United States Eventing Association

This week, the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program heads West for the second leg of the YEH Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California. On Friday, Oct. 24, and Saturday, Oct. 25, the best and brightest 4- and 5-year-old eventing prospects will vie for top honors in the USEA YEH West Coast Championships.

Today, competitors will have one more opportunity to earn a qualifying score of 70% or higher during Twin Rivers’ Last Chance Qualifier. Currently, one 5-year-old and two 4-year-olds are still in need of a qualifying score to move forward into the Championships, while an additional four 5-year-olds and four 4-year-olds will tackle today’s competition as a final preparation for the weekend.

The Field

• Twenty-five horses are entered to contest the USEA YEH West Coast Championships with 13 entries in the 4-year-old division and 12 entries in the 5-year-old division.
• The 2024 4-year-old Champion, MBF Dig Deep (Golddigger x Amber), the now-5-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by B.G. Damhuis and owned by Estrella Equestrian, will defend his title with Andrea Baxter in the irons.
  • In addition to MBF Dig Deep, Petar D (Qatar Ter Saleghem x Ereda M), the Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by F. Dankelman and owned and ridden by Mickayla Howard, and ESI Harvard (Etoulon VDL x Castellana), the Irish Sport Horse gelding bred by Ennisnag Stud, owned by Michlynn Sterling, and ridden by Bec Braitling, will return to Twin Rivers after competing in last year’s 4-Year-Old Championship.
• Whaddya Mean (Souper Speedy x Get It Straight), the 5-year-old Thoroughbred gelding bred in Canada by Gail Wood and Dr. Ruth Barbour, received the highest qualifying score in the nation at the Shepherd Ranch II qualifier. Whaddya Mean earned an impressive 90.20% with Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley in the tack. Jolley co-owns the gelding with Laura A. Schwingel.
• In the 4-Year-Old Championship, the horse with the highest qualifying score for the age group is Ramino (Comme il faut x Texana II), the Oldenburg gelding bred by Michael Heitmann, owned by Cellar Farm Corp., and ridden by Amber Birtcil. With a score of 84.20% earned at the Twin Rivers International qualifier, Ramino enters the event with the second-highest qualifying score in the nation, just behind MBF Mirror Image, who won the Champion title in the YEH East Coast 4-Year-Old Championship last weekend at the MARS Maryland 4 Star at Fair Hill.

• Geldings reign supreme again this year with only four mares and one stallion entered alongside 20 geldings.
• Andrea Baxter and Amber Birtcil are tied in the “Busiest Rider” category with four entries across the two age groups each.
• In addition to reigning champion, MBF Dig Deep, Baxter will present three 4-year-olds in the championships: Beachfield Vivaldi (Vivant Van De Heffinck x Cloonacauneen Black Beauty), the Irish Sport Horse gelding bred by Gemma Phelan and owned by Michlynn Sterling, DOS MBF Endeavour (HHS Cornet x DOS Kono), the Irish Sport Horse gelding bred by Dennis O’Sullivan and owned by Steve Harcourt, and MBF Rafelindo (El Salvador x Cisijgje V), the Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by P.J.H.M Snelting and owned by Estrella Equestrian.
• Alongside Ramino, Birtcil will ride Rivale T. (Kallmar VDL x Lady Olytha), the 4-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by M. Terpstra and owned by the Cellar Farm Corp. In the 5-Year-Old Championship, Birtcil will present two more entries owned by the Cellar Farm Corp.: Picasso (High Shutterfly x Athene HBC), a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by G.M. Benschop, and Prince of Oolde (Ibolensky x Aurora J), a Dutch Warmblood bred by G.W. Reurslag.

• This year, the Dutch Warmblood has out ranked the Irish Sport Horse for “Most Popular Breed” at the West Coast Championships. There will be nine Dutch Warmbloods competing in the event his week.
• Whaddya Mean is the only Thoroughbred entered in the Championships.
• Seven 4-year-olds and one 5-year-old were bred in the United States:
  • Everest (Escher DFEN x Synnia), the Dutch Warmblood mare bred, owned, and ridden by Anna Collier, is the sole American-bred entry in the 5-Year-Old Championship.
  • In addition to Everest, Collier has two homebreds in the 4-Year-Old Championship. Collier will rider the Hanoverian gelding, Earned Effort (Escher DFEN x Katie D), and the Oldenburg mare, Ladybird (WT Leapfrog, Hol. x Tiana Garbo WPN) in this division.
  • There are five more U.S. bred horses in the YEH West Coast 4-Year-Old Championship:
    • Excel Star Henry (Kings Cornet x Briarhill Debbie), the Dare to Dream Team’s Irish Sport Horse gelding who was bred by Anne Coyne and will be ridden by Earl McFall.
    • Maxance McManamy will present MBF First Class (Mountross Ernan x Killfeacle Star), the Irish Sport Horse gelding owned and bred by Charlotte Ryan Marinovich.
    • Tijon Moore will ride her own Thunderhoof’s Odin (Markus des Jardins x Wandamere Faye), a Warmblood stallion who she bred with her husband, James.
    • Olympia 21 (Rip Tide x Austria), a Holstiener mare, will be presented by her breeder and owner, Sarah Jane Nichols Jolley.
    • Karen O’Neal will present her own Dutch Warmblood gelding, Pendleton GB (Franklin x Beyonce), who was bred in Washington by Gwen Blake.

