Good morning! We hope you’ve been enjoying our refreshed News & Notes this week. We’ll be keeping our weekend Links on the shorter side as they have been, but we’ll be back with you on Monday with more in-depth news.
One thing of note, however, is the announcement last month of the World Class Grooming Career Development Grant, geared towards aspiring professional grooms who desire more educational opportunities and hands-on experience. The Grant was established by the Aiken Horse Park Foundation and will benefit from private donations as well as proceeds from the Aiken Equine Educational Series, presented by Shapley’s. You can find more information on the series here.
Applications have not yet been released, but you can keep an eye on World Class Grooming on social media for more details (and we’ll be sure to share them here when they’re available).
Tack should not be a distraction. Finding the right fitting equipment is a top priority — an investment, to be sure — if nothing else for the comfort and welfare of your horse. Spoiler alert! It doesn’t always have to be the newest, most customized saddle in the world. Used or like new options do exist. You can find help fitting your horse with the right set-up from World Equestrian Brands, which employs a team of saddle fitters well-versed in solving the saddle puzzle. Get to know World Equestrian Brands more here.
Video Break
Take a trip to Dorset and catch up with William Fox-Pitt:
Happy Friday! We’re kicking off with a quick look at the updated flag rule, per the FEI’s 2026 rule changes. We’ll have a deeper breakdown for you soon, but here’s the overfiew.
One Big Thing: FEI Trims the Flag Tax
Allison Springer and No May Moon, very much earning a clear trip between the flags at Stable View. Photo by Shelby Allen.
That pesky flag penalty that has caused plenty of controversy in its lifetime has just gotten *slightly* less pesky. Instead of 15 penalties, missed flags will now cost 9 penalties.
The criteria for assessing the flag penalty remains the same, as follows (FEI Eventing Rules Art 549.2): A Horse is considered to have missed a flag when the point of a shoulder fails to pass between the extremities of the obstacle as flagged. The head and neck must pass inside the extremities of the obstacle as flagged. If a flag is dislodged, the hindquarters must jump the height of the solid part of the obstacle.
Zooming out: 15 penalties is margin risky enough to lose out on a win or a team placing. We’ve seen controversial flag calls at nearly every major event, including the Paris Olympics. Lowering the penalty to 9 is still a margin any rider would prefer to do without. It will also be interesting to compare the number of flag penalties assessed in the coming years with the previous period.
You can view the full rule changes for 2026 (and videos explaining them) here.
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new feature: mini-classifieds! If you have something to sell or promote, consider this your space to get right in front of an audience within your target market. Listings cost just $5, or you can purchase 3-5 days of mentions here in News & Notes at a bulk discount.
Please note: horses for sale MUST be listed on our partner site, Sport Horse Nation. We will not accept horse listings here, but we can feature your Sport Horse Nation listing! This space should be used for promoting events, fundraisers, clinics, job openings, tack sales and other events.
Have questions? Email [email protected]. If you want to purchase your listing, click here.
You may also see some links from our sponsors and partners in this section, but they’ll always be labeled as sponsored if applicable.
Our first batch of listings will launch next Monday — be sure to get them in if you want to be included in our early runs!
Sponsor Corner: Stable View
Photo by Christine Quinn Photography.
Stable View’s Aiken Opener H.T. is approaching next weekend, and we’ve got all the early info you need. With Mogie Bearden-Muller building the cross-country questions and Michel Vaillencourt on show jumping, you’ll get a perfect season kick-off out of the weekend.
Stable View also understands that “family weekend” is part of the sport, so don’t miss Graze & Gaze, which features complimentary beverages and hors d’oeuvres for competitors and families Friday + Saturday, 5–7pm in Ollie’s Inn. (Friday’s Graze & Gaze is sponsored by Pony Policy)
Not able to make it out for this one? Check out Stable View’s full calendar of recognized and unrecognized opportunities here.
