Laureen K. Johnson was recently appointed as the U.S. Equestrian Federation High Performance Director of Para-Equestrian and Vaulting and Assistant to the High Performance Director of Driving. Johnson was previously Assistant to the Para-Equestrian and Vaulting Director. She has been with USEF since 1999, and she has assisted every high performance discipline except able-bodied dressage.

Veteran steeplechase jockey Brian Crowley announced his retirement from race riding at the close of the 2012 season due to neck injuries.

“My neck isn’t in pieces, but the doctor wasn’t that pleased with it,” said Crowley. “It’s more of a better safe than sorry situation. If I rode in races next year and never had a fall, all would be fine. But I have to look at the bigger picture.”

The 31-year-old Irish native hung up his cap after three seasons in the United States, but that was after 168 wins in Ireland and England. He came over in 2010 to work for Jonathan Sheppard.

The United States Equestrian Federation has seated two new para-equestrian committees. The Para-Equestrian High Performance Committee and Para-Equestrian Eligible Athlete Committee are both pending approval of the USEF Executive Committee.
 
Para-Equestrian High Performance Committee (pending approval of the Executive Committee):

The National Steeplechase Association has formed a task force to evaluate safety issues in U.S. steeplechasing.

The Steeplechase Safety Task Force will include members with expertise in racing, veterinary science and race administration. The task force will look into events that occurred in the 2012 racing season, which included several equine fatalities, and hopes to complete its work before the beginning of the 2013 racing season in March.

Suzy Stafford, Wilmington, Del., represented the U.S. at the 2011 FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies in Lipica, Slovenia held Sept. 21-25, 2011. She drove her Morgan-Arabian Cross mare Josephine to an impressive finish in the cones phase and was awarded the bronze medal in the Singles Pony Championship. Stafford has since been notified by the Fédération Équestre Internationale that the Swedish single pony driver Susanne Ankermark, driving Windy Boy Rocket, has been disqualified.