United States Eventing Association

If you’re a new team setting out to compete in the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships in just a couple of weeks, preparing for the “happiest horse trial” in the U.S. may seem a bit daunting. With five components to the Spirit Award contest that require creativity and cohesion between team members, there is a lot that goes into preparing and packing to leave for the event.

Since the mid-’80s, lifelong horsewoman and professional artist Debra Sue Waters has devoted countless hours to the sport of eventing, and last year topped the rankings of the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program in Area V. Assisting behind the scenes at an event just comes naturally to the Millsap, Texas, resident.

The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is just over a week away, and a slew of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program Graduates are slated to make the trip to the Bluegrass State to compete in what is looking like an epic weekend of sport. Between the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L and the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S divisions, a total of 24 former YEH participants are set to go down centerline in the Rolex Arena next week. With the Paris Olympics quickly approaching, and the event serving as one of the final selection trials for team spots, the entry lists for both divisions are full of star-studded combinations setting their sights on big goals in 2024.

The United States Equestrian Federation has announced the four combinations from the European Development Tour selected to represent the Defender U.S. Eventing Team at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Great Britain CCIO4*-NC-S. The event will take place during the Chatsworth International Horse Trials in Bakewell, England, from May 17-19.

The five-star field for the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event has narrowed, with nine riders having withdrawn since entries were released on March 28. As of the morning of April 18, the following pairs have pulled their entries: Grace Taylor, Tamie Smith, Rosalind Canter, Sydney Solomon, Emily Hamel, Phillip Dutton, Jessica Phoenix, Nicolai Aldinger, and James Alliston.

Bec Braitling was 23 when she tackled her first four-star, now five-star, level competition at Adelaide in East Park Lands, Australia.

Veterans and young riders shined at the Twin Rivers Spring International in Paso Robles, California, during the event from April 11-14. The weekend's competition featured the largest field for the international levels of eventing in the history of Twin Rivers with a total of 70 FEI level entries.

To chip or not to chip? That won’t exactly be the question anymore as of Dec. 1, 2025. In order to help prepare USEA members for this upcoming rule change, which was approved in December of 2023 by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), we have dedicated this edition of Rule Refresher to the topic of microchips.

Kelly O’Brien has her eye on a prize. “Pretty much the rest of this season will be targeted towards getting fired up for the AEC,” says O’Brien, 54. She and B E Never Say Never, a 19-year-old Dutch Warmblood, have qualified for the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds already, thanks to decisively winning all three of their 2024 outings thus far.

When aiming to compete in a United States Eventing Association (USEA) recognized competition (national competition or international competition), licensed or endorsed by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), understanding and fulfilling the specific requirements for entry forms and liability waivers is crucial.