United States Eventing Association

With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.

The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.

After the success of the first annual USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, members are not going to want to miss the second edition in 2025! Barry and Cyndy Olliff, owners of Stable View, and their team are gearing up for an even bigger and better event in the coming year. If you are a current or prospective member of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program or the Interscholastic Eventing League, be sure to block off the weekend of May 3-4, 2025 to attend these exciting Championships.

Hot off the heels of international cross-country course designer Ian Stark's official retirement at the 2024 MARS Maryland 5 Star, USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sits down with Stark to talk about the trajectory of his career from designing Novice-level baby Burghleys to actual five-star events. This is an episode you won't want to miss that celebrates one of the greatest of our time!

In addition to educational seminars, open forums, awards ceremonies, and committee meetings, the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is host to the Annual Meeting of Members each year where members can receive important updates on the Association and play a vital role in its future.

Another fantastic week at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention has come to a close in Seattle, Washington! Several days of celebration and education, highlighted by the year-end awards luncheon and the Annual Meeting of Members with special keynote address from Tik Maynard, were bookended by two important governance meetings of the USEA's Board. This event would not have been possible without the support of the many loyal partners of the USEA and the Convention.

The USEA Board of Governors met twice during the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, once on Wednesday afternoon and once on Sunday morning. We’ve recapped some of the biggest discussion points for you below.

When her daughter, Meg Pellegrini, showed a very early interest in horses, Molly Pellegrini took a deep dive into a world she knew nothing about: the world of equestrian sports.

When Advanced level eventer Tik Maynard first watched the Road to the Horse in 2012, he was immediately drawn in by the concept of the three-day competition. Each year, four invited trainers work with a previously unhandled 3-year-old Quarter Horse gelding in 1.5-hour sessions with the ultimate goal of being able to bond with, saddle train, and complete an obstacle course on said horse by the end of the competition.

With longtime Rule Change Open Forum moderator Malcolm Hook unable to attend this year’s USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, Alison Lloyd with the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) took over the forum on Saturday.