When was the last time you checked the evenness of your stirrup leathers? You might be surprised at what you find next time you do. Lucinda Green explains more:
Go Eventing
Play “this or that” with European champion Laura Collett:
Happy Thursday to you — here’s a quick update to catch you up on the news of the day:
One Big Thing: Goodbye (Too Soon) to Colleen Loach’s Vermont
Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Canadian Olympian Colleen Loach shared the sad news yesterday that Vermont (owned by Peter Barry), a 4* horse Colleen produced for an international eventing career that spanned over six years and nearly 30 FEI competitions. “Monty” first caught Colleen’s eye as a 4-year-old, and though he would grow to be a towering 18.2 hands (which made for some great humor when you saw Colleen with both FE Golden Eye, who’s much smaller, and Vermont at a show — see below!), his heart was just as big. When Vermont was 10, he was named to the Canadian squad heading for FEI World Championships in 2022, but sustained a minor injury that sidelined him from competing. Nonetheless, he became a stalwart in Colleen’s string, and while we hadn’t seen him out eventing for awhile he was always a presence we missed at the shows.
“Dear Monty, you were the wind beneath my wings on so many occasions,” Colleen wrote in a post on social media yesterday. “You could be difficult at times but you remained the most enjoyable horse to ride every day. I’m so sorry that you were taken away far too soon … but you will live on the memories of those of us who loved and cared for you, those of us who were fortunate enough to be part of your shining circle. Rest in peace.”
Vermont was just 14 at the time of his passing, and while the circumstances have not been shared publicly, it’s no less difficult to lose a horse at any time but especially far too soon. We’re sending all of our love to Colleen, Peter and the team that cared for and loved Monty from day one.
Enjoy a few more photos from Colleen and Vermont’s partnership:
Colleen
Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Colleen Loach celebrates a clear round with Vermont. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Abby Powell.
Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Colleen Loach and Vermont. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
Priority booking is open for Badminton Horse Trials tickets – here’s everything you need to know for 2026
— Everything you need to get those MARS Badminton tickets secured for this May
Mini Classifieds
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new feature: mini-classifieds! If you have something to sell or promote, consider this your space to get right in front of an audience within your target market. Listings cost just $5, or you can purchase 3-5 days of mentions here in News & Notes at a bulk discount.
Please note: horses for sale MUST be listed on our partner site, Sport Horse Nation. We will not accept horse listings here, but we can feature your Sport Horse Nation listing! This space should be used for promoting events, fundraisers, clinics, job openings, tack sales and other events.
Have questions? Email [email protected]. If you want to purchase your listing, click here.
You may also see some links from our sponsors and partners in this section, but they’ll always be labeled as sponsored if applicable.
Our first batch of listings will launch next Monday — be sure to get them in if you want to be included in our early runs!
Training Tip of the Day
Elisa Wallace is currently working with a new mustang, and we found this vlog to be full of education — even if you’re not working with a mustang:
Go Eventing
Not sure the end of school break gets any better than this…
Good morning, EN! Here’s the latest from the wide world of eventing.
One Big Thing
Photo by Atalya Boytner Photography.
We’ve been closely monitoring the developing story over at the MARS Maryland 5 Star, which saw several members of the leadership team, including CEO Jeff Newman, depart suddenly last month. On the heels of those departures also came news that Terry Hasseltine — the executive director of the Maryland Sports Commission (which, for context, was the organization that launched the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (“Sport Corp.”), which would encompass the operational arm of the Maryland 5 Star) — was dismissed from his role after 17 years.
What does this mean for the future of the Maryland 5 Star? At this point, we don’t know. A deeper dive into budgetary and financial public documentation indicate that funding, earmarked for a total of $2.5 million out of the Major Sports and Entertainment Event Fund, was recommended to be cut from the event by analysts ahead of fiscal year 2026. Arguments were made to continue the funding for the event, but at this juncture the final allocation of funds for all sporting events involved with this Fund has not been made. We anticipate a final decision on this in the next few weeks or months.
