Leslie Potter

Editor, writer, and photographer based in the bluegrass state. www.lesliepotterphoto.com

Published Articles

US Equestrian •

Meet the Connemara Ponies at the Chewy Demonstration Ring at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by MARS Equestrian

While eventing competition heats up in the Rolex stadium at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by MARS EquestrianTM, there’s even more for horse fans to see just down the hill at the Chewy Demonstration & Exhibitions Ring. Over the years, the demo ring has featured countless breeds, disciplines, and other entertaining equine acts. Among this year’s lineup is a group of charming Connemara Ponies and their people representing the American Connemara Pony Society
US Equestrian •

It’s All About the Horse: What Does Horse Welfare Mean to Our Industry?

US Equestrian Annual Meeting attendees from across all breeds and disciplines reconvened on the morning of Friday, Jan. 24, 2025, to continue the previous day’s discussion about horse welfare in the equestrian world. Representatives from different segments of the industry shared some of the challenges and solutions they’ve seen from their community in an open session moderated by US Equestrian Chief of Sport David O’Connor.
US Equestrian •

Shock Wave Therapy for Equine Respiratory Health: New Research Shows Promise

Shock wave therapy is a noninvasive treatment used in human and veterinary medicine to relieve pain and improve healing in soft tissue injuries. It works by emitting high-energy sound waves to targeted areas, stimulating the body’s natural healing processes to reduce inflammation and increase bone and tissue formation. Horse owners and equine vets use shock wave therapy (also referred to as Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy, or ESWT) to treat horses of all breeds and disciplines for conditions i...
US Equestrian •

Arabian Horses Shine in Working Western Classes

Each October, hundreds of Arabian and Half-Arabian horses make the trip to Expo Square in Tulsa, Okla., for the Arabian Horse Association’s U.S. National Championship Horse Show. While handlers showcase their breathtaking halter entries in the Pavilion and stunning show horses light up the main ring, the scene is slightly different in the venue’s Mustang Arena. There you’ll see Arabians kicking up some dirt in the reining classes, executing ranch patterns or trail courses, and even working cattl...
US Equestrian •

Meet the Top Horses from the 2024 USEF Eventing Developing Horse Series

With the conclusion of the 2024 competition season, the standings of the USEF Eventing Developing Horse Series are now final. The series includes divisions for 6-year-old and 7-year-old horses, and the leaderboard is determined by the average of the horses’ two best finishing scores in CCIs at levels specified by age.

2024 7-Year-Old Developing Horse Series Leader: Cooley Corraghy Diamond

Bill and Roslyn Johnson’s 2017 Irish Sport Horse gelding, Cooley Corraghy Diamond (Di...
US Equestrian •

Maggie Keith Wins 2024 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final

Kansas City, Mo. – With expertly executed rail and pattern work, Maggie Keith (Louisville, Ky.) secured the 2024 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal champion title on Friday at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show. Keith rode her longtime partner, CH CH-EQ Reedann’s Heir to Glory (Supreme Heir x Glori-Phi), a 2004 American Saddlebred gelding owned by Rozes Equine LLC, to the top of the podium.

The victory was an emotional one for Keith, who has been riding “Reed” since 20...
US Equestrian •

U.S. Eventing Athletes Earned Experience and Success at the 2024 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Championships for Young Horses

To get a glimpse at the future of eventing, look toward Le Lion d’Angers, France, each October. The FEI World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses (WBFSH) Eventing World Championship for Young Horses was established in 2000 to spotlight the connection between good breeding and achievement in the sport. Qualified entries at the CCI2* level for 6-year-old horses and CCI3* for 7-year-old horses represent their countries and provide a preview of the next generation of high-performance equine athlete...
US Equestrian •

Lusitanos Perform in Prancing with the Stars to Benefit the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s

On April 13, 2024, Daniela Siberio will welcome the public to her farm, Lusitano Masters, in Loxahatchee, Fla., for an afternoon of dressage for a good cause. Prancing with the Stars of Dressage will raise funds for the 2024 Walk to End Alzheimer’s – Palm Beach. The centerpiece of the event will be freestyle dressage performed by Siberio and her Lusitanos, but there will be plenty of additional fun for everyone.
US Equestrian •

Looking Back at the 2023 Pan American Games with Anna Marek and Kerri Short

When U.S. dressage athlete Anna Marek returned from the 2023 Pan American Games in Santiago, Chile, she came home with valuable experience, a strengthened partnership with her horse Fire Fly, and some hardware—team gold and individual bronze.

“This was my first major championship experience,” said Marek. “I’ve been on two Nations Cup teams, but both were in Wellington, so the Pan Ams were the first major championship on a senior team that I’ve done.”
US Equestrian •

Coaching for the Team: How a U.S. Dressage Senior Team Member Coaches NAYC Athletes

Athletes and coaches who have been to the FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC) often point to the exposure to international team competition as one of the primary benefits of the experience. With limited opportunities for equestrian athletes in the western hemisphere to compete on a team before reaching the senior levels of the sport, NAYC serves as an important steppingstone for young athletes with international aspirations.
US Equestrian •

How Young Riders From the Benestar Ranch Fundraised Their Way to Grand National Dreams

At the 2023 International Friesian Horse Show Association (IFSHA) Grand National, there was a group of young riders who stood out. They could be seen competing in-hand and under saddle, supporting each other on the rail and sharing enthusiastic hugs in the warm-up ring after a successful class, even when they were competing against each other. None of these youth equestrians had competed at this level before, and their inspiring journey to the championship was the talk of the show.
US Equestrian •

Reflecting on the FEI World Cup™ Finals with Debbie McDonald

The 2023 FEI World Cup Finals are set to take place in Omaha, Neb., returning to the United States 20 years after the first-ever win by an American dressage athlete. In 2003, Debbie McDonald and Brentina, the 1991 Hanoverian mare owned by Parry and Peggy Thomas, earned the World Cup Final victory in Göteborg, Sweden. Two years later, they had another podium finish when they won third place at the 2005 FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nev., thanks in part to their electric musical freestyle per
US Equestrian •

Nations Cups and European Outings: How Jumping and Eventing Athletes Move Up the Development Pathway

For athletes with aspirations to compete at the elite level, there is a long path from competing at the national level to representing the U.S. at international championships. The USEF development pathways for each FEI discipline help bring promising athletes along each step of the way, ensuring the best chance at success.

In spring of 2022, developing teams in eventing and jumping both had important outings in Europe. On the jumping side, a team of young athletes competed at CSIO3* FEI Jumping
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