United States Eventing Association

I can honestly say I have never looked forward to the start of a new year more than I have now. For Equestrian Events (EEI), our 2020 was filled by the sadness caused by the cancellation of the Kentucky Three-Day Event, the Kentucky Invitational Grand Prix, and finally the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds.

The USEA is sad to share the news that Daniel Starck passed away on December 13, 2020 at the age of 69 due to a rare form of liver cancer (Intrahepatic Cholangiocarcinoma).

The Fair Hill Organizing Committee (FHOC), an affiliate of the Sport and Entertainment Corporation of Maryland (The Sport Corp.), today announced the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill has been granted official CCI5*-L status following support from the Board and the Eventing Committee of the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body for equestrian sport.

US Equestrian has announced the list of athletes who have been invited to the 2021 Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Assessment Sessions. The USEF Emerging Athlete Eventing 25 Program offers athletes 25 years of age and under access to coaching and instruction, high intensity training sessions, and continued mentorship to further support the development of the Eventing Pathway.

All three equestrian disciplines – Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing – have been formally confirmed for the Paris 2024 Olympic program. In addition, the six events – team and individual across each of the three disciplines – and the full quota of 200 athlete/horse combinations have also been endorsed.

US Equestrian has announced the USEF Eventing High Performance Elite, Pre-Elite, and Development Training Lists for the winter of 2021. The training lists are part of U.S. Performance Director Erik Duvander’s U.S. Eventing Pathway Program, focused on developing combinations to deliver sustainable success for the USEF Eventing Program at the international championship level. Full program details and criteria for the training lists are available here.

Given the current Covid-19 pandemic situation the Eventing Committee met for monthly videoconference calls between March November 2020, led by the Chair David O’Connor and attended by all the Eventing Committee Members and FEI Eventing Department. The Eventing Committee videoconference calls included many discussions to finding solutions to the ramifications of the Covid-19 virus in order to encourage the organization of eventing competitions, Nations Cup, and Championships.

The USEA is deeply saddened to share news of the passing of Katie Lindsay, who died peacefully in her sleep surrounded by her beloved dachshunds on November 23, 2020.

Ava Hingson, a 19-year-old from Cornwall, Connecticut, passed away on Tuesday, November 17, 2020 in a tragic freak accident on a trail ride. Daughter of Drew and Elise Hingson, Ava was a sophomore at Sewanee: University of The South studying English Literature and was an active member of Sewanee's intercollegiate eventing team.

The United States is an increasingly diverse country, but equestrian sports do not reflect that reality. This can and should change. The “moonshot” idea conceptualized by five-star eventer and trainer Heather Gillette and historian Dr. Anastasia Curwood, along with United States Eventing High Performance rider Matthew Brown, ​Strides for Equality Equestrians (SEE)​ is pleased to announce its official launch.