Zooming out: It feels too early to PANIC, but the future of the event, at least for 2026, is certainly held in question with all of these developments. We aren’t going to go too far down the speculation path just yet, because that’s not productive, but it’s certainly safe to say that the loss of the Maryland 5 Star would have ripple effects across the entire sport and not just at the CCI5* level. For this year’s event, it’s safe to say that without an operating entity currently in place in the wake of these developments, crucial planning and infrastructure steps have the potential to fall behind if new leadership is not installed soon. Now, Maryland Sports Commission and Maryland Stadium Authority (yes, there are a lot of “commissions” and “authorities” in the mix here — it’s not at all confusing, lol) have gone on record to say that there is interest and some form of commitment to ensuring the 5 Star’s future, but there’s much still to sort out in terms of the final outcome.
Most recently this week, The Equiery, a Maryland-based publication of the Maryland Horse Council, which first broke the story of these staffing changes, submitted a request via the Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) for documentation concerning the dismissal of Terry Hasseltine. They’ve been on the case with more updates that you can find on their website here.
We’re working on a larger story for this, so thanks for your patience while we see how this unfolds and do our research.
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new feature: mini-classifieds! If you have something to sell or promote, consider this your space to get right in front of an audience within your target market. Listings cost just $5, or you can purchase 3-5 days of mentions here in News & Notes at a bulk discount.
Please note: horses for sale MUST be listed on our partner site, Sport Horse Nation. We will not accept horse listings here, but we can feature your Sport Horse Nation listing! This space should be used for promoting events, fundraisers, clinics, job openings, tack sales and other events.
Have questions? Email [email protected]. If you want to purchase your listing, click here.
You may also see some links from our sponsors and partners in this section, but they’ll always be labeled as sponsored if applicable.
Our first batch of listings will launch next Monday — be sure to get them in if you want to be included in our early runs!
Training Tip of the Day
Brush up on your basic polework with British 5* rider Alex Bragg:
Go Eventing
Photo via Andrea McAllister (Roberts!) and Katrina Fidanz Photo on Facebook.
Congratulations to Canadian rider Waylon Roberts and Andrea McAllister, who tied the knot in a small ceremony in Aiken, SC on December 30!
Good morning, EN! Here’s a look at what’s happening in the horse world. Today’s News & Notes is supported by our friends at Kentucky Performance Products. You can learn more about them below in Sponsor Corner! Also, your brand, too, could receive weekly exposure just like this by sponsoring a day of News & Notes! We’ve got some special pricing available to kick off 2026, so drop us a line at [email protected] if you’re curious.
One Big Thing: GMHA just bought the hayfield and put a name on the future
Green Mountain Horse Association’s (GMHA) newly secured 35-acre parcel in Woodstock, VT now officially has a proper storybook title: Bee’s Fields, named for Lady Florence Manton (“Bee” to her family), one of the founders of the Manton Foundation.
If you’ve followed GMHA the last few seasons, you know this place has been through it. In July 2023, two major storms hammered Vermont, damaging large parts of the facility, and not long after, GMHA made the painful call to cancel the 2023 Festival of Eventing to protect horse and rider safety.
The deal was made possible in large part thanks to the Manton Foundation as well as community and private donations. GMHA says that in 2024, as part of a $1 million grant, the Foundation pledged to match donations up to $500,000, which would be a challenge that would help double community contributions and move the land purchase from “dream” to “done.”
Now, Bee’s Fields gives GMHA the space (and the control) to move forward with a permitted flood mitigation plan — work they say still needs significant funding to finish.
By the way, if the Manton Foundation sounds familiar, you’re not crazy. This Foundation also recently contributed a $250,000 matching grant (not the first time they’ve done this) to the USEA Foundation in support of frangible technology.
The next chapter is the hard (and, as always, expensive) part: GMHA says it still needs to raise $750,000 to complete the flood mitigation work that will help protect the grounds for the next century.
