United States Dressage Federation Official Page

03/27/2025

The 2024 Yearbook issue of USDF Connection magazine is now available on the USDF website. Was your horse or accomplishment featured this year? Let us know in the comments!

https://www.usdf.org/publications/

03/21/2025

Registration is open for demo riders and horses for the upcoming USDF Sport Horse Prospect Development Forum with focused sessions for Young Professionals. It will be held June 28-29, 2025 at Hilltop Farm, Inc. in Colora, MD, and will feature Michael Bragdell and Lehua Custer.

Registration for auditors opens April 1!

Learn more and apply here: https://www.usdf.org/education/other-programs/sport-horse-seminars/forum.asp

Photo by Mary Cornelius Photography

03/19/2025

Wine, art, some cheeses, and friendships. What do they have in common? They all get better with time – just like the Senior Superstars we’re celebrating on throughout the month of March!

We recently asked our social media followers to help us celebrate the Vintage Cup and Masters Challenge-aged riders, and those aging gracefully as they guide the next generations of dressage riders across the country by sharing a photo for a chance to be featured. Check out some of these equestrians and their dance partners in our first gallery of their photos here: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/12/better-with-age/

Want to get involved in Senior Superstars Month? Post a photo of you with a favorite horse or dressage moment below, & let us know a little about your story for your chance to be featured in an upcoming gallery. We will also be looking for stories from senior riders who would like to share about their journeys in our sport.

03/19/2025

Excitement is building around the 2025 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, and for good reason! Some big changes are in store for the 2025 installment of this already premier mainstay event. From the new venue, to earlier dates, to the expanded nomination window, check out everything you need to know about this year’s ‘Centerline of Champions’ competition: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/11/us-dressage-finals-presented-by-adequan-2025-edition/

Photo by Susan J Stickle Equestrian Photography LLC

03/18/2025

World Record Breakers 🌏✨

Congratulations to Paralympic gold medalist Fiona Howard and Diamond Dunes for setting a new world record, earning 83.267% in the FEI Grade II Grand Prix Freestyle at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival 9 CPEDI3*!

📸 Susan J Stickle Equestrian Photography LLC

03/17/2025

Hurry! 🔔 There is still time to register for the upcoming USDF Virtual Education Series Session: “Circles, Circles, Circles, Why Always Circles?” This is a FREE education session that will be presented by Gwen Ka’awaloa (USEF ‘S’ Judge and Certified Instructor through 4th Level) and Sarah Geikie (USEF ‘S’ Judge, FEI Level 3 Judge, and Certified Instructor through 4th Level) on March 19 at 8:00PM EST.

The session will discuss the process of following the Pyramid of Training as you develop your skills and decide whether it is time for you to ride in a dressage test. The presenters will dive into the importance of correct geometry in classical training, and how the training is the most important part of competing in dressage. Education credit is automatically applied to USDF members who attend the virtual sessions!

You can register at: https://www.usdf.org/education/university/virtual-education-series.asp Don’t miss out on this great educational opportunity!

Illustration by JL Werner

03/17/2025

USDF is hiring! We currently have openings for full-time positions as an Accounts Receivable Coordinator and an Education Administrative Coordinator. Get more information about joining our team here: https://www.usdf.org/about/about-usdf/careers.asp

These positions are not remote and applicants must be able to commute to the office located in Lexington, KY to be considered for employment.

03/17/2025

Many riders believe success hinges on external factors—like buying an expensive warmblood from Europe or working with a top trainer. However, research reveals a different truth: the key to progress lies within us.

In a recent Dressage Progress Survey, adult amateur Sally O’Dwyer asked dressage riders to answer questions about their path to progress and roadblocks they experience.

Some striking statistics emerged from approximately 100 respondents. Check out what’s frustrating other riders, the power of goal-setting and mindset, and some great techniques to improve your successes in and out of the ring here: https://yourdressage.org/2025/02/24/and-the-survey-says/

You can stay connected with other Adult Amateurs by joining Dressage Amateurs Rise, an online community started by Sally for support, encouragement, tips, and education for dressage riders.

03/14/2025

During the Challenge of the America's benefit show USAs Para Dressage Team was recognized for their team gold medal victory at the Paris Paralympics 👏👏. Obi-Wan joined Fluffy Yoda in the festivities 😜

03/14/2025

In this new series, filmed at the 2024 Adequan®/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference, we focus on going ‘back to basics’. Video topics will work their way up the Pyramid of Training through Rhythm, Suppleness, Contact, Impulsion, Straightness, and finally to Collection. In this week’s featured video, we focus on Contact Back to Front. Watch it here: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/03/back-to-basics-contact/

This Trainers Conference featured Sven Rothenberger and Sabine Schut-Kery Dressage, and was hosted at High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, Florida. You can find more valuable videos from this series on YourDressage.org

In this new series, filmed at the 2024 Adequan®/USDF FEI-Level Trainers Conference, we focus on going back to basics.

