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.
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.
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.
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.
An interesting addition to the Adult Rider Open Forum that took place during the 2022 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention was the Grooms panel featuring some of the grooms from the 2022 Eventing World Championships. Former USEA President and professional groom Max Corcoran sat down alongside Stephanie Simpson, groom for Boyd Martin, and Hailey Burlock, groom for Will Coleman, to chat about all things related to grooming.
One of the biggest highlights, undoubtedly, from the 2022 eventing season was Team USA’s performance at the 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni. The USEA was lucky enough to have all of the team riders for the U.S. in attendance for this year’s USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, and alongside Chef d’Equipe Bobby Costello and former USEA President and USEF Eventing Elite Program and Team Facilitator Max Corcoran, the team members came together for a review of the 2022 World Championships during this year’s annual gathering. Curious as to what each team member had to say relating to this year’s showdown? We’ve compiled a favorite quote from each member of the panel for your review 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.
The meeting room was full of eventing enthusiasts for the Rule Change Open Forum that took place on Saturday, December 10 during the 2022 Annual Meeting & Convention in Savannah, Georgia. Moderator Malcolm Hook outlined the 12 eventing-specific proposed rule changes and clarifications and 15 general rule changes which would impact eventing competitors which have not yet been approved by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). Throughout the session, Hook welcomed questions and feedback from forum attendees and encouraged USEA members to continue to send in their feedback via the rules feedback portal which will go live on Wednesday, December 14th on the USEA website.
Each year, the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention comes to a close with a final meeting of the USEA Board of Governors (BOG). USEA President Lou Leslie kickstarted the meeting by officially calling to order her first USEA BOG meeting as USEA President.
This year’s USEA Annual Meeting & Convention was a special week in Savannah, Georgia. It included several days of celebration and education, including the year-end annual awards ceremony, as well as the USEA’s Hall of Fame Gala. This week and weekend would not have been possible without the support of the many loyal partners of the USEA and the Convention.
Attendees of the 2022 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention gathered together on Saturday, December 10 for a celebration of some of the sport’s most influential key players that takes place only once every four years: the USEA Eventing Hall of Fame Gala. This year the USEA Eventing Hall of Fame welcomed five new inductees into its class of esteemed riders, horses, and influencers of the sport. While only one of the inductees could be present themselves this year, the other four were well-represented with acceptance speeches on their behalf from family and close friends.