The countdown is on for the 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds! This year, the USEA AEC moves to the beautiful Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana. The AEC will move back to the Kentucky Horse Park in 2023, so if you have ever dreamed of riding in the Flathead Valley of Montana with views of Glacier National Park, you won’t want to miss this year’s very special opportunity.
The 2022 AEC is currently booked to run Tuesday, August 30 – Sunday, September 4, but in the case of lower entry numbers, the start date could possibly be Wednesday, August 31 or Thursday, September 1. The tentative schedule will be available soon, but the USEA encourages all competitors to enter the event on opening date so that the organizing team may put together a more solid schedule.
The qualification period for the 2022 AEC is May 24, 2021 – August 22, 2022. The USEA maintains a list of Qualified Riders and a list of Qualified Horses. Both horse and rider must be qualified for the AEC in order to compete and must still be eligible for the level of competition at which they qualified. For more specific information regarding AEC qualifications, visit the AEC qualification page.
The 2022 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will also host the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final where the winner will take home a whopping $30,000 personalized check! The other Championship taking place will be the USEA Adult Team Championships (ATC), which will host team competition for USEA Adult Rider Program members at the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training and Preliminary levels. Interested in participating in the ATC? Reach out to your Area Adult Rider Coordinator to be placed on an Area team.
More information and tentative schedule will be available soon. Follow along with AEC updates by joining the AEC Facebook page.
For general questions about the AEC, contact Kate Lokey. For questions regarding AEC qualifications, contact Sharon Gallagher.
About the USEA American Eventing Championships
The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport for the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Beginner Novice to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of horses and riders from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. The 2022 AEC also includes the $60,000 Adequan USEA Advanced Final and the 2022 USEA Adult Team Championships.
One of my passions is continuing to be a good student, because I think no matter how old I get, there are multiple reasons learning new things inspires me. First and foremost, it helps me be a better rider and trainer, so my horses benefit. Second, it helps me be a better teacher by exposing me to different ways to have a relationship with a horse or a student.
This month we’re going to begin a three-part series on how to create positive riding experiences by making sure the words you say to yourself and the thoughts you think to yourself are positive. Referred to as self-talk, internal dialogue, or brain babble; the words you say to yourself can have a huge impact on your performance. In fact, your thoughts and voice are actually considered behaviors, and just like how positive physical behaviors (i.e. a balanced transition) can create success, your verbal behaviors can also accomplish the very same thing. So let's spend the next few months talking about how to talk to yourself!
Being spontaneous has paid off for Kevin Keane and Sportsfield Candy. “I bought him on a Wednesday and showed him on a Thursday,” Keane recalls about his first event with his Irish Sport Horse gelding, then 9 years old, at Plantation Field Horse Trials (Unionville, Pennsylvania) in September 2016. “I owned him for part of a day, and the next morning I showed up at a CCI and jogged him up for a two-star, and we went clean and clean and clean.”
THANK YOU to everyone who has already entered the USEF/USEA Recognized CDCTA Spring Horse Trials scheduled for Sunday, April 9 in Berryville, VA. We will continue to take late entries through Friday, March 24 using USEA’s Xentry system. If you still want to come compete, please enter! The late fee has been waived through Friday, March 24.