United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is eagerly looking to this fall for the return of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East and West Coast Championships. Yet again, the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill in Elkton, Maryland (East) and Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California (West) will serve as hosts to the next generation of eventing superstars.

The USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program was established to identify young horses that possess the talent and disposition to excel at the uppermost levels of eventing. Each year, the YEH program meets its goal of establishing four- and five-star horses, and the program has seen many of its graduates succeed in the pipeline to go on to represent the United States in team competitions at the World Championships, the Olympic Games, Pan American Games, and at various Nations Cups.

This year, the USEA YEH East Coast Championships will take place on Thursday, October 16, and Friday, October 17, 2024. The following week, the USEA YEH West Coast Championships will take place on Friday, October 24, and Saturday, October 25 following a last chance qualifying event on Thursday, October 23.

Championship Judges

For the first time in program history, there will be three judges brought on to facilitate this year’s YEH Championships on the East and West Coast. Debbie Adams will judge the dressage phase, Christel Carlson will judge the conformation, and Derek di Grazia will join Adams to judge the jumping and galloping test. Selecting judges to fill the roles for each individual phase of the competition allows for the most experienced professionals to provide feedback in their areas of expertise.

On the East Coast, the organizers will also bring on a separate panel of judges for the 4-Year-Old Championship to accommodate the large entry numbers anticipated for this year’s event. Jeanne McDonald will return to judge the dressage phase, while Cathy Tucker Slaterbeck handles the conformation, then Helen Brettell and Phyllis Dawson will tag team the jumping and galloping phase. All three phases of competition for the 4-Year-Old Championship will take place on Thursday, October 16, causing the necessity for a separate judging panel, while Adams and Carlson are spending the day focusing on the 5-year-old’s dressage and conformation phases.

Qualifications

To participate in the 2025 USEA YEH Championships, 4- and 5-year-old horses must receive a qualifying score at a YEH Qualifier throughout the year. To view the calendar of YEH qualifying events, click here. For the East Coast Championships, horses must earn one score of 75% or higher to compete, while horses interested in competing in the West Coast Championships must earn one score of 70% or higher to participate. Once a qualifying score is achieved, horses will only be permitted to participate in one of the championships.

The USEA manages a running leaderboard of YEH horses that are qualified for the USEA YEH Championships, and that list of horses can be found here. The YEH horses are listed in ranking based on the highest scores, and the leaderboard is updated twice monthly after the USEA receives scores from each event. Horses still have several chances this summer and fall to compete in YEH qualifying competitions, so competitors are encouraged to use the YEH Series Calendar to make their plans for attaining qualification. If you don’t see a YEH qualifier in your area, consider reaching out to your local organizers to express your interest and ask them to add a YEH division to their event.

Entry Process

WEST: All entries must be received before the event’s closing date. Event management reserves the right to deny entries sent after closing date.

EAST: Provided they are complete, event management will accept entries for the USEA YEH East Championships in the order in which they are received, including a qualifying score, by no later than the closing date. 30 horses will be accepted in the 4-year-old division; 50 horses will be accepted in the 5-year-old division. For each age group, the remaining entries that have been accepted will be placed on a wait list and pulled off the wait list in order of highest qualifying scores. Entries must fully complete in order to be accepted, with a qualifying score at time of entering/acceptance in 2025.

* The YEH Committee voted to allow YEH qualifier competitions to take place up until the closing date of each Championship in 2025.

• West Coast: Closing date will be the day before the Championships, when the last chance qualifier takes place.
• East Coast: Closing date will be September 30.

Age Verification Process

Age verification must be submitted with entries for both championships. The following are suitable forms of age verification that must be received: Registration Papers, (or) Certificate of Pedigree, (or) passport issued by a breed or sport horse registry approved by the Federation, (or) horse identification documents issued by a breed or sport registry, approved by the Federation that states the registered name of the horse, the registry number of the horse and age. There will be no exceptions.

Grant Opportunity and Prizes

Once again, entrants in the YEH 5-Year-Old Championship divisions will be in contention for the Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Grant, which offers a cash prize to the highest placed 5-year-old horse from both championships, who qualifies and is willing and able to go compete in their 7-year-old year at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses at Mondial du Lion. Additionally, The Dutta Corporation will provide a credit towards a flight to Europe for the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient. Support and other prizes will be provided by USEA YEH sponsors ARMA, Bates Saddles, HorseWeek, The Jockey Club, Kerrits, Marshall+Sterling, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, and Standlee.

YEH Series Calendar

Woodloch Midsommer Combined Test YEH/NEH (Area IV)	July 27, 2025	Lori Hoos
Shepherd Ranch Pony Club H.T. YEH/NEH (Area VI)	August 1, 2025	Wendy Wergeles
Masterson Equestrian Trust (MET) YEH/NEH Qualifier (Area VIII)	August 9, 2025	Karen Winn and Maureen John
Applewood Farm YEH/OEH & Mini Event (Area II)	August 13, 2025	Debbie Adams
Waredaca Farm H.T. (Area II)	August 15, 2025	Helen Brettell and Natalie Hollis
Ocala Summer H.T. II (Area III)	August 16, 2025	Judge TBD
Bucks County Horse Park Horse Trials (Area II)	August 30, 2025	Judge TBD
Flora Lea Fall H.T. (Area II)	September 6, 2025	Judge TBD
Middle TN Pony Club YEH Qualifier (Area III)	September 7, 2025	Lori Hoos
Kinnitty Capall Stables YEH/OEH (Area I)	September 7, 2025	Joan Fleser
The Vista Fall YEH/NEH Qualifier (Area III) *	September 10, 2025 *	Ashley Boyd/Janice Holmes
Twin Rivers Fall International (Area VI)	September 18, 2025	Wendy Wergeles

Click here to view the full 2025 YEH Series Calendar.

Helpful Links for the YEH Championships:

• 2025 YEH Calendar
• 2025 YEH Championship Qualified Horses
• 2025 YEH Championship Information
• YEH Homepage
• YEH Rules and Guidelines
• Holekamp/Turner Grant Information
• YEH 4-year-old Championship Dressage Test
• YEH 5-year-old Championship Dressage Test

For questions or to inquire about the YEH Championships and/or the Holekamp/Turner Grant, contact [email protected].

About the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program

The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged four- and five-years-old, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.

The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Platinum Sponsor, The Dutta Corp., as well as ARMA, Bates Saddles, HorseWeek, The Jockey Club, Kerrits, Marshall+Sterling, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, and Standlee for sponsoring the Young Event Horse Program.

About The Holekamp/Turner Grant

Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. will provide a credit towards a flight to Europe from the Eastern United States to Europe.