The Facts:

• The USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships are being powered by ShowConnect for the first time this year. Click here to view ride times and keep up with scores throughout the event
• New in 2025, Goresbridge will provide prize money to the YEH-4 and YEH-5 champions! For the first time since the program's inception, the winners for each age group will receive $1,000 in prize money and a certificate redeemable as a credit toward the purchase of a horse at the prestigious Goresbridge Go For Gold Sale, taking place on Nov. 10-12, 2025.
• The West Coast Championships will be livestreamed by EquiMotion Media. Click here to watch the Dressage phase on Friday and the Jumping & Galloping test on Saturday.
• The USEA YEH East and West Coast Championships are being judged by Debbie Adams (Dressage, Jumping & Galloping), Christel Carlson (Conformation), and Derek di Grazia (Jumping & Galloping).
• Each horse had to score a 70% or higher at a YEH qualifier this season to qualify to compete at the USEA YEH West Coast Championships.
• Horses in the 4-year-old and 5-year-old Championships will participate in three phases of competition: Dressage (20%), Conformation and Type (10%), and a Jumping/Gallop Test (70%), which combines five show jumps and 10 cross-country jumps for a derby-style course.
• The Holekamp/Turner Young Event Horse Le Lion d'Angers Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize of a $10,000 flight credit to France will be up for grabs for the highest-scoring horse from the YEH 5-year-old Championships (both East and West) that is qualified and willing to compete at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships for Young Horses in Le Lion d'Angers, France, in their 7-year-old year. The 5-year-old horses competing in this year’s championship will be eligible for the grant in 2027, based on their scores this week.

The Schedule:

Wednesday, October 22

• 12:00 p.m. – Stabling opens
• 4:30 p.m. – Show office open for packets
• 4:30 p.m. – YEH Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ) Jumping Course open for walking

Thursday, October 23

• Last Chance Qualifier
  • 1:00 – 2:15 p.m. – YEH LCQ Dressage (Ring 2)
  • 2:30 – 3:50 p.m. – YEH LCQ Jumping (Lower Pipe Ring)
• Championships
  • 10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. – Championships Dressage Familiarization (Flag Ring)
  • 5:00 p.m. – Championships Competitor Briefing (Hay Pole Barn)
  • 5:30 p.m. – Championships Jumping Course opens
  • 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. – Championships Competitor Welcome Happy Hour Sponsored by Bec Braitling Equestrian & Michlynn Sterling (River Bar)

Friday, October 24

• 10:00 – 11:45 a.m. – 4-year-old Dressage (Flag Ring)
• 10:10 – 10:55 a.m. – 4-year-old Conformation
• 12:45 – 2:15 p.m. – 5-year-old Dressage (Flag Ring)
• 12:55 – 2:35 p.m. – 5-year-old Conformation
• 4:30 p.m. – Nutrena Feed Analysis, Demo, & Discussion (Hay Pole Barn)

Saturday, October 25

• 9:30 – 11:15 a.m. – 4-year-old Jumping (South Pipe Ring)
• 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. – 5-year-old Jumping (South Pipe Ring)
• 1:15 p.m. – USEA YEH West Coast Championships Awards Ceremony (Flag Ring)
• 1:30 p.m. – Cross-country course open for schooling

Helpful Links:

• Live Scores powered by ShowConnect
• Livestream
• YEH Rules & Guidelines
• YEH Homepage
• Twin Rivers Website
• USEA Omnibus
• Event Coverage

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About the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program

The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged four- and five-years-old, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.

The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank The Dutta Corp., Goresbridge, ARMA, Bates Saddles, CrossCountry App, HorseWeek, The Jockey Club, Kerrits, Marshall+Sterling, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartEquine, and Standlee for sponsoring the Young Event Horse Program and Championships.

About The Holekamp/Turner Grant

Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. offers a prize to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient, consisting of a $10,000 flight credit from the Eastern United States to Europe.

About ShowConnect

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