Zooming out: The land availability in our sport is a very real and impactful issue. Multiple factors exist to throw a property off its anchors: weather, loss of funding, sales, retirements, the list goes on. GMHA provides a home not only to three recognized Horse Trials each year but also to competitions and events across all riding disciplines. Venues like these can’t exist on thin air, and they’re important to keep around — especially in areas like Vermont and the upper East coast, where events are harder to come by than their southern counterparts.
You can read more from GHMA on this update here. To support this campaign, click here.
If there’s one thing horses love, it’s keeping us humble. Especially when “easy keeping” turns into wait, why are we gaining weight just by looking at hay? If you’re managing those bigger-picture concerns and trying to keep your horse feeling good from the inside out, it’s worth having a conversation with your vet about targeted support.
Why Choose InsulinWise?
Metabolic dysregulation is characterized by weight gain and unhealthy insulin levels that can lead to unsoundness. Maintaining normal metabolic function and sustaining healthy weight through dietary supplementation will support normal insulin levels and healthy laminae structure in the foot.
InsulinWise:
Maintains normal metabolic function and healthy insulin levels.
Supports a healthy body weight and normal fat distribution.
Sustains healthy laminae within the hoof.
InsulinWise is available only through a licensed veterinarian. Contact your vet for an ordering code today.
When health issues arise, always seek the advice of a licensed veterinarian who can help you choose the correct course of action for your horse. Supplements are intended to maintain healthy systems and support recovery and healing. They are not intended to treat or cure illness or injury.
Mini-Classifieds
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new feature: mini-classifieds! If you have something to sell or promote, consider this your space to get right in front of an audience within your target market. Listings cost just $5, or you can purchase 3-5 days of mentions here in News & Notes at a bulk discount.
Please note: horses for sale MUST be listed on our partner site, Sport Horse Nation. We will not accept horse listings here, but we can feature your Sport Horse Nation listing! This space should be used for promoting events, fundraisers, clinics, job openings, tack sales and other events.
Have questions? Email [email protected]. If you want to purchase your listing, click here.
You may also see some links from our sponsors and partners in this section, but they’ll always be labeled as sponsored if applicable.
Our first batch of listings will launch next Monday — be sure to get them in if you want to be included in our early runs!
Training Tip of the Day
Tik Maynard knows a thing or two about communicating with horses, even in high-stress or potentially high-stress situations. Take trailer loading for example. For some horses, it’s no big deal. For others, for one reason or another, it’s a big challenge. If you struggle with this, or if you just want to save some advice should you need it, here’s a quick tip from Tik:
Go Eventing
Just some absolutely gorgeous hunt shots for your enjoyment:
Hello, Eventing Nation! We’re excited to be back with our Weekend Winners, as we kick of the “spring” season with Sporting Days! While the weather might still require heated vests and warm coffee 24/7, we’re officially into the 2026 season – welcome!
We’re recapping our weekend at Sporting Days. Congrats to all of our Weekend Winners, with a special shout out to the winner of our Unofficial Low Score Award, Lily Barlow and Gravitas, who won the Open Novice at Sporting Days on a 20.3!
Sporting Days January I H.T. (SC): [Website][Scores]
Open Preliminary: Ryan Wood and Cooley Maestro (32.4)
Open Training: Ryan Wood and Fighting Fellow (32.3)
Training Rider: Gabriella Esquivel and If (32.8)
Novice Rider: Megan Cavanaugh and Life On Top (28.3)
Open Novice: Lily Barlow and Gravitas (20.3)
Beginner Novice Rider: Telana Kabisch and Dylano Q (23.5)
Open Beginner Novice: Cole Horn and HSH Juniper (24.1)
Starter: Joa Sigsbee and Excel Star Hollyrock (27.4)
Lynn Symansky and Bounce 6. Photo by Shannon Brinkman Photography.
