF Amateur Task Force with the purpose of reviewing the existing rules defining USEF amateur status. The future of the rules regarding amateur...
An advocate for giving back to the equestrian sport, Rob Jacobs is the founder of the Robert Lawrence House of Opportunity, has long been involved with the USHJA Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals, and sits on the USHJA's Diversity and Inclusion Advocacy Committee. He is also a rider and trainer, recently relocating to California as the assistant trainer for Archie Cox at Brookway Stables. In this episode, hear more from him about how he is changing to sport for the better in a variety of ways. ...
At just 13 years old, Campbell Hudkins had a pretty amazing 2020. After spending her time off during the COVID-19 pandemic fundraising for USHA's Feed Aid program, she won the EMO Insurance/USHJA 3'3" Jumping Seat Medal Final - East at the Capital Challenge Horse Show after rising 75 placings through three phases. She wrapped up the year as the recipient of the USHJA Youth Leadership Award for her philanthropic efforts and leadership in the sport. Join us as we chat about her successful year bot...
This episode's guest is Jane DaCosta, founder and executive director of the Metropolitan Equestrian Team. A longtime rider and passionate horsewoman, Jane founded MET in 2010 with the mission to provide aspiring athletes in grades 3-12 with the opportunity to participate in equestrian sport and educational opportunities, regardless of their socioeconomic status. In addition to running the non-profit organization, which is an official affiliate organization of the USHJA, Jane sits on the USHJA's ...
Caitlyn Shiels is the owner and head trainer of True North Stables, based out of Illinois and Florida. After her years of success a junior, including claiming gold at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships, Caitlyn is a seasoned competitor, now having competed in multiple USHJA International Hunter Derby Championships, WCHR events and more. We chat with her at the end of 2020 about being a professional in the industry and staying positive through life's setbacks. Thank you to Br...
In episode six of USHJA On Course we're joined by equestrian legend, Anne Kursinski. A five-time Olympian, author, clinician and international competitor, Anne has a passion for the sport unlike many. She is currently the Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Show Jumping Development program, as well as a longtime clinician of the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program and has mentored riders at the USHJA Gold Star Clinics. Her riding resume lists accomplishments from 1983 to present, including being a member of ...
We're back with episode five of USHJA On Course and Jacob Pope, a special guest who has become a bit of a posterchild for one of USHJA's esteemed education programs. Jacob put himself on the top of the industry's radar when he won the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program in 2011, carrying that momentum into the following years to top the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - East and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship in 2012 and help claim team gold at the 2015...
If you've watched any equitation finals in recent years, you've definitely heard Ellie Ferrigno's name. But she is a seasoned competitor in all three rings, having claimed the Overall Grand Championship in the 3’6’’ section of the 2019 USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – East Coast, the 2019 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East, and most recently taking third in the 2020 USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic - East, presented by Intermont Equestrian at Emor...
