By Jayna Pellett
From Wednesday, December 3, to Saturday, December 6, 2025, USDF proudly hosted the 2025 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention at the Hyatt Regency Hotel and Central Bank Center – four days of business, education, and fun!
Located in the heart of downtown Lexington, Kentucky, the hotel and Central Bank Center are bordered by the scenery of Triangle Park (which, at the time of the event, featured an ice skating rink!), renowned restaurants, local shopping, and historical sites, such as the childhood home of Mary Todd Lincoln (President Abraham Lincoln’s wife).
Back in the convention center, USDF members – from those in governance, to dressage fans wanting to learn more – gathered to analyze and debate the hottest topics in dressage, stay informed on changes to rules and regulations, attend uniquely curated education sessions, and, of course, connect with longtime friends from across the country!
Here, we share the top-most trending topics and takeaways from the event.
Directing Our Focus to Horse Welfare
On Wednesday, Lisa Gorretta, Jean Kraus, and other invited guests engaged in a workshop to help USEF Dressage Licensed Officials better navigate their “workspace” with a heightened sensitivity for the sport’s social license to operate (SLO; defined as the ongoing acceptance of a company’s practices by employees, stakeholders, and the public). In the past decade, dressage and horse sports as a whole have received increased pressure from the public to revisit horse welfare standards; something USDF is committed to prioritizing through these types of workshops.
“Are we, as equestrians, demonstrating that dressage is a collaborative partnership between the rider and the equine athlete?” USDF President Kevin Reinig asked in his report to the USDF Board of Governors Meeting on Friday. “Not only to our fellow dressage enthusiasts, but to those who don’t know anything about the sport, who come and see us in action. It is important that we demonstrate this positive collaborative partnership. Education is the key.”
To ensure the welfare of our horses and to combat abuse, being able to recognize mistreatment and have a “see something, say something” mindset will be paramount for all participants. Whether you are at home or competing, learn how to identify mistreatment and what to do about it in the following article from the July/August 2025 issue of USDF Connection: “I Think I’ve Seen a Horse Being Mistreated. What Should I Do?”
Business and Transparency at the USDF Board of Governors Meeting
Roll call! On Friday and Saturday, the USDF Board of Governors (BOG) – made up of the elected Executive Board (EB), Participating Member (PM) Delegates, and Group Member (GM) Delegates – met for the BOG General Assembly. A huge part of being a nonprofit organization is being fully transparent in everything we do, from financials and governance, to changes for the future; the BOG meeting offers USDF a place to do just that.
USDF President Kevin Reinig kicked off the meeting with a report on his inaugural year as president of the organization. In one of his first lines of business, Kevin and the rest of the EB sat down to analyze USDF’s strategic business plan and identify pieces still relevant to the future of our organization, as well as expand some of those objectives to represent para dressage, prioritize horse welfare, and evaluate the convention format itself.
GMO Recognitions
Kevin also recognized a number of USDF Group Membership Organizations (GMOs) that celebrated exceptional anniversaries in 2025:
Celebrating 50 years…
- Arredondo Dressage Society
- Dallas Dressage Club
- Southern Eventing & Dressage Association
- Tucson Dressage Club
- Western New York Dressage Association
Celebrating 25 years…
Congratulations to these GMOs on reaching these incredible milestones, and thank you for your dedication to our beloved sport!
Following Kevin, Stephan Hienzsch, Executive Director, took the stage to report on important events in 2026, including the 2026 convention. To promote long-term financial stability, the 2026 convention will again be held in Lexington, with a shortened agenda from December 3 to December 5, 2026, offering the organization time to evaluate the future of the event. But don’t worry; Stephan assured that the core activities of the convention will remain on the schedule.
2026 USDF Executive Board Elected
One of the most important (and exciting!) pieces of business that takes place during the BOG General Assembly is the election of new EB members. This year, elections were held for the positions of vice president, secretary, and regional directors for odd-numbered regions (1, 3, 5, 7, and 9).
Debra Reinhardt, outgoing secretary, ran unopposed to replace Lisa Gorretta as vice president, and former Region 7 Director Carol Tice, also unopposed, ran to secure the vacated secretary seat.
Bettina Longaker, Heather Petersen, Regina Antonioli, and Bess Bruton, incumbent regional directors from Regions 1, 5, 7, and 9, also ran unopposed and were re-elected by acclamation. In an exciting battle for the Region 3 Director position, original nominees Stephany Fish Crossman and Lisa El-Ramy faced off against Caren Caverly, a floor nomination, with Caverly clinching the victory and taking over for Charlotte Trentleman, outgoing Region 3 Director.
USDF extends our sincerest thanks to all of the nominees, outgoing, incoming, and continuing members of the Executive Board for your insurmountable dedication to our organization. We are excited for what’s to come in 2026 under your leadership!
Learning, Learning, and Even More Learning!
A large portion of the Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention agenda is dedicated to educational seminars and assemblies tailored to various demographics, giving members the opportunity to ask questions and learn directly from experts on the topic at hand. Lectures featured subjects such as emergency preparedness, endocrine disorders, degenerative joint disease, social media for GMOs, judging and show management, human athlete conditioning, and more!
