United States Eventing Association

Accomplished horsewoman Debbie Atkinson shares her thoughts on the two-track system in eventing for the Training levels, one being a "step up" to Preliminary and the other being a regular Training division as it’s always been. Of course, this is still in the brainstorming process, and may never become a new system…but it’s worth discussing. What are your thoughts regarding this system?

I’ve been in the horse business for 30 years with experience in show hunters, jumpers, race horses, breeding and, as of late, event horses. For the last 14 years, I owned and managed a boarding barn in Thompson Station, Tennessee. I competed event horses, many of them homebreds, from Beginner Novice to Intermediate levels. I also instructed and coached students through the same levels.