United States Eventing Association

If a horse doesn’t have a proven eventing record, those interested in finding their next eventing partner must use other criteria to evaluate a horse’s potential in the sport. Understanding and appraising a horse’s conformation can be a way to look into a crystal ball for that horse’s future suitability for eventing.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States Eventing Association (USEA) are pleased to announce the dates and location of the 2023 USEF/USEA Eventing Developing Horse National Championships for 6- and 7-year-olds.

The Championships, which will include a CCI2*-S for 6-year-olds and a CCI3*-S for 7-year-olds, will take place at the Stable View Oktoberfest Horse Trials in Aiken, South Carolina, from Sept. 29-Oct. 1, 2023.

The 2023 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France, will be held on Oct. 19-22, and the USEA is already counting down the days until competition starts. Again, two divisions will be offered at the event with 6-year-olds competing in the CCI2*-L and 7-year-olds competing in the CCI3*-L division. Since 2015, the USEA has awarded the annual Holekamp/Turner Grant, which provides significant funds to one eligible USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) competitor per year to represent the United States in the 7-year-old championship at Mondial du Lion.

Nina and Tim Gardner are longtime supporters of the sport of eventing. The couple has participated in the sport as owners, volunteers, and breeders for more than 25 years, receiving the highest honor awarded in eventing in the U.S. when they were inducted into the USEA’s Eventing Hall of Fame in 2018. Anyone who has had the opportunity to talk to the couple will know that Tim gives all of the credit to Nina for cementing their legacy within the community.

In February 2023, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) announced a new pathway for the Future Event Horse (FEH) program. The Young Horse Show Series (YHS) has taken over the FEH program, and will run classes under the YHS umbrella during the 2023 competition season. USEA members that are interested in gaining exposure for their young horses are encouraged to participate in YHS events this year.

Now that entries are officially closed for the 2023 edition of the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, it's time to take a look at the star-studded field that will be contesting the first of two U.S. CCI5*-L events this year. While big-name athletes like current World Champion, Yasmin Ingham, and U.S. fan-favorite, Boyd Martin, may be the initial draw for some eventing enthusiasts, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) is eager to watch the impressive 11 USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) graduates compete for top honors in the 5-star division.

The United States Eventing Association’s (USEA) Area V of Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Arkansas kicked off its 2023 season of USEA-recognized horse trials with the Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. in Tyler, Texas, on March 24-26. Several area riders returned home after spending the winter in other eventing hubs. These riders are making an impact on the national stage and showcasing the dedication Area V has to the sport of eventing, as well as the camaraderie among its riders.

From horse trials in her home state of California where she prepared herself and her horses to take on the best in the nation and around the world to five-star events overseas where she represented the United States on some of eventing’s biggest stages, Tamie Smith had a remarkable season and finished 2022 as the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year for the second year in a row.

Many riders across all levels have found that working with young horses has provided them with the most valuable experiences in eventing. The opportunities for young event horses have never been more exciting. The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast and West Coast Championships continue to grow in profile as the culmination of a calendar of qualifying events is expanding to more areas of the country. More American riders and their young horses are aiming for the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion D’Angers, France, particularly thanks to programs like the Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Grant. That’s become one of the most attended sporting events in the entire country. It’s given young event horses from the United States a chance to represent the growth of the American eventing community’s dedication to properly developing talent in the sport.

Being spontaneous has paid off for Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy. “I bought him on a Wednesday and showed him on a Thursday,” Keane recalls about his first event with his Irish Sport Horse gelding, then 9 years old, at Plantation Field Horse Trials (Unionville, Pennsylvania) in September 2016. “I owned him for part of a day, and the next morning I showed up at a CCI and jogged him up for a two-star, and we went clean and clean and clean.”