United States Eventing Association

While five-star horses battle it out for bragging rights in the first-ever CCI5*-L Maryland 5 Star Event at Fair Hill, five star hopefuls will put their hard work to the test at the 2021 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships on the same show grounds. Running concurrently with the Maryland 5 Star, the YEH East Coast Championships will take place Thursday, October 14th and Friday, October 15th in Elkton, Maryland.

The Field:

• The top six from last year’s 4-year-old Championship are all returning to compete in the 5-year-old Championship: Galwaybay Redfield HSH Conner (1st), Quality Collusion (2nd), Butts Arthur (3rd), Kung Fu Quality (4th), Redfield Haras (5th), and Rappahannock (6th). In total, there will be 10 horses who competed in the 202 4-year-old Championship who are slated to give the 2021 5-year-old Championships a try.
• Ten riders have horses entered in both the 4-year-old Championship and 5-year-old Championship. These riders are Marley Bourke, Tim Bourke, Matthew Bryner, Courtney Cooper, Bruce Davidson Sr., Savannah Fulton, Elinor MacPhail O’Neal, Caroline Martin, Shannon Riley, and Allie Sacksen.

• Caroline Martin will be the busiest rider at YEH Championships as she has nine horses entered – four in the 4-year-old Championship and five horses in the 5-year-old Championship. Martin also has two horses entered in the CCI3*-L and one horse entered in the CCI5*, giving her a total of 12 horses that she aims to compete over the weekend.
• There are seven riders who are competing in the YEH Championships and the CCI5*-L: Phillip Dutton, Ema Klugman, Caroline Martin, Doug Payne, Colleen Rutledge, Lexi Scovil, and Karl Slezak.
• There are 11 riders who are competing in the YEH Championships and the CCI3*-L: Marley Bourke, Tim Bourke, Daniel Clasing, Sarah Cousins, Ellen Doughty-Hume, Mia Farley, Elinor MacPhail O’Neal, Caroline Martin, Lauren New, Doug Payne, Ryan Wood.
• Doug Payne and Caroline Martin are the only riders that have horses entered in the YEH Championships, the CCI3*-L, and the CCI5*-L.

• In the 4-year-old Championship there are two Innverness and Sligo Candy Boy progeny competing. Savannah Fulton will be showing the two Innverness foals, Islander (Inverness x Sandro Sky), a stallion owned by Ursula Ferrier and Insspired (Inverness x Magie’s Moonlight Inspiration) a mare owned by Shari Rayne. Ryan Wood has the ride on the two Irish Sport Horse geldings by Sligo Candy Boy: Castle Cavelier (Sligo Candy Boy x Rosalita) owned by Amy Pelowuin and Ryan Wood and Fernhill Domino (Sligo Candy Boy x Unbelievable Cappolla) owned by Martha Barchowsky.
• The popular sire OBOS Quality 004 has three offspring competing in the 5-year-old Championship: Caroline Martin’s Irish Sport Horse gelding HSH Redfield Haras (OBOS Quality 004 x Kilmullen Cruisalier), Laura Norton’s Irish Sport Horse gelding Quality Collusion (OBOS Quality 004 x KEC Sassari), and Danny Samson’s Irish Sport Horse mare BGS Calculated Chaos (OBOS Quality 004 x Frisky Amber).
• There is one Qredit foal in each Championship, Lily Kovach’s Oldenburg mare Quintessa AF (Qredit x All That Glitters) in the 4-year-old Championship and Matthew Bryner’s Oldenburg stallion Quaden AF (Qredit x Glitter) in the 5-year-old Championship.

The Facts:

• The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH East Coast 5-year-old Championships will be judged by Debbie Adams (USA) and Chris Ryan (IRL).
• Due to large entries at The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH East Coast Championships, the 4-year-old Championship will have separate judges: Linda Zang (USA), Cathy Tucker-Slaterbeck (USA), Phyllis Dawson (USA), and Peter Gray (CAN).
• Horse and rider pairs had to score a 75% or greater to qualify for the YEH East Coast Championships.
• Horses in the 4-year-old and 5-year-old Championships will perform a dressage test under saddle, be judged in-hand on their conformation, and then tackle a hybrid show jumping/cross-country jumping course with a gallop section at the end.
• YEH and FEH competitors are only allowed to compete their 4-year-old in either the FEH 4-year-old Championship or the YEH 4-year-old Championship, not both.
• The Holekamp/Turner Young Event Horse Le Lion d'Angers Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize 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 World Breeding Eventing Championships in their 7-year-old year.

The Competition Schedule

Thursday, October 14th

• 8:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. : YEH 5-year-old Dressage and Conformation
• 8:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. : YEH 4-year-old Dressage and Conformation
• 10:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. : YEH 4-year-old Jumping/Galloping

Friday, October 15th

• 8:00 a.m. - 3:45 p.m. : YEH 5-year-old Jumping/Galloping

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About the USEA Young Event Horse 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 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 Bates Saddles, SmartPak, Standlee Premium Western Forage, Parker Equine Insurance, Etalon Diagnostics, and Saratoga Horseworks for sponsoring the Young Event Horse Program. Additionally, the USEA would like to thank The Dutta Corp., Title Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Championships.