Apr 01, 2018

A Letter From PHC Chair Matt Brown

Matt Brown and BCF Belicoso show jumping under the lights at the 2017 USEA American Eventing Championships Advanced Gold Cup Final. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

As the incoming chair of the Professional Horseman’s Council, I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself and the Council and talk about what some of our goals are for the upcoming season.

Equestrian sport has served to inspire my life and career since I was able to say the word "horse." Eventing in particular captured my imagination with the bravery, athleticism, and horsemanship that I saw in the horses and riders galloping cross-country. I truly believe that eventing represents the best in equestrian sports; partnership, teamwork, comradery, toughness, boldness, freedom, grit.

It is with this passion for our sport and a belief that we can evolve into a safer modern sport, while still maintaining our foundational principles, that the PHC will work to help ensure the sport of eventing will continue to thrive well into the future.

Our Mission

The Professional Horseman’s Council is composed of active members of the USEA who are professionals in all aspects of the sport of eventing. The purpose of the council is to facilitate communication between professionals and the eventing community, including the governing body, officials, organizers, and competitors and to assist in the further development, growth, and safety of our sport.

Who We Are

  • Matt Brown, Chair
  • Angela Bowles
  • Max Corcoran
  • Robert Kellerhouse
  • Lauren Kieffer
  • Heather Morris
  • Karen O'Connor
  • Tamra Smith
  • Travers Schick

What We Are Working On

  • Continuing to discuss safety including; fence construction, course design, footing, flagging, etc.
  • Footing. Experimenting with ways to objectivity evaluate and grade footing at eventing venues so riders can know what to expect for the competition.
  • Facilitating communication between competitors and stewards to maintain calm and well-run warmup areas.
  • Outreach. We will be working on reaching out to competitors, organizers, and Area Coucil members to see where the PHC could be helpful in fulfilling their needs.

As professionals within the sport of eventing we understand that our sport depends on the participation of amateurs, young riders and professionals in order to have a healthy, vibrant and growing sport. We will be working on outreach in order to lend support to causes that are important to the sport as a whole and which effect riders at all levels.

Unlike other mainstream sports which are spectator based, our sport is participant driven. It is truly OUR sport, so it is important to grow the number of participants and for participants of all types from lower level amateurs and young riders to high performance riders, course designers, organizers, and other professionals to be invested in the sport and in each other and together continue developing and enjoying the sport we all love.

I encourage anyone with ideas, thoughts, or comments to reach out to any of the PHC members. I can personally be reached at [email protected].

See you all on cross-country!

Matt Brown, PHC Chair

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

2025 K3DE Rider Talk: What Are They Saying About Cross-Country?

Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Off the Record Breaks Records in Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Defender Kentucky

Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Soaked, but Not Shaken: Boyd Martin Flies the Flag for the U.S. at Defender Kentucky in Second

Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.

Apr 25, 2025 Association News

Beware of Phishing Attempts and Other Types of Fraud

Please always remain vigilant when it comes to sending any personal communications via email or text. Every year we receive reports of members and leaders of our sport receiving phishing attempts both online and by phone. These are often communications disguised as being sent from USEA staff or other leaders. As the years go on, the phishing attempts appear to be more directed and tailored.

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