USEA Youth Mentorship Program

Interested in becoming an equine professional? The USEA Youth Mentorship Program gives a behind-the-scenes look at what it takes to run and officiate an international event, helps Young Riders and Intercollegiate athletes experience competition from the inside, as a part of the officiating and management teams, encourages furthering sport education, and helps youth athletes seek and identify career paths and job opportunities, network, communicate, and seek new experiences within the eventing

USEA Young Riders and Intercollegiate athletes accepted to the Mentorship Program will have the opportunity to shadow some of the most prestigious eventing officials in the world at the annual USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships or the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship. Selected participants will be able to experience the competition with:

FEI President of the Ground Jury,
FEI Member of the Ground Jury,
FEI Steward,
FEI Technical Delegate,
Chief FEI Veterinarian,
Organizer for Eventing, or
Cross-Country Course Designer/Cross-Country Builder

Benefits include:

The opportunity to learn from some of the most prestigious event officials in the world
Make connections and lasting relationships within the industry
Resumé builder and education credit (based on school requirements)
Experience and education in all aspects of an eventing competition
The chance to be featured in the Eventing USA magazine and USEventing.com

Who can apply?

Any Young Rider or Collegiate Member who is 25 years and younger
Must be a current member of their Area Young Rider Program or Collegiate Team
Must not be competing or volunteering at the selected event
If under 18, permission by parent/guardian must be obtained
Must be able to spend majority of the day with officials, which requires outdoor work, standing, walking, and observing as well as sitting, riding in golf carts or other ground transports, in all weather conditions
Must have a desire to further their eventing education

“[I learned] why he chose a Swedish oxer for fence three in the three-star and a triple combination for fence four of the NAYC CCIJ*. Above all else, Chris [Barnard] was an amazing teacher and made every minute spent with him and his ‘sidekick,’ William Robertson, enjoyable and worthwhile. Without the Young Rider Mentorship Program, I would have never experienced eventing in this spectacular way.” – Olivia Crespo

“The Mentorship Program opened my eyes to a completely different side of eventing.” – Lauren Kannally

“I decided last winter that I would start the training process to become a licensed official. This was the best way I could think of to give back to the sport that raised me.” – Emily Macauley

“My week at [NAYC] was an amazing experience. I worked alongside influential officials and legends in eventing. I gained invaluable knowledge and loved every minute of my experience.” – Jessi Hart

For more information or to apply for the program, contact your Area Young Rider Program Coordinator or your Designated Collegiate Representative.

Expectations for USEA Youth Mentorship Program Participants

A successful mentoring partnership benefits Young Riders and Collegiate athletes by gaining increased confidence, expanded education and experience, and can help the athletes establish a more focused sense of direction. To accomplish these tasks, the mentoring partnership requires honesty, openness, commitment and effort by all of the participants.

For both the Mentor/Official, and the Mentorship participants, these things help to create a productive learning environment:

Establish boundaries – times to meet and end each day
Communicate effectively to each other
Maintain professional behavior and conduct oneself in a respectful manner
Practice safe and courteous phone and camera use by the Mentorship participant
Dress appropriately and professionally (uniform shirts will be provided to participants)
Maintain an absolute confidentiality between participants
Follow all rules and guidelines for SafeSport

Characteristics: A Youth Mentorship Program participant is an active member of his or her Area Young Rider Program or designated Collegiate team, who desires to work with a mentor from whom he or she may gain guidance, knowledge, and training regarding the mentor’s role within the equine world. The participant will listen, observe, ask questions, share goals and career plans, is open to suggestions from the officials they interact with, can follow instructions, and seeks constructive feedback.

Preparation: Participants in the Mentorship Program can start by researching
their mentor’s background, accomplishments, and the organization(s) with which the mentor is associated. Knowing who you are working with and what they have done is key to communicating and learning! Participants should also think about clarifying their expectations up front with the mentor. Examples of prompts to start with include:

What expectations do you have of me?
I’m interested in (specify) skills (knowledge) for my professional development. Can you help me?

