Dear U.S. Eventing Community,
Our country and our world are facing a pandemic the likes of which haven’t been seen in over a century. This is creating a monumental barrier to our ability to enjoy our sport in a normal fashion. We recognize the tremendous burden this is placing on our competition organizers, venues, and professionals. Our hearts are with you and we will do everything we can to bring the sport back to full speed as soon as possible. It is essential that the eventing community does our part in this challenging time. I am confident we will get through this and eventing will resume like normal. We are a tough and resilient bunch and we will kick on!
I want to notify our members and the general public that the United States Eventing Association (USEA) has prepared for difficult times. Since the USEA was founded over 60 years ago we have been well-guided by volunteer leaders on the USEA Board of Governors and they have held true to our mission, goals, and core values. One of our primary governance measures is maintaining several months of cash coverage to sustain our Association in times of difficulty. While there is no telling how long this pandemic will seize up our sport and the economy, rest assured that we will be here to support you on the other side. We are also incredibly lucky that the USEA Foundation has worked over the years with the USEA Board of Governors and the small but mighty USEA Staff to raise funds for when they are needed most. We are continually grateful for the support we have received from all of those on our honor roll of donors.
At the onset of the pandemic the USEA Staff took immediate steps to conduct a department by department evaluation of the essential services our office provides to the eventing community. We were able to enable telework for about 95% of those essential services, and the services unable to be completed remotely will be handled by staff local to the USEA headquarters in Leesburg, Virginia. Additionally, we have suspended all work-related travel and identified additional areas to enact cost-cutting measures. Finally, we evaluated our individual staff duties and delegated temporary staff replacements should it become necessary.
As of March 17th the USEA headquarters is closed to the public, but we are working hard to make sure that you do not experience any disruption of service. We will re-evaluate our office status on March 27th and announce further plans. While the USEA headquarters is closed the USEA Staff will still be available by phone and email. As always the USEA will endeavor to communicate the status of our sport and encourage you to review the announcements and resources available on www.useventing.com.
Thank you for all that you do for our sport!
Respectfully
Rob Burk
USEA Chief Executive Officer
Did you know that there are over 53,000 wild mustangs in holding facilities across the United States? My mustang journey began in February 2018 after losing my heart horse whom I had just shy of 20 years. I wanted another horse of color, and my friend sent me the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) internet adoption link. I was amazed at all of the horses available on the internet auction, but I quickly fell in love with Woodrow. I learned that he was a popular band stallion in Wyoming and had been followed by photographers for close to three years.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the addition of the Modified Rider division beginning at the 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC), presented by Nutrena Feeds. The USEA AEC will move back to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky August 29–September 3, 2023.
Are you interested in competing in the sport of eventing but aren’t quite sure how to get started? Do you have a horse that is looking for a new career? Consider participating in a USEA New Event Horse (NEH) competition in 2023! The USEA NEH Program was created to be an introduction to the sport of eventing for both horse and rider, and the 2023 NEH Calendar is now available here.
Will Coleman had a huge 2022 with his string of horses, including a team silver medal at the FEI World Eventing Championship in Italy on Off The Record and top four-star placings with Chin Tonic HS, but it was Dondante whose consistency paid off to earn the Standlee Premium Western Forage USEA Horse of the Year title.