United States Eventing Association

Everything You Need to Know for the 2021 USEA FEH Championships

The 2021 USEA Future Event Horse (FEH) Championships kick off in two weeks! The first of three FEH Championships will be the FEH East Coast Championships taking place later this month and the FEH Central and FEH West Coast Championships will both take place in October.

FEH horses must earn a minimum qualifying score of 72 percent at any qualifier to be eligible to compete in the USEA FEH Championships. 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 USEA manages a running leaderboard with FEH horses that are qualified for the 2021 Championships, and the list of those horses may be found here. The FEH horses are listed in ranking based on the highest scores. The leaderboard is updated twice monthly after the USEA receives scores from each event.

Not yet qualified? All three Championship venues will have a last chance qualifier the day before their respective Championships.

The 2021 USEA FEH East Coast Championships are September 25-26, 2021 at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland. The East Coast Championships will be judged by Robin Walker and Lori Hoos.

**The closing date for the FEH East Coast Championships was Tuesday, September 7^th but they are accepting late entries through Sunday, September 19^th (a $25 late fee will apply).

Click here for the FEH East Coast Championships calendar listing.

The 2021 USEA FEH Central Championships are on October 9-10, 2021 at Haras Hacienda in Magnolia, Texas. The Central Championships will be judged by Lori Hoos and Katie Rocco.

Click here for the FEH Central Championships calendar listing.

The 2021 USEA FEH West Coast Championships will run concurrently with the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) West Coast Championships on Friday-Saturday October 29-30, 2021 at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California. The West Coast Championship will be judged by Chris Ryan and Susan Graham White.

Click here for the FEH West Coast Championships calendar listing.

It is recommended that all 3- and 4-year-old horses have experience going through a jump chute prior to Championships. There will be a jump chute clinic the day before FEH East Coast Championships, on Friday, Sept 24 at Loch Moy Farm with Martin Douzant. There will also be an in-hand and jump chute clinic with Martin Douzant the day before FEH Central Championships, on October 8, 2021.

All three Championship venues will provide a professional jump chute crew to safely guide the 3- and 4-year-olds through the jump chute phase. Every owner has the option to utilize this professional jump chute crew at no extra cost or they can bring their own crew.

The FEH West Coast Championships will have an FEH judge seminar on Thursday, October 28, it and will be led by the FEH Committee Co-Chair, Susan Graham White. The FEH East Coast Championships will also have an FEH judge seminar on Friday, September 24, and it will be led by FEH Committee Co-Chair, Robin Walker. Please contact Susan Graham White for more details.

Helpful Links for FEH Championships

• Top 10 Tips for Presenting Your Horse at an FEH Competition
• FEH Calendar
• FEH General Page
• FEH Rules
• FEH Equipment and Presentation
• FEH Tips for Handlers
• FEH Introduction to Free Jumping
• VIDEO: Introduction to Free Jumping
• VIDEO: FEH Handling, Part 1
• VIDEO: FEH Handling, Part 2

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 class. Click here to learn more about the Future Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee Hay Company, Saratoga Horseworks, The Jockey Club, and Etalon Diagnostics for sponsoring the Future Event Horse Program.