May 01, 2025

Fast Facts: 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships

By Kaleigh Collett - USEA Staff | Press Release

Another record-breaking championship year for the USEA Intercollegiate and Interscholastic eventing programs is set to kick off tomorrow in Aiken, South Carolina, at Stable View, and the USEA can't wait to meet the students there! The second edition of the combined USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships has yet again proven that next year's inaugural standalone championships are exactly what the students are craving, with a remarkable 225 entries set to compete on 59 teams this weekend. Keeping reading for all that you need to know about the event!

USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship

  • The University of Kentucky secures the title of "School with the Largest presence" yet again this year, fielding 10 teams made up of 36 entries.
  • Texas A&M University will not only be returning to the Championship for the first time in three years, but they also earn brownie points for traveling the furthest to compete. From College Station, Texas, to Aiken, South Carolina, it is 990 miles and over 15 hours of driving.
  • All but one school that attended last year's event will return to contest the Championship, however, this year, there aren't any new schools putting their name in the hat.
  • The USEA will recognize an astounding 45 graduating seniors from 11 colleges and universities during Friday evening's opening ceremony and parade of teams at 6:30 p.m. ET in the Main Arena. Auburn University has the largest graduating class with 17 seniors walking for their plaques.
  • All five schools that have previously won the Championship title are entered to compete this year: the University of Georgia (2016), Clemson University (2017), Auburn University (2018, 2019, 2022, 2024), University of Kentucky (2021), and University of South Carolina - Aiken. The defending champion, Auburn University, will have eight teams hunting for another title.
  • All five schools that have previously won the Spirit Award will be in attendance as well: University of Georgia (2016), Texas A&M University (2017, 2019), University of Kentucky (2018, 2023), Auburn University (2021, 2022), and defending champions, Randolph-Macon College (2024). Click here to learn more about this year's Spirit Award criteria.
*Due to the large number of teams attending, not every team's name is listed on this graphic.

USEA Interscholastic Eventing Championship

  • Of the 57 IEL Clubs registered with the USEA, 15 will be represented this week in Aiken. This is double the number of Clubs in attendance in 2024!
  • Inaugural attendees, Aiken County Pony Club, Eastern Emerging Athletes (formerly A2 Developing Riders), GWIF Groupies, The Flying Potatoes, River Mist Eventing, River Run Eventing, and Willow South Eventing, will all return to Stable View this year.
  • In addition to our trend setters from 2024, eight new Clubs will field teams at this year's event: Area III Young Riders, Iron Bridge Hounds Pony Club, Lauren New Equestrian, Lewis Eventing, Radway Eventing, Salt Marsh Pony Club, Team L'Esprit Equestrian, and Tryon Collective.
  • Defending champions, the GWIF Groupies, and Willow South Eventing are tied for the title of "Club with the Largest Presence" with each group fielding three teams.
  • One member from Team L'Esprit Equestrian, Rachel Strong, earns the award for longest trek, as she makes her way from Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to Stable View. Similarly to Texas A&M, Strong's journey will span over 900 miles and take two days to complete.
  • Last year's most spirited club, River Run Eventing, will be back in force this year with two teams, including a scramble with Team L'Esprit. Expect to see lots of teal and black in this shed row!

Stay Connected!

If you haven't already, please be sure to join the USEA Intercollegiate & IEL Championships WhatsApp group, managed by Stable View, to stay in the know with all on-site updated at the event. Click here, or use the QR code to the right, to join now!

Schedule of Events

Thursday, May 1

  • 3:00 p.m. – Cross-Country course open
  • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. – Graze and Gaze at Ollie’s Inn

Friday, May 2

  • 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. – Dressage: T, M, P, I, A
  • 9:40 a.m. - 5:05 p.m. – Show Jumping: T, M, P, I, A
  • 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. – Graze and Gaze Party at Ollie's Inn & Mechanical Bull Game Night
    • **Don't forget to sign-up your hobby horse representative for Saturday night's competition during the party.
  • 6:00 p.m. – Teams gather at Main Arena to prepare for Opening Ceremonies
  • 6:30 p.m. – Opening Ceremony: Parade of Teams and Intercollegiate Senior Awards

Saturday, May 3

  • 8:00 a.m. - 2:10 p.m. – Dressage: S, BN, N
  • 8:30 a.m. - 5:45 p.m. – Cross-Country: T, M, P, I, A & S end of day
  • 9:00 a.m. - 5:20 p.m. – Show Jumping: BN, N
  • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. - College Fair in Pavilion
  • 12:00 p.m. – Educational Session: Sensory Soundness with Kerry Thomas in Upstairs Pavilion
  • 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. – Graze and Gaze Party at the Pavilion Pub, featuring the Hobby Horse Combined Test (starting at 6:00 p.m.)

Sunday, May 4

  • 8:00 a.m. - 3:15 p.m. – Cross-Country: BN, N
  • 9:00 a.m. – Show Jumping: S
  • 30-minutes after Final Scores are Posted (Approx. 4:00 p.m.) – Closing Ceremony and Championships Awards (unmounted)
    • **Attendance at Awards Ceremony is required to receive prizes.

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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. Many events across the country offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually or in 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 2025 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship will be held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 2-4. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, PulseVet, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, World Equestrian Brands and Young Rider 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 Club. The second annual USEA Interscholastic Eventing Championship will be held alongside the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 2-4, 2025. Click here to learn more about the Interscholastic Eventing League.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, PulseVet, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, World Equestrian Brands, and Young Rider for sponsoring the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League.

May 20, 2025 Young Riders

USEF Announces Host of the 2026-2027 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships

The U.S. Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce that the Maryland International and Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland, has been chosen as the host of the 2026-2027 USEF Eventing Young Rider Championships (CCIJ1*-Intro, CCIYJ2*-S, CCIU253*-S). The championships will be held on June 25-28, 2026, and June 24-27, 2027.

May 20, 2025

ECP Coach Ashley Johnson: Better Coaching for a Brighter Future

What makes a trainer qualified to coach? Could it be a master’s degree in psychology from Harvard University? A career as a five-star event rider? Being an ‘A’ rated Pony Club graduate? Getting your license as a U.S. Equestrian Federation ‘R’ judge and technical delegate for eventing?

May 19, 2025 Eventing News

MARS Bromont Rising U25 Grant Recipients Announced for 2025 MARS Bromont CCI

The MARS Bromont Rising U25 scholarship program, administered by the USEA Foundation, is pleased to announce the recipients of this year’s grant funding for riders aiming to compete in the MARS Bromont CCI (Quebec, Canada) taking place June 5-8.

May 19, 2025 Interscholastic

USEA Podcast #387: Flashbacks to the USEA Intercollegiate & IEL Eventing Championships

Were you one of the competitors at this year's USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) Eventing Championships? Or do you dream of the day that you can participate yourself? Are you just a huge eventing superfan and love seeing young riders of all ages enjoying the sport? No matter where you fall, you will love this week's episode of the USEA Podcast where we chat with a member of the USEA IEL champion team and the president of this year's Intercollegiate Spirit Award winners, the University of Georgia. Get a behind-the-scenes look at what it feels like to participate in one of these championships from Olive Dumais and Katlyn Parker.

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