Scott Hassler is the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s new national young horse dressage coach. The position is a new one.

Hassler is the training director at Hilltop Farm in Colora, Md., and writes a Between Rounds column about sport horse breeding for the Chronicle. His wife, Susanne, rode Hilltop Farms’ Royal Prince, a Hanoverian stallion, to the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championship in 2004 and to fourth place in the FEI World Breeding Championships.

Last year Scott led the first young dressage horse trainers’ symposium, with Ulf Moeller and Ingo Pape, at Hilltop Farm.

Scott is a member of the USEF Dressage and Breeders committees, is chairman of the USDF Sport Horse Committee, and is a member of the International Dressage Trainers Club.

“I’m tremendously excited about this opportunity to share my experience in the pursuit of helping our riders produce and train horses that go on to compete at the highest levels,” said Hassler. “Proper development of our young dressage horses is a tremendous responsibility, and I look forward to the challenge.”

Hassler will be conducting USEF-sponsored training sessions for young dressage horses in March and will be coaching competitors for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials and National Championships. He’ll also be the chef d’equipe for U.S. horses competing at the FEI World Breeding Championships, and he’ll work closely with the U.S. team coach, Klaus Balkenhol.