Evaluation: All Mentorship participants are required to submit daily notes or evaluations to the Mentorship Coordinator, documenting their experiences. Additionally, at the end of the program, participants must complete a written evaluation for potential publication. This evaluation should be submitted to the Mentorship Coordinator for review and editing. The evaluation should take the form of a reflective summary and may be published by the USEA at their discretion, to help promote the program, highlight the participant's involvement, and showcase their successful completion of the program.

Program Format: The USEA Youth Mentorship Program is free for selected participants, though it does not cover housing, transportation to the venue, or all meals. Some meals may be provided as part of the program, and participants will be informed of these details ahead of time. While uniforms may be provided, with specifics communicated in advance, participants should come prepared with appropriate clothing for the event. Additional information will be shared with all participants prior to the event. For any questions, please reach out to the USEA Youth Mentorship Program Coordinator, Holly Covey, at [email protected].

Information for Mentors

The Mentor's Role

Serve as a role model and have the ability to lead, inspire, and motivate their Mentorship participant
Expand the Mentorship participant’s awareness, insight, and perspective on the sport by sharing the “why” as they go through the officiating process
Share an official’s experience by providing important learning opportunities - often for both participants.
Ask the tough questions and communicate the rules of how things work
Identify political relationships, shows how the team works in real time
Listens and offers feedback, recommends development activities, such as reading or watching videos, suggests and provides resources, and communicates experiences and challenges
Serves as a counselor and guide
Capitalizes on the opportunity to discuss competition incident education opportunities
Explores career goals of the Mentorship participant and discusses numerous career paths within the equestrian industry

QUALIFICATIONS

Mentors have the respect of their peers and professionals, expertise in their field of knowledge, a desire to help the Mentorship participant, as well as the organization, and a willingness to commit time and energy to the partnership.

The Mentor/Official and the Mentorship participant must be up to date on Safe Sport qualification.

EXPECTATIONS

Mentors will be expected to include the Mentorship participant in as many experiences during the competition as possible, including decision-making, rule interpretation, and interactions with the officiating team, organizing team, competitors, volunteers, etc. This will involve allowing the participant to be with the officials during their duties as much as possible. The Mentors may use their best judgment in allowing the Mentorship participant to observe all incidents and interactions, and may elect to exclude the participant on occasion, at their discretion. The mentor will communicate any issues or concerns regarding their participant first to the USEA Youth Mentorship Coordinator at the event. In most cases, Mentorship participants are receptive, teachable and curious - and officials enjoy the experience, and get a positive return on their investment of time and attention.

We ask that Mentors offer a post-program evaluation to the USEA Youth Mentorship Coordinator online and also save a few minutes of time at the conclusion of the competition to orally discuss and evaluate the event experience with their Mentorship participant.

Examples of Guideline Questions:

What is important to you?
Tell me about your background and experience.
Discuss horsemanship and sportsmanship - what does it mean at competition?
What gives you the most satisfaction when competing?
What is your strongest phase, and why, and what areas do you need improvement?
What is the most frustrating thing about competing for you, and what is the best thing about competing?

A Mentor provides:

Vision and insight, advice and counsel, support and encouragement for building self-confidence and stronger insight into the workings of the equestrian industry
Solid role modeling
Exemplifies outstanding teamwork
Constructive feedback and critical analysis, with an eye toward creating an exceptional shared experience that encourages the future of the sport

Benefits/Rewards: Mentors who participate in program help Mentorship participants discover and reach their potential. They can enhance their coaching, feedback and leadership skills, plus often they find new perspectives and ways to impart information by interaction with a young and learning eventer. Most of all, Mentors experience personal satisfaction from giving back to the sport. This perpetuates a valuable legacy of personal knowledge, insight, and experience to the future leaders of the industry. Your participation matters!