Letter from the President

Dear USEF Members,

Equestrians are lifelong learners and teachers by nature. That’s what we do every time we take a lesson, attend a clinic, debrief after a show: we’re learning. Even something as simple as holding a horse or watching horses play in a paddock will help you learn something about them, their personalities, and their body language.

That commitment to learn and the sharing of knowledge are part of what makes the equestrian community so great. Here are US equestrian, we’re committed to those principles, too, through interactive panels like our webinars, our online Learning Center, our licensed officials program, and more. The pages of this magazine are a good example of that commitment to sharing knowledge, too.

In this issue, you’ll find opportunities to learn about other breeds and disciplines. As the eventing world gears up for the prestigious CCI5*-L Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS Equestrian, we introduce readers to some basics of this sport that is often described as an “equine triathlon”—and point you to resources like the United States Eventing Association to help you and your horse get involved. In Juniors’ Ring, you can explore one of the Paso Fino community’s standout events for riders aged four to 24, the biennial Youth Mundial, an international competition that takes place this year in Cali, Colombia. And in our Pro Tip section, you can learn from some of dressage’s top coaches as they offer tips from the Robert Dover USEF Horsemastership Clinic that took place earlier this year in Florida.

We also tackle two important topics relating to health and safety—barn fire prevention and biosecurity—and break down steps you can take to protect your horse. For our feature on barn fire prevention, we got expert insight from the National Fire Protection Association and Markel Speciality Commercial, a leader in insurance, to offer advice on protecting life and property both from common fire hazards in the barn to external threats like wildfires. Representatives from Big Ass Fans also offer advice on fan safety in a barn setting.

A recent outbreak of equine herpesvirus 1, or EHV-1, in California, has reminded many of the importance of good biosecurity in preventing disease transmission. In this issue’s Learning Center, we detail some of US Equestrian’s excellent information on that topic, including our video “Biosecurity Measure for Horses at Home and at Competitions,” USEF’s guide to biosecurity best practices, a biosecurity toolkit for equine events, and more.

This issue’s information-packed stories reflect another wonderful truth about the equestrian community: we have accomplished teachers, skilled athletes, and subject matter experts with deep knowledge all around us, eager to share valuable teachings that can help us be better riders, driver, vaulters, trainers, coaches, and more. We can learn so much from each other, and it starts with taking a pause and listening to each other and to our varying experiences. Great equestrians come from a variety of places and backgrounds, and whether they ride Western or coach hunter seat, whether they host large clinics or quietly offer a word of advice or encouragement to a fellow equestrian at the barn, they are teachers worth listening to.

In 2020, we launched a new column called I Am US Equestrian for just that purpose, to share personal perspectives from throughout the equestrian community. In this issue, we hand the mic to young jumper rider Zoie Brogdon, a Black equestrian who got her start in jumping in the Compton Jr. Posse Youth Equestrian Program in California. These days, she’s racking up top scores in the jumper ring, but she says her riding is about much more than a score or a ribbon. “Mastering horse riding is about mastering self-discipline, non-verbal communication, leadership, and mutual respect for others,” she writes. “It’s about finding commonalities and bridging the gap between differences to accomplish things together. I compete to win, but I do this sport for what I win inside.” Her words remind us how much we have to learn, not only from the horse, but from the equestrians around us, and I know they will ring true to all of us.