United States Eventing Association

As the curtains close on the 2024 competition season, the USEA is looking back at an incredibly busy fall season. With the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, two Dutta. Corp USEA Young Event Horse Championships, Area Championships in all 10 sections of the country, and more, there was no shortage of excitement, but the rise in IEL Team Challenges was certainly a highlight of the year for the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL). Since we last reported in October, 13 additional IEL Team Challenges were hosted at events across Areas II, III, IV, VI, and VIII, to bring the grand total for the year to 44 challenges.

As 2024 draws to a close, we would be remiss not to recognize the many volunteers who dedicate countless hours of their free time to the success of our sport. There were 72,374 hours logged in the USEA’s Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) this year across the 171 events that utilized the eventingvolunteers.com platform to log volunteer time. This impressive amount of volunteer time was contributed by 4,378 amazing VIP volunteers.

In eventing, riders go to great lengths to protect their horses from the demands of competition. Whether it’s the complex terrain of cross-country, the sharp turns of show jumping, or the long hours of hacking and training, every stride places stress on a horse's legs. Protective boots play a key role in guarding against impact injuries and strain—but they can inadvertently trap heat, potentially leading to fatigue, discomfort, and even long-term health issues.

The Southern Arizona Eventing Association (SAzEA) Fall Horse Trials in Tucson, Arizona, was the host to the final USEA Area Championship of the 2024 season. The Area X Championship offered four divisions at the Training, Novice, Beginner Novice, and Starter levels. Get to know each of the horse and rider pairs who rose to the challenge in Arizona this year below!

The 2025 ECP Symposium, Hosted by Galway Downs is just over a month away, which means it is time to submit your registration for this must-attend educational event. On Jan. 14-16, interested attendees will converge on Temecula, California, for an important, impactful, and interactive experience focusing on honing the evaluation skills of coaches at all levels by identifying the correct, incremental steps of progression needed for each individual horse and rider combination.

The Godshall Accessibility Report, created by the United States Eventing Association’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee, aims to honor Christopher Godshall’s legacy by addressing accessibility challenges within the sport of eventing. Inspired by Godshall’s own struggles with mobility due to Myasthenia Gravis, the report underscores the importance of creating inclusive environments for riders, spectators, volunteers, and others involved in the sport.

There is so much to be thankful for this holiday season: our horses, family, barn besties, coaches, grooms... the list goes on and on! However, we would be remiss not to reflect on how grateful we are for our supporters, too. This Black Friday weekend, consider shopping with the companies that support the sport of eventing year-round—our USEA Sponsors!

As eventing competitors, you know how demanding the sport can be. Three phases (often in one day!) means there’s quite a lot to think about, tons to prepare for, and there are a lot of people involved in making everything run smoothly. A key player in making any USEA-recognized event a success is the Technical Delegate (TD).

The USEA is honored to carry forward the legacy of the traditional long-format, three-day event through the USEA Classic Series. These events celebrate the roots of our sport, offering riders a chance to step back in time and experience the original format that shaped the sport we enjoy today. From the excitement of steeplechase to the strategic demands of roads and tracks, endurance day serves as a true test of the preparation and partnership between horse and rider. In addition, horse inspections and educational opportunities add to the depth of these competitions, making them an unforgettable milestone, particularly for those experiencing the long-format for the first time.

The final USEA Classic Series event took place at Ram Tap Horse Park Horse Trials from Nov. 15-17 in Fresno, California. Read on to learn more about the winners!