United States Eventing Association

College riders across the southeast are in their last weeks of preparation for the final intercollegiate competitions of the semester. The first will be hosted by the Virginia Horse Trials on Oct. 29-Nov. 1. The second Team Challenge will be hosted by Poplar Place Farm during their Nov. 7-8 Horse Trials. This event closes Tuesday, Oct. 20th, so anyone interested in participating should get their entries in! Click here for the omnibus listing.

There are currently 29 active affiliated colleges and universities. As more schools become involved in the program, the competition becomes more intense as these young riders try to prove themselves on a collegiate stage.

How Does a Team Challenge Work?

The collegiate challenges occur in tandem with an USEA recognized Horse Trial. Individual college athletes enter the hosting event as an individual and compete in divisions with mixed collegiate and non-collegiate riders (Think Beginner Novice Rider, Open Training, etc.). College rider’s scores are then collected to count toward their respective team. Because of the unequal numbers of participants between Universities, each team in the challenge consists of four members, one of which is the “drop” score. This means that one college affiliate could send multiple teams to participate. Teams can also be composed of members riding at different levels.

How Does the Scoring Work?

Because collegiate Eventing is open to competitors of all levels, a coefficient system has been put in place to ensure that all riders can compete fairly against one another. A rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for each level to create even playing field. The coefficients are as follows:

Beginner Novice: 1.1 Novice: 1 Training: 0.9 Preliminary: 0.85 and Intermediate: 0.75

This system takes into account the increased difficulty in achieving lower scores as you move up the levels.

Just as the USEA maintains a points system for amateur riders, there is also a program to track the leaders within the collegiate community. Click here for the leaderboard. Collegiate rankings are avaliable for each level.

How can My School Get Involved?

Click here for a list of Affiliated Colleges and Universities.

If you already have organized an Eventing Team, fill out this Affiliate Application Form and submit to the USEA. All schools are eligible to receive free affiliation their first year. After this time, the Affiliate membership is $75 per year. Each member of the team must still have an individual membership with the USEA.

If you do not already have a team organized, we suggest you reach out to your schools equine science department or equestrian team. If you should have any questions about becoming an Affiliate, please contact Kate or Jennifer in the USEA office.

College Eventers receive a $25 discount off their individual USEA Membership. They can renew their membership by logging into their online services account. A refund for $25 will then be issued after the USEA received proof of enrollment.

Have more questions about the Collegiate Riding Program? Click here.

If you need more assistance, please contact Kate Lokey.