Filtered by category: News & Events Clear Filter

US Equestrian's 2019 Annual Meeting: The Take-Home Points

 

Entering the third year of the Strategic Plan, US Equestrian President Murray Kessler told Annual Meeting attendees that equestrian sport’s national governing body has much to celebrate and more to accomplish

US Equestrian members gathered in sunny West Palm Beach, Fla., in January for the organization’s Annual Meeting, where President Murray Kessler had good news to report and paid glowing tributes to US Equestrian’s many members and volunteers.

The meeting’s theme, “Members Make it Happen,” seemed especially appropriate at a time when U.S. equestrians are still basking in a season of outstanding results, including 12 medals (three of them gold) at last fall’s FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018. But Kessler pointed out that, in addition to the unprecedented sporting accomplishments the U.S. achieved last year, US Equestrian members—including active competitors, volunteers, licensed officials, and fans—are “making it happen” in many crucial ways, both in competition and behind the scenes.

During his keynote presentation at the meeting’s General Session, Kessler noted that the membership has grown dramatically since US Equestrian implemented its ambitious Strategic Plan in 2017. Kessler reported that membership has jumped by 35% since the plan’s launch and by 76% since 2016, for a total of more than 144,000.

That’s powered growth in other important areas, too. Revenues have climbed, rising eight percent, while the organization’s reserves are up 16% since the Strategic Plan’s implementation. Sponsorship, too, continues to expand; the 12 sponsors added in 2018 bring the total number of partners and sponsors to 69.

Kessler described the Strategic Plan’s five-step “virtuous circle” that has led to this growth, and he detailed key developments and accomplishments for each step in 2018:

Step 1: Improve Core Processes and Capabilities











Read More

Riding the Rails, Western Dressage Style

By Cindy Butler

If I wanted to ride in Western Pleasure, I wouldn’t be at a Western Dressage show! So, why have rail classes here? Well, there are lots of reasons. First, Western Dressage rail classes offer an opportunity for riders to introduce their horses to the arena in the comfort of a group setting before having to enter alone. Western Dressage promotes a leveled training system beginning with small steps and moving up a challenge at a time. Therefore, the rail classes are included for you to use as part of your training process. The rail classes offered in Western Dressage focus on different goals than Western Pleasure. Let’s look at Western Dressage’s rail classes one at a time and keep in mind that you can substitute saddle gait for jog anytime when considering gaited horses as all these classes can be offered for gaited horses:

Read More

Breyerfest 2019

Because of my love for the western horse, along with traditional dressage, I knew western dressage was made for me. In my years of classical dressage, part of my training was devoted to produce a more willing western equine partner.

In 2010 I purchased Truly Unsurpassed (“Calico”) with the idea that one day we would participate and grow in western dressage as a team. I never dreamed that Truly Unsurpassed would live up to her name. When I made the decision to start this new journey together in western dressage, I made a plan, and within three years, we earned top honors in the WDAA shows, performing from Basic level all the way to level 4, the highest level for western dressage. During WDAA World Championships in 2016–2018, we earned several World Championship awards. In 2017, Truly Unsurpassed earned her first USEF National Horse of the Year in level 2, followed by 2018 USEF National Horse of The Year in level 3.

Read More