United States Eventing Association

West Coast eventers experienced tremendous success in 2022. Tamie Smith recorded top-10 finishes at Badminton in England, at the FEI World Championships at Pratoni in Italy, and at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill. Helen Alliston won the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final, and Tommy Greengard captured the USEA Intermediate Championship at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC), presented by Nutrena Feeds. James Alliston returned to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event for the first time since 2017 and finished third in the CCI4*-S.

As complex as eventing can be through the various lines and tracks presented to horses and riders in the jumping phases, gridwork can help make things simpler when in the heat of the moment of a competition, clinic, or lesson. Regardless of the level, gridwork teaches horses and riders to establish the rhythm they will need and the feeling they get from successfully riding a line of jumps.

Start your young horse’s competition season off on the right foot by participating in the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program! The USEA established the YEH program in 2004 to identify young horses that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. While the goal of the YEH program is to identify horses that will be successful at the four- and five-star levels, horses with the potential for lower-level success are also showcased by the program.

For seasoned and novice riders alike, it is always good to revisit the basics. Serving as the foundation for any eventer, the positions used on the cross-country course differ from those in the dressage or show jumping ring. The USEA tuned into five-time Olympian, three-time World Equestrian Games rider, two Pan-American Games rider, and USEA ECP certified coach Karen O'Connor as she walked coaches and students at the USEA ECP Symposium through the basic positions for effective cross-country riding.

Are you interested in competing in the sport of eventing but aren’t quite sure how to get started? Do you have a horse that is looking for a new career? Consider participating in a USEA New Event Horse (NEH) competition in 2023! The USEA NEH Program was created to be an introduction to the sport of eventing for both horse and rider, and the 2023 NEH Calendar is now available here.

Many top results from program graduates in 2022 have once again proven that the USEA’s Young Event Horse (YEH) program is meeting its mission of identifying future four- and five-star horses. With three of the four Team U.S.A. horses at the FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy being graduates of the YEH program, as well as top placings at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships, the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill, the Kentucky Three-Day Event and the year-end USEA leaderboards, the YEH program is making its mark as a major talent spotter for top athletes in the sport of eventing.

If you look at HSH Blake’s competition record, it won’t take you long to understand why Caroline Martin is dreaming big with the7-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. Owned in partnership by Caroline Martin, Sherrie Martin and Molly Hoff, HSH Blake (Tolan R x Doughiska Lass) has already seen much success in his short career, collecting the championship title at the 2020 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship, several top 2 finishes at the CCI2* level and multiple top 10 finishes at the CCI3* level since stepping up this year.

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.

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.