United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the return of The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships to both the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill and Twin Rivers Ranch. Each venue has renewed their contracts for two-year terms with an option for a third automatic renewal as mutually agreed upon.

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is excited to announce that applications for the second class of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) New Judge Education Program are now open. Qualifying candidates, which are no longer required to hold a USEF judge’s license as of 2023, are encouraged to sign up to participate in the YEH New Judge Education Program to receive certification to judge the Jumping and Galloping phases of Young Event Horse competitions.

Daija Sams always jokes that the biggest mistake her parents made was signing her up for an equestrian summer camp. “I was 7 or 8, and my parents loved to put my brother and I in random summer camps to get us out of their hair a little bit and let us try new things,” reflected the now 23-year-old Aiken, South Carolina, resident. “And of course, horses were the one thing I stuck with and I just ran with it.”

It’s that time of year again! Time to start counting down the days until the 2024 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. This year’s 6-year-old CCI2*-L and 7-year-old CCI3*-L divisions will take place October 12-20.

Will Faudree strutted down the jog strip at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event horse inspection in a hot pink suit and cowboy hat with a big grin on his face. Fans love this version of Faudree: the easygoing persona, the smile, the laughter, the obvious care he has for his horses, and his love of Broadway musicals. But once you get to know his story, you begin to appreciate just how amazing it is that he approaches the chaos of his day-to-day life with comedy and a positive attitude.

Chelsea Luedke’s eventing journey leading up to this point has been the result of a lot of hard work and a little bit of luck on her side. The equine veterinarian based in Thornton, Colorado, did not grow up in a horse-involved family. It was by happenstance that she would wind up at an eventing barn at the age of 13 and find her true passion.

A total of 19 USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program graduates started the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, held April 24-28 in Lexington, Kentucky, in both the highly competitive CCI4*-S and five-star divisions.

Since the mid-’80s, lifelong horsewoman and professional artist Debra Sue Waters has devoted countless hours to the sport of eventing, and last year topped the rankings of the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program in Area V. Assisting behind the scenes at an event just comes naturally to the Millsap, Texas, resident.

The Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event is just over a week away, and a slew of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program Graduates are slated to make the trip to the Bluegrass State to compete in what is looking like an epic weekend of sport. Between the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L and the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S divisions, a total of 24 former YEH participants are set to go down centerline in the Rolex Arena next week. With the Paris Olympics quickly approaching, and the event serving as one of the final selection trials for team spots, the entry lists for both divisions are full of star-studded combinations setting their sights on big goals in 2024.

Bec Braitling was 23 when she tackled her first four-star, now five-star, level competition at Adelaide in East Park Lands, Australia.