United States Eventing Association

“This horse lacks the refinement you’d generally see in the upper level event horse,” Chris Ryan first observed of this 5-year-old Morgan mare. “This is more of what I’d consider a pleasure type. Remember, conformation does not rely on breed type but is a straight study of physique.”

In 2006, the third year of the USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH), there were 18 qualifiers on the YEH calendar and 20 horses that competed in the championships held at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia.

“This horse is a smart blood type with lots of quality and refinement,” Chris Ryan began his assessment of this 2-year-old Arabian Sport Horse stallion. “I love the ‘forward look’ of this individual. A horse who looks forward, with his eye and ear, thinks forward and generally goes forward!"

When training a young event horse, you should put a lot of emphasis on building strength and muscle so your horse can properly do their job. Using your time wisely and efficiently while on your horse is important and it helps you as the rider have a plan and a goal to stick to during your ride.

Once upon a time there was a widespread belief that eventing was not a sport that you could purposely breed horses for. There are too many variables, the biggest one of which is heart, and how exactly do we test, measure, and ensure the heritability of a trait like that? Over time, though, we have proven that you can, in fact, breed horses for eventing – and it works quite reliably.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the renewed partnership with The Jockey Club as a Silver Level Sponsor of the 2020 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. The Jockey Club will award Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.) prizes in all AEC divisions that include a cooler, ribbon, and prize money for every T.I.P. Champion and T.I.P. Reserve Champion. This year’s AEC will be held on August 25-30 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

With seven horses partially qualified and with seven months until the start of the competition - the race to Le Lion d’Angers has officially begun! Read on to learn more about the championships for young horses, the eligibility requirements for the Holekamp/Turner Grant, The Dutta Corporation prize, the qualifications to compete, and the young horses who are in the running for a chance to represent U.S. eventing.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is thrilled to welcome back the Corporate Sponsor Standlee Hay Company Inc. as the "Official Forage of the USEA." They will also join as the Title Sponsor of the USEA Horse of the Year Leaderboard, Gold Level Sponsor of the USEA American Eventing Championships, Contributing Level Sponsor of the USEA Future Event Horse Program, and Contributing Level Sponsor of the USEA Young Event Horse Program.

When introducing a horse to a new concept, it is important to make the entire learning process enjoyable. Make sure to always praise your horse so they continuously understand that they are supposed to be enjoying this time. In eventing, the skinnies have gotten so small that the sooner the horses begin to lock on and enjoy it, the better.

So far this year, three USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) competitions have taken place. From those three competitions, nine horses have earned qualifying scores for The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH Championships in October 2020. Out of the nine qualified horses, there are seven 5-year-old horses and two 4-year-old horses.