United States Eventing Association

Born in Paget, Bermuda, Peter Gray became the first international event rider to represent Bermuda in 1980. He competed all over the world, including three Olympic Games, two World Equestrian Games, a Pan American Games, Badminton, Burghley, and the Kentucky Three-Day Event – all before steeplechase and roads and tracks were removed from the upper levels of the sport.

There have been numerous event cancellations this year due to COVID-19, including all but one of the 2020 USEA Classic Series events. The Waredaca Three-Day Event in Laytonsville, Maryland is still set to take place six weeks from now on October 22-25, 2020. This Classic Series event features Preliminary, Training, and Novice Three-Day divisions and will offer competitors the opportunity to experience the four phases of endurance day, two horse inspections, and a week packed with educational content.

Conditioning makes the horse fit and increases his endurance performance with less wear and tear on feet and legs. The idea is to work his heart and lungs in short intervals, let him recover a bit, then work him again. The following schedule for Training level horse provides an introduction for the horse and rider at the lower levels to the principle of interval training.

The United States is one of the few countries to still see steeplechase in the sport of three-day eventing through the USEA Classic Series. By offering phase A through D on endurance day (phase B being steeplechase), a Classic Series event is a true test of physical and mental fitness for both horse and rider. Jim Wofford, a world-renowned expert in conditioning event horses, has a tried and true system that’s suitable for any Classic Series competitor.

In 2019, Doug Payne completed eight CCI*-L events on four different horses, and every time he jumped clear in the show jumping. This fault-free record resulted in a fifth-place finish with Vandiver at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event CCI5*-L, a team gold medal and individual fourth-place finish with Starr Witness at the 2019 Pan American Games CCI3*-L, a second-place finish with Baymax at Virginia Horse Trials CCI2*-L, and a win with Starr Witness at Jersey Fresh International CCI3*-L.

In 1993, Stephen Bradley had something to prove. It was the year after the Barcelona Olympic Games where Bradley had two unexpected refusals at the water complex. “It was very disappointing and a huge learning curve for me,” said Bradley. Little did he know, his path to redemption would result in winning the Burghley Horse Trials CCI4* (now CCI5*-L) – a victory so great that only two Americans have achieved: Bruce Davidson Sr. in 1974 and Bradley in 1993.

There has been a lot of discussion recently about the two formats for our sport, Classic and Olympic (short). I am sure many USEA members are scratching their heads right now and asking, “Which format is right for me?” I am not sure how you are going to answer that question, but for me the decision is already made.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to welcome back longtime sponsor, FITS Riding, Ltd. for 2020. They are returning as a Bronze Level Sponsor of the 2020 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds, a Contributing Level Sponsor of the 2020 USEA Adult Team Championships, a Contributing Level Sponsor of the 2020 USEA Classic Series, and a Contributing Level Sponsor of the 2020 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships.

Since the start of the USEA Classic Series in 2008, Classic Series competitors have had the chance to earn twice the amount of USEA leaderboard points than a recognized horse trial. The reason behind this is because a Classic Series event is considered “a more challenging competition than that of a horse trial."

The USEA Classic Series keeps the spirit of the long format event alive for Beginner Novice through Preliminary levels. For some, riding in a Classic Series event is the highlight of their competitive season and completing a long format event at any level is quite the achievement.