The newly implemented USDF Youth Assembly is a uniquely curated meeting for our young members that acts as an introduction to USDF governance and organization management. Speakers from all walks of the organization joined to share the importance of volunteering and networking as a youth member. Afterwards, the group listened in on a portion of the USDF Board of Governors General Assembly, and attended “The Assessment and Training of the Dressage Athlete” featured education session with Tony Sandoval.
On Thursday, we were also joined by our parent organization for the USEF/USDF Open Forum to discuss rule changes, proposals, and trending topics in the sport. Though horse welfare has always been at the forefront of our regulation, both organizations have added pressure to consider the effects of a rule change on our horses and social license to operate. For example, a rule change proposal to permit equine earplugs was introduced to mitigate the stress associated with loud competition grounds; however, a tool that minimizes the side effects of competition may indicate to the public that competing in general is not in the best interest of our horses. For this reason, USDF ultimately recommended that the rule not be approved.
This is one of many rule change proposals that are being considered by USDF, USEF, and the members that make up our organizations. For a full list of rule changes and proposals, please visit the USDF website.
Fostering Fun
Throughout the week, the convention center offered coffee and lunch services, giving members an opportunity to mingle and network with new and old friends. After full days of conducting business and soaking up as much education as possible, USDF also hosted a welcome reception on Thursday and an attendee party on Friday, celebrating with incredible local food, live music, and the inaugural USDF Stick Horse Rally!
With their mighty steeds in hand, Outreach, Awareness, and Inclusion (OAI) Task Force members Gwen Ka’awaloa and Lisa El-Ramy demonstrated fabulous freestyles to the likes of Hawaiian ambiance and “A Pirate’s Life For Me,” encouraging others to jump into the “sandbox” and perform their own freestyles, pas de deux, and quadrille performances! And of course, at USDF, we only do it right, so you know we had a technical delegate out there to make sure the arena was regulation size and tack was legal (spoiler alert, it wasn’t).
Special Honors at the Salute Gala & Annual Awards Banquet
Saturday night marked one of the most highly anticipated events of the entire convention: the USDF Salute Gala & Annual Awards Banquet, where we present great honors and prestigious awards to the most deserving members of our community and sport.
Volunteer Recognition
For the first award presentation of the night, Lillian Frenzel, 2024 USDF Youth Volunteer of the Year, took the stage to announce this year’s recipient: her sister, Delia Frenzel! In addition to her accomplishments as a rider, Delia has dedicated countless hours to fundraising for her local GMO and volunteering at competitions, clinics, and more. “She represents the best of what young riders can strive to be – dedicated, generous, and passionate,” Lillian shared.
USDF President Kevin Reinig then presented the 2025 USDF Volunteer of the Year Award to USEF ‘R’ dressage judge Amy Bradley for her long tenure and tireless work on various USDF awards and competition committees, followed by the presentation of two USDF Lifetime Achievement Awards to Robert Higgins and Sarah Jane Martin.
Lifetime Achievement Awards
Robert, a United States military veteran, is a longtime technical delegate, dressage steward, and volunteer in all roles. “On a personal note, Robert is a mentor, advisor, and friend to me, always offering me sound advice and driving me forward when needed,” said USDF President Kevin Reinig. “We salute Robert’s dedication and contributions by presenting him with the USDF Lifetime Achievement Award.”
The second recipient, Sarah Jane, has been an integral component of USDF governance for decades, and in the year 2000, supported USDF during growing pains, technological changes, and overall struggle. “With the turnover of two executive directors, and the annual convention scheduled a little more than two months away, USDF had no one to run it,” Kevin shared. Sarah Jane stepped up to the plate and became the organization’s acting executive director to help get the organization back on track.
Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame
Kevin presented the last major award to Mary Anne McPhail, who was posthumously inducted into the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame for her extraordinary philanthropy, from funding the construction of an equine performance center at the Michigan State University School of Veterinary Medicine, to founding the Mary Anne and Walter McPhail Judge Education Fund.
To conclude the star-studded evening, Adequan®/USDF Year-End and All Breed, and USDF Rider Award winners lined up in organized fashion to accept their well-earned achievements. To browse and purchase photos from the event, make sure you visit The Framed Equestrian before the gallery expires on February 28!
Special Thanks
Overall, this year’s convention was a huge success thanks to the commitment and dedication of our members. Additionally, we want to thank our convention and year-end awards program title sponsor, Adequan®; year-end awards supporting sponsor, Dressage Extensions; and hosts, the Hyatt Regency and Central Bank Center. We are already looking forward to a new year of business in our everlasting journey to promote dressage!
Want to join us next year? Save the date for 2026!
- Dates: December 3-5, 2026
- Location: Lexington, KY
- Hotel: Marriott Griffin Gate
- Address: 1800 Newtown Pike, Lexington, KY 40511
- Website: www.marriott.com
