Competitive jumping grew out of foxhunting, which involved riding across open countryside and jumping ditches, banks, walls and fences—whatever stood in the way. Well into the 1960s and 1970s, that heritage remained plainly evident in the competition arena. For generations, most jumper and hunter horse shows in the United States were held on wide-open grass […]
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At a recent show, I noticed that many riders in the warm-up ring were paying more attention to their phones than to their horses. Smart phones have become an unavoidable part of modern life. Many people spend hours each day on their phones. Leaving aside the broader social and psychological impacts, there is one place […]
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Q: We are planning to rent a golf cart during an upcoming horse show in Florida. What are some things we need to keep in mind? Can my 14-year-old daughter drive the cart, even though she doesn’t have a driver’s license yet? A: UPDATE: There is a US Equestrian Federation rule about this very topic! Per […]
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The 2026 U.S. Equestrian Federation Annual Meeting, held in January in Louisville, Kentucky, included an excellent presentation from the Human and Equine Safety and Welfare Committee, chaired by Dr. Mark Hart. I was very impressed with the work the committee has done and continues to do to improve equipment safety standards. Let’s face it, riding […]
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Over the past few years, there has been an explosive proliferation in the number of FEI jumping shows in the United States, referred to as CSIs, the shortened form of Concours de Saut International. In 2025 alone, the U.S. is scheduled to host 109 CSI shows, with 84 of those holding competition at CSI3* level and […]
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I was delighted to hear that the horse welfare-focused town hall meeting hosted by the US Equestrian Federation in June in Lexington, Kentucky, included “open dialogue on concepts including potential rule and policy changes aimed at improving horse safety and well-being.” This was the first in a series of such meetings, and I applaud USEF for tackling this […]
Read more...Air vests have become a near-standard in eventing, but their use is steadily expanding across other equestrian disciplines — and that trend took center stage at the recent 2025 FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne. The Chronicle of the Horse columnist and legal expert Armand Leone praised the creation of a new working group tasked with […]
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As a member of the Fédération Equestre Internationale community, I try to constantly stay abreast of news and developments across the disciplines. The horse world seemed to be abuzz with important discussions at last month’s 2025 FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne, Switzerland, especially those concerning safety vests and horse welfare. I was heartened to hear […]
Read more...Do we need an equine SafeSport program? One writer for The Chronicle of the Horse thinks so. In a recent editorial on COTH, Armand Leone writes about the potential of a similar type of “SafeSport” program that could, in the end, become an advocacy voice for the horses who cannot speak for themselves when it […]
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We apply the adage that prevention is better than cure when it comes to keeping our human athletes safe by requiring all participants in U.S. Equestrian Federation competitions to complete SafeSport training. Our equine athletes deserve the same approach. Every participant in USEF-recognized competition must complete an online SafeSport training course annually. The courses are […]
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