The 2024 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships were an incredible success, marking a new era of partnership for the two programs which aim to encourage the USEA’s junior and young adult members to continue to pursue their passion for eventing throughout their educational years and beyond.
With all-time high entries in the Intercollegiate Championship and a formidable group of spirited middle and high school students who carried the flag as the inaugural IEL Championship competitors, the pathway of participation in the sport through all stages of growth was proudly on display. None of this would have been possible without the generous support of many loyal partners.
Thanks to several corporate partners and event sponsors, the USEA was able to provide competitors on the top-three teams in both championships with thousands of dollars in prizes and in-kind donations. Bates Saddles, “The Official Saddle of the USEA,” provided their signature competition duffels, leather saddle pad bookmarks, saddle pads and hats. Kerrits, “The Official Competition and Training Apparel of the USEA,” gave the top-three teams gift certificates to trade in for breeches and/or a top of their choice from Kerrits’ extensive line of performance apparel. Horse & Country and Sidelines Magazine donated free one-year subscriptions to their services, while Nunn Finer and World Equestrian Brands gave an array of leather goods and protective gear their respective lines of products. WeRideTogether donated saddle pads, hats and socks, and U.S. Equestrian provided commemorative engraved leather lead shanks.
The USEA would also like to thank the organizing committee at Stable View for going above and beyond to make this event special for the championship competitors. Hosts Barry and Cyndy Oliff passionately championed the school-age entrants from the minute Stable View was announced as the venue for the 2024 event, and we thank them for their hospitality in welcoming the nearly 200 competitors and their supporters to the facility. Additional thanks go to Molly Bull, Emma Young, Dave Shapiro, Kena Black, Stephanie ____, and the rest of the Stable View team for always finding a way to accommodate the extra activities that make this the "happiest horse trial on Earth."
Finally, thank you to the cross-country course decorators, led by Diane Bird, for adding to the spirit of the event by decorating jumps for each school and club that competed.
For more information about the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program, please click here. For more information about the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League, click here. Don’t forget to save the date for the 2025 USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina on May 3-4!
About the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program
The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students at universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually or on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship is a capstone event for the program, which is held annually in the spring. The 2024 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship will be held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 4-5. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, Nunn Finer, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, and World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
About the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL)
In August 2020, the USEA Board of Governors approved the creation of the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) as an official program of the USEA. The mission of IEL is to unite junior riders who are in the 5th—12th grade and provide a supportive community through which students can continue to pursue their riding interests. A group of junior members in the 5th—12th grade who share a common bond, such as the same barn, school, Pony Club, or other connection, can register with the USEA as an IEL Affiliate. The USEA Board of Governors recently approved an inaugural IEL Championship to kick-off in 2024 at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, which will be held in conjunction with the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships on May 4-5, 2024. Click here to learn more about the Interscholastic Eventing League.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, Nunn Finer, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, and World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League.
Did you know that the USEA Foundation awards over 150 grants each year to deserving individuals who are involved in the sport of eventing? With grants that assist riders with accomplishing their competition goals, grants geared toward licensed officials, grants that are specific to continuing education for coaches, grants that assist competitions with obtaining frangible technology, and so much more, there really is a grant opportunity available to almost anyone!
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.