United States Eventing Association

If you’re a new team setting out to compete in the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships in just a couple of weeks, preparing for the “happiest horse trial” in the U.S. may seem a bit daunting. With five components to the Spirit Award contest that require creativity and cohesion between team members, there is a lot that goes into preparing and packing to leave for the event.

Since the mid-’80s, lifelong horsewoman and professional artist Debra Sue Waters has devoted countless hours to the sport of eventing, and last year topped the rankings of the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program in Area V. Assisting behind the scenes at an event just comes naturally to the Millsap, Texas, resident.

Bec Braitling was 23 when she tackled her first four-star, now five-star, level competition at Adelaide in East Park Lands, Australia.

Kelly O’Brien has her eye on a prize. “Pretty much the rest of this season will be targeted towards getting fired up for the AEC,” says O’Brien, 54. She and B E Never Say Never, a 19-year-old Dutch Warmblood, have qualified for the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds already, thanks to decisively winning all three of their 2024 outings thus far.

Gretchen Butts grew up in the long-format era of eventing in the 1970s, completing the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2003 and 2004 and finishing one of the last long-format Burghley Horse Trials (England) in 2004 on her beloved Zydeco.

The 2024 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships are fast approaching, and time is running out for program members to secure their spot at this epic event. For the first time, the Intercollegiate and inaugural IEL Championships will be hosted on the same weekend at the Stable View Local Charities H.T. in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 4-5, and the organizers are pulling out every stop to make this an unforgettable experience for all involved! The event has a maximum capacity of 400 entries, so don’t wait to add your name to the list of confirmed competitors.

While many spousal partners may choose to keep business and family separate, such is not the case for the duo behind Alliston Equestrian. From riding and coaching to winning the American Eventing Championships, husband and wife James and Helen Alliston do everything together, every day.

The coveted Spirit Award, which originated from the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship and quickly became as important as the competition itself, will be returning this year with double the excitement at the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships! With the two program championships merging for the first time, the organizing team at Stable View is committed to making the weekend an unforgettable experience for these middle school, high school, and undergraduate students. Separate Spirit Contests will be offered for each program , and Stable View has generously donated perpetual trophies for the two contest champions. The 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Championships will be held at the Stable View Local Charities H.T. on May 4-5, 2024 in Aiken, SC. Click here to learn more and prepare to enter on opening day tomorrow, Tuesday, March 19!

Dear Benji, this is one of those notes I wish I wasn't writing. But if I didn't get my thoughts to you in some (albeit cheesy) way, I might go crazier than the situation is already making me.

When Alexa Thompson (née Ehlers) looks back at her eventing career, she can without a doubt trace where she is now back to a little Thoroughbred mare she got when she was just 10 years old named Crystal Clear (Far Out Wadleigh x Rollem Katrina).