We’re back! After giving our team some time for respite over the holidays, we’re ready to kick off 2026 and we’re starting with a refreshed News & Notes to start your day. We’ve taken a look at how we can improve our daily news round-up, so we’ll give you a quick guide through the updates as you scroll through today’s edition. If you have feedback for us, please don’t hesitate to send it over to [email protected]. We’re also happy to link or run press releases and other news, so make sure we’re on your distribution list ([email protected]).
One Big Thing
Each day, we’ll kick off with one “main” story — this could be a piece of news, a developing story, a preview of a competition coming up, or just about anything else! For today’s purposes, we’ll stick with guiding you through our updated News & Notes.
We’d also love your help shaping our content for 2026 and beyond as we align our coverage and stories with our values as a platform. Your thoughts in this brief EN Community Survey would be appreciated (and we’re sweetening the deal with a chance to win a $50 Smart Equine gift card!).
Weekend Results
You’ll be familiar with this section already; on Mondays, we’ll provide links to results from U.S. events and major international events around the world. Throughout the week, this section will update with opening/closing dates, links for events happening over the weekend, etc.
In this section, we’ll drop in some relevant reading, article links and other bits and bobs from around the industry that might pique your interest or keep you in the loop.
Horse Welfare: Perceptions, PR and Provocations — Does the institutionalization of horses excuse poor welfare and management practices? A group of equestrian thought leaders explores this topic in the latest episode of the This Equestrian Life podcast
Mini-Classifieds
We’re kicking off 2026 with a new feature: mini-classifieds! If you have something to sell or promote, consider this your space to get right in front of an audience within your target market. Listings cost just $5, or you can purchase 3-5 days of mentions here in News & Notes at a bulk discount.
Please note: horses for sale MUST be listed on our partner site, Sport Horse Nation. We will not accept horse listings here, but we can feature your Sport Horse Nation listing! This space should be used for promoting events, fundraisers, clinics, job openings, tack sales and other events.
Have questions? Email [email protected]. If you want to purchase your listing, click here.
You may also see some links from our sponsors and partners in this section, but they’ll always be labeled as sponsored if applicable.
Training Tip of the Day
Are your canter transitions falling apart (or, let’s face it, sometimes nonexistant?) Dressage pro Amelia Newcomb is here to help:
Go Eventing Moment of the Day
To close out our daily News & Notes, we’ll either have a shout-out from social media or an entertaining video to send you on your way with! If you’ve got a moment to share, tip us by emailing [email protected] or using #goeventing on your publicly viewable social media post.
Today’s Go Eventing Moment comes to us via German Olympic superstar Michael Jung, who’s been living his best life on social media this winter, so be sure to go and give him a follow on Instagram here.
Lea Siegl and Van Helsing P. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
We’re ramping back up to full ops here at EN starting tomorrow, and with that you’ll see just a few different things this week, including a refreshed News & Notes each morning and a new Community Survey, which will help us shape the content we bring you in 2026 and beyond. Stay tuned for more, and as always thank you for being a part of our community.
We hope your new year has gotten off to a positive start! This is your reminder to stop and smell the roses (or the icy cold air, if you’re like Jessica Phoenix!) and enjoy this calm before the year kicks off in earnest.
Saddle shopping can feel like speed-dating with your wallet watching from the corner. World Equestrian Brands cuts through the noise with a refreshingly simple approach: let the horse be the decider. Their team of professional saddle fitters brings 300+ years of combined experience and has worked with 10,000+ horses — and they’re not there to shove you into a saddle that “kinda-sorta” works. If they can’t fit your horse, they’ll tell you straight (and not sell you something that doesn’t suit). You can also find Amerigo and Selleria Equipe dealers/fitters listings and request a fitting right from their site here.
Horses and the equestrian lifestyle certainly had their moment in 2025, and the trend doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Our friends at marketing agency Equerry / Co have tracked the appearances of horses in “mainstream” marketing and the results are pretty impressive. Tap through the carousel above to learn more.
Look back on a great year of all things horses (and beyond) at Stable View in Aiken, SC, and be sure to check out the full slate of upcoming events for 2026 here.
