United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that That’s Me Z, owned by Tommy Greengard and Andrea M. Pfeiffer, is the likely recipient of the 2024 Holekamp/Turner Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize. That’s Me Z (Take A Chance On Me Z x Venetia) is a 7-year-old Zangersheide gelding ridden by Greengard and was bred by Simons Roeland. The pair aims to represent the U.S. at the 2024 FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L championship. The championship will take place at La Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France, from Oct. 17-20.

Group rides are an important tool to include in the education of both riders and horses to give them a well-rounded education, enhance the rider’s skills, and give confidence to both horses and riders. Managed well, group rides also add to the enjoyment of our sport.

You wouldn’t have to do an extensive search to find many ways to utilize pole exercises to benefit horses in training and development, so this article is going to look at pole exercises in a different way—how can we use them to benefit rider development and in all three phases.

“Nobody in their right mind would start coaching riders again after enjoying such a nice, long career away,” said Cass Kordecki with a laugh as she helped pack her 12-year-old daughter Rachel Strong up to attend the Catalpa Corner Charity Horse Trials (Iowa City, Iowa). Kordecki, who is in her mid-50s now, began her eventing journey in the ‘80s, but life took her away from the sport for a while until her daughter showed a love for horses at a very early age.

The race to Le Lion continues, as the 2024 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships edge closer on Oct. 17-20. The USEA continuously tracks the horses in contention for the 7-year-old championship in Le Lion d’Angers, France, and this year includes several competitive horses vying for the Holekamp/Turner Grant, which provides significant funds to one eligible horse to represent the United States in France.

Recently, while teaching the USEA EA21 Central Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri, I found myself reflecting on what it means to produce eventing horses all around this huge country where trainers, coaches, and athletes find themselves with vast differences in access to cross-country courses, schooling fields, or just open land.

As the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships approach this fall at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (East) and Twin Rivers Ranch (West), the USEA is connecting with eventers that have their sights set on competing with their 4- or 5-year-old prospects. This month, Kaitlin Hartford checks in from Callahan, Florida, to talk about her journey with her own and Elly Schobel’s 4-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion, Tak For Farven (Tempest WT x Ostentatious).

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the return of The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships to both the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill and Twin Rivers Ranch. Each venue has renewed their contracts for two-year terms with an option for a third automatic renewal as mutually agreed upon.

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is excited to announce that applications for the second class of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) New Judge Education Program are now open. Qualifying candidates, which are no longer required to hold a USEF judge’s license as of 2023, are encouraged to sign up to participate in the YEH New Judge Education Program to receive certification to judge the Jumping and Galloping phases of Young Event Horse competitions.

Daija Sams always jokes that the biggest mistake her parents made was signing her up for an equestrian summer camp. “I was 7 or 8, and my parents loved to put my brother and I in random summer camps to get us out of their hair a little bit and let us try new things,” reflected the now 23-year-old Aiken, South Carolina, resident. “And of course, horses were the one thing I stuck with and I just ran with it.”