Lexington, Kentucky—US Equestrian has announced updates to the U.S. Dressage Pathway Programs for 2026, including updated program member lists for the USA Dressage Pre-Elite, Development, Emerging Young Horse and Youth athletes in the United States. These program lists are established based on competition results within the past 12 months and are supported by Christine Traurig, USEF Dressage Technical Advisor & Chef d’Equipe and Development and Young Horse Coach, Assistant Pathway Coaches Olivia LaGoy Weltz and Guenter Seidel, as well as USEF High Performance Pathway Advisor and Youth Coach George Williams. (The updated program lists can be found here.)
“We have worked very collaboratively with the athletes in our programs to identify objective performance targets, which continue to drive our training and competition preparation, while also focusing on individual goals for combinations to push for improvement and depth across our entire pathway,” Traurig said. “While some of the targets may seem bold, our coaching staff and the athletes agree we must hold ourselves to a realistic but high standard to ensure we meet the quality of performance on the field of play which will help us build momentum and success over the next three years. A podium finish at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games is always our north star and we feel confident we are moving the needle in the right direction to produce consistency and success on the road to LA.”
As part of the program review process, the USEF Dressage Program coaching staff and internal staff have been meeting regularly with combinations to discuss plans, projections and performance targets for the 2026 competition year and beyond. Outlined goals for 2026 include setting targets for a top finish in the FEI Dressage Nations Cup Wellington CDIO3*, securing placings inside of the top 10 at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Ft. Worth, Texas, as well as finishing inside the top six teams at the 2026 FEI Dressage World Championships. The programs will also focus on continuing to increase pipeline depth of established Grand Prix combinations through utilization of international Nations Cup opportunities.
To date, the USEF Dressage program has hosted six training/evaluation sessions for program members along with home visits and seven USEF Training Series opportunities open to all FEI levels in 2025. These opportunities will continue to expand in 2026 and be conducted by the USEF Dressage coaching staff with a calendar of events available on the USEF website no later than December 15, 2025. All sessions will be available by application on the USEF Athlete Dashboard.
Details regarding program goals have been provided in open forum athlete and owner meetings and in subsequent individual conversations with program athletes. Athletes interested in learning more about the USEF Dressage Programs can contact a member of the USEF Dressage coaching staff or the USEF Dressage Department at [email protected].
The USEF Dressage Pathway Programs are made possible in part through the generosity of Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm, whose support is instrumental in fostering the development of dressage talent in the United States.
The USEF International High Performance Programs and the USEF High Performance Pathway Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, the philanthropic partner to USEF. High Performance Program support is also provided by the USOPC and USEF sponsors and members.
