United States Eventing Association

Brenda Jarrell grew up like most other young girls and she wanted one thing: a pony. Unfortunately for her, a pony was out of the cards and she got a fish instead. It wasn’t long though before she began saving up for riding lessons - they were $17. After that, Jarrell was hooked. Fast forward a few years and now Jarrell is one of the most important members of the Area I and USEA community and more than deserving of this month’s Volunteer of the Month nomination.

For Tayler Owen, horses were always a part of life. Owen is Texas-born-and-raised and she began riding at the age of six under the guidance of a very special trainer, Alyce Hinkle. Hinkle was very active in the eventing community and is a very well-known figure in Area V. She not only was involved in coaching the next generation, but she also spearheaded the Area V Young Rider program for many years.

“Volunteers are the backbone of our sport because if we had to pay every person that’s needed to run an event, the entry fee would be up to $2,000 a horse.” Christina Gray explained. “It’s astronomical the number of volunteers that are needed to do this sport but it’s what makes the sport so great.” A show secretary extraordinaire and a newly minted FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) volunteer, Gray has been on both sides of the volunteer curtain.

Kristin Hogan was not always involved in the horse world and she did not grow up around horses either. In fact, she played tennis and practiced law until her two daughters came along. It was these two girls, Maddie and Mallory, who inspired Kristin to become more involved in the horse community.

Jump judging is a position that enables volunteers to watch cross-country firsthand from the comfort of their seat. The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program Committee has created six educational volunteer videos on jump judging.

As of August 22, 2018, there are 19,800 hours recorded by 1,577 volunteers across the country at EventingVolunteers.com. Eventers can be strong, hardworking athletes, but the support behind the sport is just as hardworking if not ‘harder-working.’ Of those 1,577 volunteers, USEA Area II volunteers are the ones on top of every leaderboard.

This month’s volunteer of the month, Lefreda Williams, is more than just a volunteer. She is not only a pillar of the eventing community in Southern Pines, North Carolina and beyond, but she has also been volunteering and competing in the sport longer than most.

“Volunteers are the backbone of any successful competition and we couldn't run the events without their precious gift of their time,” the Eventing Discipline Manager for the 2018 World Equestrian Games (WEG) Shelley Page said.

The 2018 United States Eventing Association (USEA) American Eventing Championships (AEC) are just around the corner! This year, the AEC will make history as it celebrates its 15^th year while moving to the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, Colorado.

Beth Stoker has been around horses for almost her entire life. She began riding as a teenager in the hunter and jumper rings but when a judge told her, “Your horse will never do well in the hunter world,” she made the switch to eventing. The rest, they say, is history.