Twenty-three pairs are set to start the MARS Maryland 5 Star on Oct. 16, and four of those are USEA Young Event Horse program graduates. The YEH program serves as a pathway to introduce young horses to the sport of eventing. Founded in 2004, the program’s goal is to identify 4- and 5-year-old horses that possess the talent and disposition that, with proper training, can excel in the four-star and five-star levels of eventing.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that That’s Me Z, owned by Tommy Greengard and Andrea M. Pfeiffer, is the likely recipient of the 2024 Holekamp/Turner Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize. That’s Me Z (Take A Chance On Me Z x Venetia) is a 7-year-old Zangersheide gelding ridden by Greengard and was bred by Simons Roeland. The pair aims to represent the U.S. at the 2024 FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L championship. The championship will take place at La Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France, from Oct. 17-20.
What do a cultural anthropologist and an equestrian have in common? One answer would be Dr. Aubrey Graham. Aubrey went from specializing in humanitarian aid in the Congo to mastering the art of re-training off-the-track Thoroughbreds (OTTBs) to be the best that they can be.
Breathtaking beaches, sparkling water, tropical flowers and Haleakalā National Park: When most people think of Maui, that’s what comes to mind. That’s not the case for Gaby Ruane. For Gaby, Maui is the place where she realized she wanted to become an equestrian professional.
The race to Le Lion continues, as the 2024 FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships edge closer on Oct. 17-20. The USEA continuously tracks the horses in contention for the 7-year-old championship in Le Lion d’Angers, France, and this year includes several competitive horses vying for the Holekamp/Turner Grant, which provides significant funds to one eligible horse to represent the United States in France.
Kate Homan’s eventing schedule keeps her pretty busy. Between campaigning horses and teaching a small string of clients across northern New Hampshire, she spends her spring and summer seasons focused on her horses while her fiance works their 100-head dairy cattle operation. And as if that wasn’t enough to have to juggle, once the weather starts to cool down just north of the White Mountains, Homan turns her attention to her other passion—sled dog racing.
As the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships approach this fall at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill (East) and Twin Rivers Ranch (West), the USEA is connecting with eventers that have their sights set on competing with their 4- or 5-year-old prospects. This month, Kaitlin Hartford checks in from Callahan, Florida, to talk about her journey with her own and Elly Schobel’s 4-year-old Danish Warmblood stallion, Tak For Farven (Tempest WT x Ostentatious).
It was 1987 in southern Illinois when an eventing superstar was born. Lauren Nicholson’s parents were accustomed to seeing horses throughout their neighborhood, but they knew nothing about equestrian sport at the elite level. When Lauren was 6 years old, they helped her pursue lessons at a local stable in southern Illinois, but they had no idea how far those lessons would eventually take her. A passion was ignited that was so strong, it would drive her to help the United States claim the team gold medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, and go on to compete at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games.
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
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.