United States Eventing Association

There were 42 young horses contesting the 2018 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 2018’s YEH finale, many of the graduating class of the 2018 USEA Young Event Horse Championships have worked their way up through the rankings as they establish themselves as upper-level event horse prospects.

The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships came to an exciting close in October with the final championship of the calendar year held on the West Coast. After seeing some of the highest turnouts for both championships since the program's inception, four champions were crowned.

Are you, your student, or your child new to eventing or preparing for a move-up? Do you find yourself looking for resources to ensure that riders looking to take the next step in the sport of eventing are prepared for what is to be asked of them? The USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels is a free resource that was developed by members of the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP), formerly the Instructors' Certification (ICP) Committee, and is available to all USEA members. This guide encompasses clear and consistent guidelines for riders and trainers to refer to when navigating their way through all phases of all national competition levels and features rider requirements, exercises, demonstrated skills, evaluation tools, and more at the Starter through Advanced levels.

It is no secret that Will Coleman has seen much success in his career as of late, including a team silver medal at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro and a first-place finish at the CHIO Aachen 4*-S in 2020, making him the only American rider to tackle such a feat. However, what some may not know is that several of Coleman’s top mounts, including Off the Record who helped him secure both previously mentioned accolades, are graduates of the USEA’s Young Event Horse program.

The final West Coast winners have been crowned at the 2022 Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships and USEA FEH West Coast Championships. On the final day of competition at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, eager owners, anxious riders, and excited spectators watched as the respective judges determined the fate of their young horses in the YEH West Coast 4-Year-Old and 5-Year-Old divisions as well as in the FEH West Coast 3-Year-Old and 4-Year-Old divisions. With the young mounts competing for their respective titles this weekend producing some of the highest scores across all regional championships, the West Coast is proving it could be the best coast.

Four-year-olds and their respective riders kicked off competition on day one of the 2022 Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships and USEA FEH West Coast Championships early this morning in the dressage ring at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California. Having seen the largest turn-out for the West Coast Championships in the program's histories, the day was filled with tight competition, championship crownings, and the lingering feeling of a bright future for the sport of eventing on the West Coast.

What a busy Young Event Horse (YEH) and Future Event Horse (FEH) Championship season it has been for the USEA and it all wraps up this weekend at the 2022 Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships and USEA FEH Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch. Tons of talented young horses have made their way to Paso Robles, California for this year’s YEH and FEH finale, including several former Champions, in hopes of bringing home top honors this year.

There is no doubt the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP), formerly knowns as the USEA Instructors' Certification Program (ICP), has undergone major changes over the last two years. While all of this was going on, there were a number of conversations rumbling around inside our committee that kept resurfacing. Probably the most frequent one was: where is the next generation coming from and how do they get there? It’s not really a valid response to talk about going hunting for a number of seasons and learning to do dressage later. Nor is it really possible to set up a national center or regional one as exists in other countries. Working student options are obviously out there and, in some cases, long-term apprenticeships grow from that. However, I believe it needs to be more than that.

The 2022 FEI World Breeding Championships at La Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France take place this week, October 20-23. The Championships offer a CCI2*-L for 6-year-old horses, and a CCI3*-L for 7-year-old horses, who have all earned qualifications and have been accepted by their countries to compete at the prestigious Eventing World Championships for Young Horses.

The weather conditions were drastically different on Friday as the 5-year-olds took to the center stage for the 2022 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East (YEH) Coast Championships presented by Dubarry. With the sun shining bright, talented young horses showcased what they were made of in front of judges Marilyn Payne and Martin Plewa to demonstrate their show jumping, cross-country, and galloping abilities. With 49 horses in the field, the competition was tough, but it was ultimately Patricia Luttgen’s Trakehner gelding Sky Moon (E.H. Sixtus x Pr. St. Sky Lady) ridden by Boyd Martin who rose to the top of the pack with a cumulative score of 84.29.