03/13/2025

New webinar scheduled for the USDF Book Club! Join us Tuesday, April 15 at 8:00PM EST for our discussion of Build a Better Athlete by Leslie Webb. The author will be our guest on the webinar. You can register here: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_OpDVgFzgRp6GKFUd1Pvn5Q

Members are encouraged to email questions to [email protected] to be asked during the meeting, live Q&A will be offered, and we’d love to get feedback from members who are trying out the exercises in the book during their own rides. You can learn more about the USDF Book Club here: https://www.usdf.org/education/book-club.asp

03/12/2025

Imagine that it’s show day! It should be a fantastic and exciting day. But…there aren’t enough scribes which is causing major delays in ride times, there are no ring stewards to inform riders where to go, and confusion is thick across the showgrounds. All the hard work that you and your horse put in for show day results in an anxious and chaotic trip to the ring.

Who are the heroes that can save the day? Volunteers! In this GMO Newsletter Award honorable mention article from the South Carolina Dressage and Combined Training Association (SCDCTA), take a look at the role you can take to prevent ‘horse show doomsday’: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/06/a-world-without-horse-shows/

03/10/2025

Registration is now open for the upcoming Dressage Development Seminar hosted by USDF. Join co-clinicians Sarah Martin & Bill McMullin in Williston, Florida for this educational event that is sure to help you set yourself up for success this show season, whether you’ll be in the saddle or cheering on your student or horse from ringside.

This seminar, focusing on Teaching, will be held March 24-25, 2025. Open to amateurs & professionals, these events are a great pathway to further your dressage knowledge with practical, interesting, & engaging experiences.

You can learn more about these seminars, as well as keep track of other upcoming education opportunities through USDF, here: https://www.usdf.org/education/instructor-trainer/

Ready to join us, as a participant or auditor? Register here: https://www.usdf.org/online-services/applications/certified-instructor.asp

Photo courtesy of Christine Engel, Connecticut Dressage Association (CDA), & Weatogue Stables, which hosted USDF Dressage Development Seminars last summer. Curious to learn more about what these events are like? Check out this great write-up from Mary Moon about how valuable USDF Region 8 members found these seminars here:
https://yourdressage.org/2024/08/22/usdf-instructor-trainer-development-seminar-on-riding-and-training/

03/10/2025

We are celebrating the Marvelous Morgan as our April Breed of the Month on ! Post a photo of your favorite Morgan or Morgan cross in the comments below, and tell us a little about them, for your chance to be featured in an upcoming gallery on YourDressage! We will also be looking for stories from folks who love this breed.

Dressage riders who choose a member of this versatile breed as their mounts are eligible for special awards through the Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds Awards program, as the American Morgan Horse Association is a participating organization!

Pictured: Moana Irish Mist (Flower of Alliance x EMR Starlight - Iron Forge Starman; Sally Radtke-Anderson, breeder); Margaret Notley, owner; Sally Anderson, rider; 2024 Fourth Level Open Champion; Margaret Notley photo

Tag a Morgan enthusiast who needs to share their horse!

03/09/2025

When the potential is there…it just needs fostering! A horse-crazy USDF Region 2 youth rider was thrilled when her family’s green-broke 3-year-old didn’t attract a buyer – the pair had clicked back when he was a tiny weanling, and she wanted to keep him. In the years that followed, he blossomed into a perfect partner, helping his young rider overcome her nervousness in the saddle. Read about their adventures: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/05/takoda-not-a-friend-to-all-but-a-friend-to-me/

Photo by Zero Gravity Photography

03/07/2025

At USDF, we love finding stories from the dressage community to share on our American Horse Publications award-winning website, YourDressage.org. In 2024, we were thrilled to share some amazing stories throughout the year, from unique breed features, event coverage ranging from the Olympics to the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, and inspiring stories of resilience and hope. We asked around the office, and USDF staff members wanted to share their favorite stories from the year with you!
Check out our staff picks here: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/03/staff-picks-our-favorite-2024-stories/

What was your favorite story on in 2024? Let us know in the comments below. ⤵️

03/07/2025

How would you like to go ringside for a clinic with champion international rider Gareth Hughes? Now you can! In this feature on , check out a full recap from his clinic at the New England Dressage Association (NEDA)’s Annual Symposium sponsored by Absorbine®. Go in-depth about how horses learn, building confidence, training tips, daily workout systems, stretching, dressage movements, and much more in this story: https://yourdressage.org/2025/03/04/gareth-hughes-coaches-riders-at-2024-absorbine-neda-symposium/. NEDA