United States Eventing Association

Aspen Farms in Yelm, Washington, served as the beautiful backdrop for this year’s USEA Area VII Championships. In total, there were 11 championship divisions offered from the Beginner Novice level through Intermediate, in addition to the event’s regular horse trial divisions. USEA President Lou Leslie was onsite to lend a helping hand and help issue awards during the prize-giving ceremonies. Meet the 11 new USEA Area VII Champions below!

After visiting the Kentucky Horse Park 11 years ago to watch the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, it never even crossed Tracey Hopper’s mind that she would ride across the famed bluegrass. But after graduating from physician’s assistant school seven years ago and taking up eventing seriously with her rescue horse Scooby, the chance to go to the 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds was one she couldn’t pass up.

Preparing the Fast Facts for the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds always displays the true diversity of the sport of eventing. Riders from all backgrounds and ages riding horses that were wrangled up in the Wild West or born into the arms of the riders who still have them to this day come together to compete in the sport they love. One fun fact the USEA staff always enjoys looking at is the age range between competitors. This year the oldest competitor was 75 years young and the lone youngest competitor was 9 years of age. That young rider is Addison Borton.

Whether you’re a one-horse amateur rider or a professional with a string of horses, aiming for the Dutta Corp./USEA Young Event Horse Championships is an exciting goal, and a well-thought out plan will help you get there successfully.

Whew - what a week at the #AEC2023! Out of the 850 competitors, 24 new national champions rose to the top and USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown caught up with two of them: Liz Halliday who won the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final and Stephanie Letarte, the 2023 USEA Training Amateur Championship.

With 850 competitors on the roster, putting on this year’s USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds was no easy task. And like all other horse trials in the U.S., the AEC still relies heavily on the efforts of volunteers to bring its efforts to fruition. Over 750 volunteer shifts were filled over the course of the 7-day-long competition by an outstanding 300-plus volunteers. Those volunteers hailed from all over the country, with 30% of the final volunteer number driving in from out of state. Eventing enthusiasts flew in from each coast to help make this event a special one for the qualified competitors this year. While on grounds, the USEA caught up with a handful of these spectacular individuals to get the down low on why they opted to volunteer at this year’s national championships.

While they’d both been to the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds in the past, Andy Amato and his wife Tonya Cummins Amato hoped to one day share the special experience with their 12-year-old daughter Addison Amato. With all horses and humans healthy and with the AEC being held in Lexington, Kentucky, 2023 was their year.

The USEA Interscholastic Eventing League was created in August 2020 with the goal of providing team experience and building camaraderie among USEA Young Rider program members in grades 7 through 12. IEL Affiliates are comprised of young riders who share a common bond, such as attending the same school, riding at the same barn or being on the same pony club, for example.

Earlier this year, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) and the Young Horse Show Series (YHS) joined forces to promote the development of young horse programs in the U.S., for sport horse breeders, owners, riders, and trainers. Have you qualified your young horses for the three regional finals?

The 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds has been a roaring success, standing as the third largest eventing competition in North American history, behind the 2021 and 2019 AEC at the Kentucky Horse Park. None of it would have been possible without the support of the many loyal sponsors.