The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce a new format has been approved for the 2022 USEA Future Event Horse (FEH) Championships 3-year-old division. This new format will remove the triangle presentation for 3-year-olds but instead will have the full presentation take place in the jump chute arena at all three Championship venues.
The FEH East Coast Championships will be held on Sept. 17-18, 2022, at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland. The FEH Central Championships will be held on October 9, 2022, at Haras Hacienda in Magnolia, Texas. The FEH West Coast Championships will be held on Oct. 28-29, 2022, at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California.
To qualify for the USEA FEH Championships, FEH horses must earn a minimum qualifying score of 72 percent at any qualifier to be eligible. Horses may qualify in any part of the country but may only compete in one Championship. The 4-year-old horses may also qualify for both the FEH and USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships but may only choose one program Championship to compete in, as they may not compete in both the FEH and YEH Championships in the same year.
The FEH Committee and the USEA Board of Governors approved this format change to the 3-year-old division for the championships only. During Championships, 3-year-olds will not be presented in-hand around the triangle but will instead be presented in-hand and at liberty in the jump chute enclosed arena. The horse will enter the jump chute arena with the handler and will first be judged in-hand on conformation and walking movements. Then, the reins will be detached and the FEH horse will be let loose, guided by a professional handling team, for the trot and canter evaluation. After the canter evaluation, the horse will end the presentation with the jumping evaluation in the jump chute. This format change is for the Championships only, and 3-year-olds will continue to be judged in-hand in the triangle format for all FEH qualifiers.
A triangle will continue to be used to judge the movement for yearlings and 2-year-olds, and the 4-year-olds will continue to be judged on movement under saddle.
“This new format change is a step in the right direction,” said Susan Graham White, FEH Committee Co-Chair. “This change will help ensure the safety of FEH Championship participants, it will reduce the cost of handling fees, and the judges will be able to better assess the quality of trot for 3-year-olds. In future years, we would like to eventually have the yearlings and 2-year-olds evaluated in the jump chute arena as well.”
Click here to view the updated FEH Rules.
Start planning the FEH season by viewing the 2022 FEH Calendar.
About the USEA Future Event Horse Program
The USEA introduced the Future Event Horse Program in 2007 in response to the popularity of the already established USEA Young Event Horse Program. Where the YEH program assesses 4- and 5-year-old prospective event horses based on their performance, the FEH program evaluates yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds for their potential for the sport based on conformation and type. Yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds are presented in-hand while 4-year-olds are presented under saddle at the walk, trot, and canter before being stripped of their tack and evaluated on their conformation. Divisions are separated by year and gender. At the Championships, 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds are also required to demonstrate their potential over fences in an additional free-jump division. Click here to learn more about the Future Event Horse Program.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee Premium Western Forage, Saratoga Horseworks, and The Jockey Club for sponsoring the Future Event Horse Program.
To accompany the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, USEA Educational Partner STRIDER has prepared Digital Resources to Maximize Education & Access for the Eventing Community. In keeping with the USEA’s mission to expand the sport of eventing, this webinar outlines ways in which digital tools can be leveraged to increase access and education across equestrian opportunities. As part of STRIDER’s popular Professional Development Webinar Series, this presentation aims to provide a quick overview of best practices and digital tools used across the equestrian industry to boost growth.
Every horse who participated this year in the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program has a story—a background that involves a breeder who labored over bloodlines, veterinary care, initial training, and so much more. This year’s highest-placing U.S.-bred horse in the 5-year-old division at the Dutta Corp./USEA Young Event Horse Championships, Arden Augustus, is no exception. His breeder and owner, Anita Antenucci of Arden Farms in Upperville, Virginia, started her program nine years ago and said that the Warmblood gelding was a more emotionally driven breeding for her than others due to his connections with Antenucci’s long-time friend Sharon White.
Have you ever wondered why professional riders love bringing their horses through the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program? USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown chats with two of this year's YEH Champions, Caroline Pamukcu who won the USEA YEH 4-year-old East Coast Championship aboard HSH Afterglow, and Andrea Baxter who won the USEA YEH 5-year-old Championship with Camelot PJ, to discuss this year's Championships and all of the great things that the program has to offer.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is delighted to announce its renewed partnership with Rebecca Farm for the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention. Rebecca Farm, which is owned and operated by the Broussard family, will return as a Gold Sponsor of the event and act as the Official Sponsor of the Annual Meeting continental breakfast. The 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention will take place this week on Dec. 7-10 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel in St. Louis, Missouri.