United States Eventing Association

There are many reasons why I love using cavaletti throughout the year, but the main one is that they help you practice seeing your stride without taxing your horse’s legs. Not everyone has the option of jumping several horses a week, so it can be hard to find that balance between being able to practice your jumping enough and not over-jumping your horse.

In a year that saw the phrases “contactless” and “socially distant” embedded in day-to-day conversations, the highly social sport we love prevailed thanks to remarkable community efforts. Equestrians everywhere figured out creative solutions to fill the gap and remain connected despite the new challenges and uncertainties presented by the pandemic.

The USEA is sorry to announce that there will be no USEA Educational Symposium held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The USEA Educational Symposium is hosted annually each February as a week of learning for participants and auditors.

MIMclip technology will be used at all levels of international eventing competition (CCI*-CCI5*) from January 1, 2021 in accordance with the 2021 FEI Eventing Rules approved by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly in November 2020. The Swedish-made frangible devices are the only ones to pass the new FEI testing standards to date.

While on paper you may think that this exercise is overly simple, I find that it is the perfect thing to work on during the winter months to help prepare for the upcoming show season. I’m a big believer in training my horses – and students – in a systematic manner. And this is a great exercise to set up on your own and practice in between lessons. Even better, get a group of friends together and make a game of it.

We have the cure for the wintertime COVID-19 blues . . . join us for a virtual show series! Ride from the comfort of home or your training stable. Use a smartphone or camera to capture your ride and submit it for judging.

Two months ago we began a conversation about riding rehearsals; using mental imagery to visualize your ride before actually riding. I introduced you to several unique forms of mental rehearsals (in addition to the normal “crop-drawing” you’ve probably already tried), and the many different perspectives you can view them from (think camera angles).

One of the most exciting parts of the year is setting the goals you want to strive towards in the coming year and then sitting down with the USEA Calendar and selecting which events you will compete at to reach your goal. But successful goal-setting and planning isn’t just about selecting which events work with your schedule – it is a multifaceted process with many aspects to consider.

At the risk of stating the obvious, most of us who event do so because we enjoy jumping. But most of us could stand a bit of improvement, whether in the way we ride, in the way our horse goes, or both. Additionally, most of us will at some point be faced with the task of starting a green horse or re-schooling a horse that has devel­oped problems over fences.

Ema Klugman trusts the process. On self-produced horses, including her longtime four-star mount Bendigo, the 23-year old Maryland-based four-star rider has racked up impressive finishes at some of the U.S.'s most challenging international competitions. “You have to do it the right way on a few horses before you really learn to do this properly,” Klugman tells STRIDER.