United States Eventing Association

Whether you’re a one-horse amateur rider or a professional with a string of horses, aiming for the Dutta Corp./USEA Young Event Horse Championships is an exciting goal, and a well-thought out plan will help you get there successfully.

Earlier this year, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) and the Young Horse Show Series (YHS) joined forces to promote the development of young horse programs in the U.S., for sport horse breeders, owners, riders, and trainers. Have you qualified your young horses for the three regional finals?

The mere mention of the word “equitation” in eventing circles is often met with rolled eyes and raised hackles. No doubt for many eventers the word conjures up images of expensively clothed stick-people with overly arched backs posing as riders on their overly prepped mounts. Those images do not represent what the word describes, nor do those images represent how the discipline of correct and effective equitation has served the great icons of equestrian sports in all three disciplines (Think William Steinkraus, Reiner Klimke, and our own Jim Wofford).

There were 40 young horses who contested the 2019 USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) 5-year-old Championships between the East and West Coast Championships which were held in Elkton, Maryland, and Woodside, California, respectively. Following 2019’s YEH finale, many of the graduating class of the 2019 USEA Young Event Horse Championships have worked their way up through the rankings as they establish themselves as upper-level event horse prospects.

While exercise off the horse is always useful to improve a rider’s cardio fitness, strength, and flexibility, there’s still no substitute for time spent in the saddle. If you’re looking for some variety in your training and have a safe, reliable horse, longing (also known as lunging) can be a useful tool to improve your seat, strength, and coordination in the saddle.

The race to Le Lion continues, as the 2023 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships edge closer on Oct. 19-22. 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.

After years spent as a professional rider working with young and difficult horses, Jayne Lloyd knew what kind of sport horses she wanted to produce when she got into breeding 12 years ago—competitive, rideable, and trainable that would be suitable for amateurs.

The USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program was established to identify young horses that possess the talent and disposition to excel at the uppermost levels of eventing. Each year, the YEH program meets its goal of establishing four- and five-star horses, and the program has seen many graduates of the program succeed in the pipeline to go on to represent the United States in team competitions at the World Championships, the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, and at various Nations Cups.

Wow, what an amazing experience and well worth the time, pressure, and nerves! As I sit down to write this article, I have just watched Kentucky with a new lens on rider, horse, position, questions, and quality of canter. I have also since coached at several events, and as I walked the courses with my students and watched riders go, I was doing so with a new perspective. I was reminded that I am more educated and better informed thanks to the Eventing Coaches Program (ECP).

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is excited to announce the launch of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) New Judge Education Program. Qualifying candidates, who are no longer required to hold a USEF judge’s license, will be 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.