United States Eventing Association

The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce it is now accepting applications for 2023 licensed official development grants.

USEF members who meet the eligibility requirements and have an active licensed official application may apply, whether they are interested in obtaining their first USEF license or seeking a promotion in their respective breed or discipline.

Annemarie Cochrane is a USEF "r" eventing judge who resides in Elverson, Pennsylvania. She recently attended the 2022 USEA East Coast Continuing Education Clinic (CEC) & "R" and "S" Promotion Training Program hosted by Chattahoochee Hills in Fairburn, Georgia. Read her account of the two-day seminar below!

This year, the 2021 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention will host a full-day educational show jumping design clinic on Wednesday, December 8 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Led by the well-known show jumping course designer, Chris Barnard, this seminar will be educational for any USEA member interested in learning more about the show jumping courses. Read below for more information.

Do you have dreams to become a licensed eventing judge, technical delegate, cross-country course designer, or eventing show jump course designer? One of the goals of the USEA Eventing Licensed Officials Committee (ELOC) is to encourage and educate the next generation of officials. You can be part of the next generation of officials. Get involved and get licensed!

Back by popular demand, the Show Jumping seminar will once again be offered at the USEA Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, New Mexico on Wednesday, December 8, 2021. The day will begin at 9:00 AM at The Hyatt Regency Albuquerque Hotel with a discussion and theory of show jumping course design.

The afternoon session will be conducted at the Bernalillo County Sheriffs Posse and include the hands-on building of a show jumping course with help from the Watermelon Mountain Pony Club as demo riders.

“Horses are so humbling,” says Valerie Vizcarrondo Pride with a wry laugh.

We are speaking a few days after the Land Rover Kentucky Three Day Event. She is on her way to go cross-country schooling with her beautiful black horse Favian, before tackling the CCI4*-L at Jersey Fresh.

Her week wasn’t supposed to pan out like this. She and Favian should have been resting on their laurels after completing their first CCI5* at Kentucky. However, they fell on the cross-country, and ticking that five-star box will have to wait for another day. Luckily, they are unharmed, Favian has already “cruised around some easy stuff” on an earlier cross-country schooling outing, and Vizcarrondo Pride is determined to start righting the ship at Jersey Fresh.

The USEA Eventing Licensed Officials Committee (ELOC) invites you to attend their year-end committee open forum. This meeting will be led by ELOC Chair Cindy DePorter and Assistant Chair Tim Murray.

As a rider, coach, and designer, I think trusting your gut instinct is a key element to success! Do not be afraid to ask questions. Talk to your trainer, to the officials, and those around you. If you are unsure of the best approach for a line, or a particular obstacle continues to stand out in your mind, talk it through with someone until you become clear on your plan.

If your farm has the space to set up a cross-country schooling course, it can be to your advantage to have cross-country jumps available for schooling purposes. Safety should be the number one priority when designing and building cross-country jumps, and an expert should be consulted whenever possible.

Learn the dressage wrong test? Here is the established protocol. What happens if you start your dressage test and it is the wrong test? Current USEF eventing dressage test ‘A’s track left and test ‘B’s track right, so the judge knows within the first movement that you probably learned the wrong test.