Calling all USEA members in 7th through 12th grade! Now is the time to establish your teams and prepare to compete in the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL). The 2023 IEL Team Challenge calendar is now available, and members are encouraged to start planning their competition seasons to participate!
The mission of IEL is to bring together junior riders with a common interest and provide a supportive community through which students can continue to pursue their riding interests. This program encourages team camaraderie and gives junior members a chance to compete in a team atmosphere. As participants progress, the program also provides a pathway for those seeking to be part of the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program once they’ve graduated high school. The goal of the IEL is to increase membership, education, and engagement in riders on a national level who are in 7th through 12th grade.
View the list of IEL team challenges below to start planning your must-attend events. Keep in mind that the calendar below is a preliminary, tentative list of events hosting IEL Team Challenges and it is subject to change. New challenges can be added regularly, so members are encouraged to reach out to their favorite local events to encourage them to apply to host an IEL team challenge. Please continue to check here for any updates throughout the year.
2023 IEL Team Challenges Calendar
EVENT | DATE |
Stable View Aiken Opener H.T. (Area III) | January 21-22, 2023 |
Sporting Days Farm February H.T. (Area III) | February 4-5, 2023 |
Sporting Days Farm March H.T. (Area III) | March 5, 2023 |
Stable View Spring 2/3/4* and H.T. (Area III) | April 7-9, 2023 |
FENCE H.T. (Area III) | April 15-16, 2023 |
Poplar Place April H.T. (Area III) | April 15-16, 2023 |
Sporting Days Farm April H.T. (Area III) | April 22, 2023 |
Meadowcreek Park - The Spring Social Event (Area V) | April 22-23, 2023 |
Stable View Local Charities H.T. (Area III) | May 6-7, 2023 |
Waredaca H.T. (Area II) | May 6-7, 2023 |
Fair Hill International Recognized H.T. (Area II) | May 20-21, 2023 |
Mill Creek Pony Club H.T. (Area IV) | May 27-28, 2023 |
Poplar Place Farm June H.T. (Area III) | June 3-4, 2023 |
MCTA H.T. at Shawan Downs (Area II) | June 3-4, 2023 |
The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm (Area II) | July 14-16, 2023 |
Full Moon Farms H.T. (Area II) | July 23, 2023 |
Fair Hill International Recognized H.T. (Area II) | August 12-13, 2023 |
Waredaca H.T. (Area II) | August 19-20, 2023 |
Town Hill H.T. (Area I) | August 28, 2023 |
Heritage Park H.T. (Area IV) | September 23-24, 2023 |
Stable View Oktoberfest 2/3/4* and H.T. (Area III) | September 29 - October 1, 2023 |
Poplar Place Farm October H.T. (Area III) | October 14-15, 2023 |
Tryon Riding & Hunt Club "Morris the Horse" Trials (Area III) | October 21-22, 2023 |
Waredaca Classic Three-Day & H.T. (Area II) | October 27-29, 2023 |
Full Moon Farm H.T. (Area II) | November 12, 2023 |
Are you interested in hosting an IEL Team Challenge? Follow this step-by-step guide for hosting a team challenge and contact staff liaison Kaleigh Collett at [email protected]
to sign up.
Don’t see an IEL team challenge near you? Contact your local USEA Horse Trial Organizers to express interest and ask if they are willing to host an IEL team challenge at their event.
IEL team rosters are due to the USEA Senior Director of Membership Service, Jennifer Hardwick, at [email protected] by February 15, 2023. Please list all members of your IEL team on this roster.
About the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL)
In August 2020, the USEA Board of Governors approved the creation of the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) as an official program of the USEA. The mission of IEL is to unite junior riders who are in the 7-12th grade and provide a supportive community through which students can continue to pursue their riding interests. A group of junior members in the 7th-12th grade who share a common bond, such as the same barn, school, Pony Club, or other connection, register with the USEA as an interscholastic team. Click here to learn more about the Interscholastic Eventing League.
If all goes according to plan in the first part of the extended weekend, we will see 36 horses galloping across Derek di Grazia's CCI5*-L cross-country course at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (DK3DE). We partnered up with the team at CrossCountry App to bring you a preview of both the five-star and CCI4*-s tracks this year.
Lights, cameras, action! The first formal horse inspection (which some might informally refer to as "the jog") at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) takes place this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. While this part of the event is a fan-favorite historically based on the impeccable turnout of the horses and the stylish and forward fashion choices of the riders (we are looking at you Boyd Martin in hopes that you bring back the American flag suit circa 2022), it serves a very important purpose: ensuring that each horse is fit, sound, and ready to compete at the five-star level.
There are so many things to love about the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and the opportunity to peruse the booths of so many amazing vendors is definitely one of them! Don’t forget to stop by the USEA booth, located just behind the Rolex Stadium next to the large Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event booth, to stock up on all of your favorite USEA apparel.
After the first competition at Modified was held at The Horse Park at Woodside in California in 2023, the level will be under an even bigger spotlight with the Modified Match that will be offered at the 2024 Woodside Spring Horse Trials that will take place from May 24-26.