United States Eventing Association

The 2026 USPC Festival will present top-tier immersive equestrian education across eight disciplines and horsemanship and equine industry topics at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky., July 13-19, 2026. USPC Festival speakers and clinicians include Olympians, international competitors, nationally recognized judges, and leading coaches—many holding the prestigious USPC "A” certification—who will share their expertise with horse enthusiasts of all ages.

"We know attendees will be excited to have such sought-after instructors like Olympians Lendon Gray and Doug Payne; and top experts like Lynn Symansky, Alexa Ehlers Thompson, Daniel Stewart, and many others,” said USPC Executive Director Teresa Woods. "There is no other single event in the U.S. equestrian industry that combines multi-discipline mounted and unmounted education, hands-on participation, and access to Olympians, top clinicians, and industry experts for riders of all levels in one comprehensive week-long experience like Festival Education.”

Featured Master Clinicians

Olympian and USEF Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Lendon Gray will lead her Dressage4Kids KUNDRUN Team Program, July 13-14. Gray is a USPC National Instruction Legend, a USPC Academy of Achievement inductee, and a USPC "A” Eventing alum of Penobscot Pony Club in the Northeast Region. Gray's Master Clinic, which all registered participants are encouraged to attend, will run on Monday night, July 13, at 7 p.m.

Olympian Doug Payne, who won Team Gold at the 2019 Pan American Games and is an "A” alum of Somerset Hills Pony Club in the New Jersey Region, is also now a 5* Grand Prix show jumper. Payne will be teaching select show jumping clinics throughout Festival Education and teach a Master Class on Tuesday night, July 14, at 7 p.m., with all Festival participants invited to attend.

Special Demonstrations

• Midwest Liberty Horse Club and Kentucky Liberty will demonstrate liberty training and techniques.
• Lunchtime driving demonstrations with the American Driving Society (ADS) will present different types of carriages driving disciplines—pleasure shows, combined driving, distance driving, and driving for fun—along with a mock driving derby.
• A half-day immersive Thoroughbred experience, presented by Amplify Horse Racing and the Retired Racehorse Project, will showcase the full training cycle of a Thoroughbred, with attendees seeing an off-site location related to the Thoroughbred industry in the heart of the Bluegrass.
• Collegiate Riding Avenues, an informal roundtable connecting parents and students with college representatives for more on equine studies programs, riding in college, equine industry careers, and navigating college with a horse.

Mounted Clinics

Dressage clinics will either be semi-private (two riders) or private with the following clinicians:

• Stacy Anderson, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS-LA - FEI-level rider, USPC "A” Eventing alum, and Dean of Lincoln Memorial University's College of Veterinary Medicine; Dr. Anderson will also demonstrate longeing, along with providing longeing lessons with "A” alum Kimberly Smith-Bowman, in the Unmounted Education sessions;
• Katy Barglow - Grand Prix rider and trainer with her H-A in Horse Management and B in Eventing, a USPC National Examiner, USEF 'S' dressage judge;
• Jane Kelly - USPC National Examiner, "A” Eventing alum, a USDF Diamond recipient, and a USDF L Graduate;
• Joan Leuck-Waak - an "A” Dressage member of USPC, a USDF Bronze and Silver Medalist, and a USEF 'r' Dressage and Western Dressage judge;
• Susan Perellis - USPC National Examiner, "A” Eventing alum, a 3* Eventer, and a Grand Prix dressage rider;
• Wayne Quarles - USPC National Examiner, FEI-level Eventing judge, a USEF 'S' Event Judge and Technical Delegate, and a multi-discipline USEF 'R' judge
• Reese Koffler-Stanfield - USDF FEI B Certified Instructor, recipient of the USDF Diamond Award, and an international competitor;
• Brynne Varvel - USDF Bronze and Silver medalist with distinction, trainer of multiple FEI-level horses; and,
• Jen Verharen - USPC "A” Eventing alum, USDF Certified Instructor, a USDF L Graduate with Distinction, USPC Academy of Achievement inductee.

Leuck-Waak will also be teaching Western Dressage and showcasing what tack is used and what judges are looking for when riding a test. Western tack is preferred but not required.

Eventing clinics will focus on cross-country schooling over a variety of Kentucky Horse Park fences that match the rider's skills with Starter through Modified will be presented by triple "A”-certified clinician Alexa Ehlers Thompson; three "A”-certified alums—Allie Sacksen, Lynn Symansky, and Cathy Wieschhoff; and Ciaran Thompson, an Irish rider and trainer with his Irish Pony Club "A” certification.

Groundwork and Horsemanship clinics by the Kentucky Mounted Police will teach riders to negotiate a variety of obstacles on the ground and under saddle using natural horsemanship principles.

Hunter Seat Equitation clinics will teach the correct equitation position and how to be effective on course, and jumps will range in height from 2'0″ to 2'3″ (0.60m to 0.65m) to 3'3″ to 3'6″ (1.0m to 1.10m) options with India Anderson, an "A”-certified alum and Grand Prix jumper.

