United States Eventing Association

Recently, while teaching the USEA EA21 Central Clinic in Kansas City, Missouri, I found myself reflecting on what it means to produce eventing horses all around this huge country where trainers, coaches, and athletes find themselves with vast differences in access to cross-country courses, schooling fields, or just open land.

For many eventers, competing in a long-format three-day is on their bucket list—and with offerings across the country at the lower levels, the goal is much more attainable than it’s ever been.

There is nothing like competing in a USEA Classic Series Event and interim USEA Podcast Host Rosie Russell sat down to chat with the three champions from the Coconino USEA Classic Series. Hear what motivated these talented eventers to participate in the long-format this year, how each competitor prepared for the event, what they learned from the experience, and so much more!

The Summer Coconino H.T. and Western Underground Inc. T, N, BN 3 Day Event is a staple on the Area X calendar for its fun environment and, of course, its Classic Series divisions. Competitors from all over flock to Flagstaff, Arizona, to check the box on one of their eventing goals. This year, the event at Coconino offered three long-format divisions and saw two first time winners and one Classic Series veteran rise to the top.

What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.

There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.

Despite our best plans and organizational efforts, life with horses can very often mean we are cycling through Plans B through Z when we start the day with Plan A in mind. If your summer schedule includes your first horse trials or your hundredth, it’s always helpful to check-in with your own organization methods to stay prepared and ensure competition day runs as smoothly as possible.

One of my favorite sayings is, “You don’t win ribbons at horse shows, you only pick them up there.” The idea behind this message is that our ability to succeed is really created in our schooling sessions where we learn and practice the many skills required to ride successfully.

Anyone who has had the pleasure of competing at The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, will likely tell you that it is one of the most picturesque and inviting eventing venues in the country. The Broussard family, owners and operators of Rebecca Farm, have tirelessly supported the sport of eventing for decades, and that support has extended to the USEA Classic Series since its inception.

Any day spent with a horse is bound to be a good day, because each and every one of those days will be filled with endless learning experiences and memorable opportunities. Unfortunately, sometimes it can be a bit tricky to see those opportunities for what they are, or even worse, mistakenly view them as obligations, and it can all start with a few innocent words, called obligation-creation phrases, that we might unintentionally mutter to ourselves.