Coleen Joan Keenan-Hersson, 63, of Rixeyville, VA, died peacefully on Thursday, March 3, 2016, with her family at her side in Charlottesville, Virginia. Coleen was born on October 24, 1952, the daughter of Patricia Mary Keenan and Lt. Col. USA (Ret) Daniel Richard Keenan (deceased). Coleen married Noel Hersson in Sweden in the summer of 1990 after they both attended the World Cup Championship in Stockholm. Coleen's love of horses was unquestionable, connecting people and horses together throughout Virginia. Coleen was a brilliant creative leader in her professional life and in the Virginia horse community. A graduate of W.T. Woodson High School in 1970, she continued her education at Ferrum College, then went on to Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Blacksburg, VA, studying biology.
Coleen was a life-long horsewoman of extraordinary caliber. She was a major contributor to CDCTA (Commonwealth Dressage and Combined Training Association) as the VP of Eventing. In this capacity she ran both the spring and fall horse trials for over 20 years. She was always interested in the progress of both horse and rider. Coleen was the first to offer a course for paraplegic riders to become judges in eventing. Coleen and Noel shared their love for each other and horses over 33 years together. They enjoyed organizing horse trials, three- day eventing, and participating in fox hunting and pleasure riding. She dedicated her life to Noel, family, horse community friends, horses and loving dogs (giant schnauzers).
Her working career was varied. She was putting computers online at 3M long before the world became interconnected. For the last five years, she served as Director of the Retired and Senior Volunteer Program ( RSVP) at Volunteer Prince William and was highly respected throughout the Commonwealth.
She is survived by her loving husband, Noel Hersson; mother, Patricia Mary Keenan; brother, Daniel Michael Keenan; sister, Theresa Ann Keenan Wilson; niece, Katherine Scott Wilson; nephews, Thomas Patrick Wilson, Michael Connor Keenan and Matthew Colton Keenan and her horses and dogs.
The family will receive friends on Sunday, March 6 from 4-6 PM at Moser Funeral Home 233 Broadview Ave, Warrenton. Graveside services will be held on Monday, March 7 at 1:45 PM at Fairfax Memorial Park , 9900 Braddock Road, Fairfax.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Equine Rescue League, P.O. Box 4366, Leesburg, VA 20177 or your favorite animal rescue charity. - See more at: http://www.moserfuneralhome.com/obituary/Coleen-Joan-Keenan-Hersson/Rixe...
The 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships were an incredible success, ushering the programs forward as the first standalone championships knock on the door for 2026. The Intercollegiate and IEL Programs were merged for their year-end championships to ensure that the USEA’s junior and young adult members have a goal to continue to pursue their passion for eventing throughout their educational years and beyond, and the support the event has received in the last two years has been astounding.
A pre-purchase examination (PPE) is big part of investing in a new eventing partner, but there are so many options and add-ons that can be done in a PPE that the process can feel a bit daunting. USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sat down with equine veterinarian and USEA Board of Governors member Dr. Angie Yates, DVM, to discuss all things related to the PPE, different perspectives to keep in mind, and more in this week's episode of the USEA Podcast. This episode is a great one if you anticipate you will be in the market for a new horse soon!
Amidst the unbridled enthusiasm of the USEA Intercollegiate teams competing in this weekend’s USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View (Aiken, S.C.), the Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) riders have held their own with displays of teamwork and horsemanship all weekend long. While all teams put their best foot forward, one team rose above the rest. The Iron Bridge Hounds Pony Club came into the weekend with one goal in mind—to win. They achieved that goal by such a large margin, a little more than 16 points, that they were able to claim the title of champions before their last rider, 16-year-old Claire McMillan, had even left the start box.
The University of Kentucky has claimed top honors at the 2025 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship, held this weekend at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina. With 10 teams and 36 entries, they not only secured the title of “School with the Largest Presence” once again, but also rode away with their second national championship title, adding to their 2021 victory. Their winning team, the Kentucky Wildcats (made up of Callia Englund,Sarah Ertl, Macy Hale, and Emerson Padgett) dominated the championship finishing 11 points ahead of second place with a total score of 77.76.
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The USEA is the official sport affiliate of U.S. Equestrian
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