Mounted Games clinics will be run by Lexi Ray, an H-B/C-2 Eventing participating member in Mounted Games for the past 18 years who also competed in the 2023 Nations Cup in South Africa on the United States Mounted Games Association team. Ray will present ways for instructors or parents to get ideas for developing a Games program in their own barn.

International Polocrosse player Robert Noiles, who has coached nationally for 30 years, will be leading the Polocrosse clinics for beginners to learn skills on the ground and then on horseback while experienced players will enjoy expert instruction while playing against others.

Show jumping clinics will emphasize equitation over fences and course-riding skills with top clinicians, such as Doug Payne and India Anderson. In addition, Jennifer Merrick-Brooks, who is an "A” Canadian Pony Club alum, an equestrian business owner, and a coach for past USPC teams for international exchanges, will also be teaching. National Examiner Cherie Gaebel, an "A” alum who has competed in Eventing to the Advanced level and Show Jumping up to 1.40 meters, and at the All-American Quarter Horse Congress, is another show jumping clinician. The final jumping clinician is National Examiner Sarah Shade, who also has her "A” in Eventing, has competed up to 3* in Eventing, 1.20-meter show jumping events, and in show hunters and hunter derbies.

Trail clinics, which can be ridden in English tack or Western tack, will have riders negotiate obstacles and improve their horse's maneuverability, training, and obedience, as well as their own horsemanship skills. Trail clinics will be run by Morgan Kastner-Koenig, who rides off-Track Thoroughbreds and also focuses on Western riding, including competitive trail riding and barrel racing.

Unmounted Educational Workshops

Unmounted educational workshops include:

• Bodywork Techniques and How They Affect Body Systems, presented by Susan McKibbin Rose, Licensed Massage and Bodywork Therapist and a USPC "A” alum;
• Learn Polocrosse, presented by Jennifer Carpenter, the Center Administrator for Heartland Polocrosse Club Pony Club Riding Center;
• Interactive Horse Models, presented at the Lincoln Memorial University booth;
• Equine Sports Footing, presented by the Racing Surfaces Testing Laboratory, out of Lexington, Ky., and sponsored by the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation;
• Prepping for the H-B and H-A Pony Club Certifications, presented by Smith-Bowman and "A” alum and National Examiner Nicole Wimer;
• Prepurchase Exams; What Can You Discover by Palpating a Leg?; and the Cardiac Recovery Index, with all three topics presented by Rae Birr, DVM, a USPC "B” alum and USPC Vice President of Regional Administration;
• Equestrian Sports Psychology and Rider Fitness, with both topics presented by author and clinician Coach Daniel Stewart;
• Saddle Fitting and Tracing and Saddle Deconstruction, with both topics presented by H-A alum and professional saddle maker Adrienne Hendricks;
• Boots: How to Protect a Horse's Sore Hoof! presented by Rebecca Thompson, a 5th-year PhD candidate at Virginia Tech; and,
• Masterson Method sessions, presented by Jim Masterson, equine massage therapist for international-level horses, and sponsored by Absorbine, including,
• Reading the Horse's Body Language;
• Light to the Core—Connecting with Your Horse;
• Equine Bodywork and Behavioral or Training Issues; and
• Equine Bodywork and Mystery Lameness Issues.

All Horse Enthusiasts Welcome

Anyone can attend Festival Education to experience the best in equestrian education—and membership in USPC is not required. Those wishing to attend should register by July 1 at 4 p.m. Eastern for Mounted Education registration. Unmounted Registration can be done prior to the event or on site at the show office, which will allow auditing any of the mounted and unmounted clinics. To view unlimited mounted and unmounted educational sessions and evening Master Clinics on all three days, the Education All-Access Pass is available for $180. For those who can only attend one day, there is the Education Day Pass for $75.

In addition, those who wish to ride in up to four mounted clinics can book these for $125 per ride in the disciplines of their choice, with a maximum of two jumping clinics. If four clinics are chosen, there is a $40 discount. Riders will be assigned to clinicians at random.

Riders who are looking for a low-impact riding opportunity or a quick brush-up before USPC Championships can purchase a jumper Schooling Round or a Dressage Ride-a-Test Schooling Round on Tuesday and Wednesday for $50 per ride. Pricing options, additional fees, and the overall schedule are listed online.

On the switchover day to Festival Championships on Thursday, July 16, participants have the opportunity to join the local Iroquois Hunt Club in an early morning mock foxhunt over the terrain of the Kentucky Horse Park. This favorite Festival experience, sponsored by the Masters of Foxhounds Association of North America, offers the thrill of riding to hounds while also honoring USPC's founding roots and early ties with the sport of Foxhunting.

The event will also feature USPC Festival Championships competition following Festival Education, July 16-July 19. The public is invited to cheer on Pony Club members as they vie for top team honors and showcase their excellent Horse Management skills, which they learn through USPC's comprehensive equestrian educational program. In addition, riders who enjoy trail classes and Gymkhana races are invited to enter either the 2026 USPC Open Trail competition and the 2026 Open Gymkhana competition.

All information about the USPC Festival and registration links can be found on the main Festival site at www.ponyclub.org/events/festival, which may redirect you to the Pegasus app.