United States Eventing Association

If you’ve competed in an FEI event in recent years, there’s a good chance you’ve had the pleasure of riding a show jumping course designed by Chris Barnard or Marc Donovan. Collectively, the course designing duo has left their mark on dozens of venues throughout the U.S., with some of the most notable being The Event at Rebecca Farm (Kalispell, Montana), Tryon International Equestrian Center (Mill Spring, North Carolina), Stable View (Aiken, South Carolin), Carolina International (Raeford, North Carolina), Galway Downs (Temecula, California), and the USEA American Eventing Championships.

With the AEC in our rearview mirror, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) is officially starting the countdown to the 2024 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in Seattle, Washington! On Dec. 12-15, the USEA invites its members to join us at The Westin Seattle hotel to discuss, learn, and enjoy being surrounded by fellow eventing enthusiasts.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is thrilled to announce that eventer and horseman Tik Maynard will give the keynote address at the 2024 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, held Dec. 12-15 in Seattle, Washington.

American rider Jenny Caras is holding her own on British soil. On July 24, she and Sommersby, who she owns with Jerry Hollis, won the Hambro Sport Horses CCI3*-S at Burgham Horse Trials in Northumberland, England. The pair finished on their dressage score of 28.2, their best finishing score yet. It hasn’t always been easy for this pair, but Caras feels as though Sommersby really stepped up to the plate.

On Dec. 12-15, the United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) will be relocating to Area VII for the 2024 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in Seattle, Washington! The Emerald City is known for its culture, cuisine, and coffee, as the birthplace of Starbucks, and it will serve as the perfect backdrop for a week centered around horse and rider safety. The USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is hosted annually to allow our dedicated USEA members and supporters to discuss, learn, and enjoy being surrounded likeminded individuals, and this year’s event is set to be another exciting opportunity to bond over the sport.

The Event at Rebecca Farm is set to begin in less than one month in Kalispell, Montana. Competitors from around the country are preparing to travel to the event, and thanks to the generosity of the Broussard Family Charitable Foundation and administration of the USEA Foundation, that trip will be made more accessible through the Rebecca Farm Travel Grants.

Emily Graeser just chuckles when someone asks her if she has considered switching to straight dressage now that she is 84 years young. “I think to myself, yeah right,” she said with a laugh. “Eventing is an addiction; once you start, you can’t do anything else.”

While not an eventer himself, Jim Moyer has been involved in the eventing community for five decades through his late wife, instructor Jean Moyer. When Jean died in 2020, Jim continued volunteering in the sport to stay busy in retirement and stay connected to the community he loves.

There aren’t many riders who can say they competed at five of the world’s seven five-star events in 2023, but the 2023 World Equestrian Brands USEA Rider of the Year Boyd Martin can. With nine starts across the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, Longines Luhmühlen Horse Trials (Germany), Defender Burghley Horse Trials (England), MARS Maryland 5 Star, and Pau (France), Martin earned five top-5 finishes.

Bethany Hutchins-Kristen headed into 2023 with hopes of earning the SmartPak USEA Stallion of the Year award for a second year in a row on her homebred Geluk HVF, and after a stellar season, including a top-10 finish at the TerraNova CCI2*-L (Myakka City, Florida), she took home the top prize with an 18-point lead.