United States Eventing Association

Ace Cross-Country Riding Earns Leonard and Schoenborn Charles Owen Technical Merit Awards at Rebecca Farm

The Charles Owen Technical Merit Award was established in 2009 by the USEA Professional Horseman’s Council (PHC) to encourage safe and appropriate cross-country riding technique. The award is presented at a series of events throughout the year at the Training level to one junior rider and one adult amateur rider who demonstrate technique on cross-country for a list of criteria including gallop, preparation, execution of jump, rider position, and general impressions. Judges, who must be either Level III or IV ICP certified, USEF Licensed Eventing Officials or USET Senior Team Riders, reward the top riders who excel at these skills. The winners at each event receive a Charles Owen Body Protector and helmet bag, and year-end high-point winners will receive a Charles Owen helmet.

The third event in the 2017 Charles Owen Technical Merit series was The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Mont. (Area VII). Lauren Schoenborn and Eleanor Leonard received the award recognizing their demonstration of safe and effective cross-country riding.

Leonard was the winner of the Junior Charles Owen Technical Merit Award at Rebecca Farm, riding Daphne Leonard’s Alvescot Moneymaker (Marcolas G x Alvescot Professional Spook), an 8-year-old British Sport Horse mare. The pair finished second in the Junior Open Training division on a final score of 34.2.

“My main goal at Rebecca was to have safe and effective rides,” Leonard said, “and I think we accomplished that! It was definitely the most fun I've ever had on cross-country, and I owe a huge thank you to Brian, Jaimi, Ainsley, and Andrea Baxter as well for helping me prepare."

Eleanor Leonard and Alvescot Moneymaker. Alison Green Photo.

Schoenborn was the Adult Amateur winner of the Charles Owen Technical Merit Award, riding her own East of Omaha (Oliver x Summer), a 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. The pair finished in 17^th place in a very large division on a score of 43.8.

“I have indeed heard of the Charles Owen Technical Merit Award, but I honestly thought it was going to be a long shot for East of Omaha and me to win it,” said Schoenborn when she found out that she had won the Adult Amateur award at Rebecca. “There were approximately 100 competitors in the Senior Training divisions, and I can almost guarantee the majority of those horse and rider pairs have competed in far more events than Omaha and I have.”

When asked about what she thinks about the Event at Rebecca Farm, Schoenborn said, “I absolutely love the event there. It is the one event each year I told my boss that I am not allowed to miss. The Broussards, with the help of the property's staff members, course designers/builders, volunteers, judges, spectators, trainers, competitors and anyone else whom I embarrassingly have forgotten to name, have done a fantastic job creating this unforgettable sporting event. I look forward to many more events at Rebecca Farm!”

Visit the Charles Owen Technical Merit page on the USEA website to learn more about the program, and click here to view the complete judging criteria.

2017 Charles Owen Technical Merit Schedule

Pine Top Advanced H.T. | Feb. 23-26, 2017 | Thomson, GA (Area 3)

Coconino Summer I H.T. | July 8-9, 2017 | Flagstaff, AZ (Area 10)

The Event at Rebecca Farm | July 19-23, 2017 | Kalispell, MT (Area 7)

Fitch's Corner H.T. | July 22-23, 2017 | Millbrook, NY (Area 1)

Cobblestone Farms H.T. | July 28-30, 2017 | Dexter, MI (Area 8)

Colorado Horse Park H.T. | Aug. 12-13, 2017 | Parker, CO (Area 9)

Shepherd Ranch SYVPC H.T. II | Aug. 25-27, 2017 | Santa Ynez, CA (Area 6)

Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T. | Sept. 2-3, 2017 | Poolesville, MD (Area 2)

Otter Creek Fall H.T. | Sept. 15-17, 2017 | Wheeler, WI (Area 4)

Texas Rose Horse Park | November 11-12, 2017 | Tyler, TX (Area 5)

About Charles Owen

Charles Owen has been elevating the standards of safety in our sport by manufacturing to some of the top international safety standards for riding helmets and body protectors. At their design headquarters, Charles Owen uses an advanced computer simulation to perform impact analysis for their products. Charles Owen is the official riding helmet of the USEA. To learn more about Charles Owen visit their website.