United States Eventing Association

Next week, 19 young riders who previously participated in one of the five regional USEA Emerging Athlete 21 Program (EA21) clinics will gather together in Ocala, Florida for the inaugural USEA EA21 National Camp. Each of these riders were handpicked by the USEA's EA21 Task Force Selection Team to participate in this continuing education opportunity led by EA21 Director of Coaching, David O'Connor. The camp officially kicks off on Monday, January 2, 2023 and will conclude on January 6, 2023. The official schedule is outlined below:

The Facts:

• EA21 riders consist of members of the USEA Young Rider program who are aged 21 and under per FEI standards. The riders must be established at the Training level or higher (minimum 4 MER’s at the Training level or higher).
• The USEA received around 150 applications for the 2022 EA21 regional program, and a team of selectors chose 12 riders for each of the five EA21 regional clinics.
• All EA21 clinics are/were taught by Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) certified instructors (previously known as ICP)

The five EA21 regional clinics were as follows:

• East Coast I – Morven Park International Equestrian Center (Leesburg, Va.) – July 25-26, 2022, Coached by Shannon Lilley.
• East Coast II – Stable View Farm (Aiken, S.C.) – July 25-26, 2022, Coached by Emily Beshear.
• Central – Holly Hill Farm (Benton, La.) – August 1-2, 2022, Coached by Rebecca Braitling.
• West Coast I – Aspen Farms (Yelm, Wash.) – August 15-16, 2022, Coached by Rebecca Brown.
• West Coast II – Twin Rivers Ranch (Paso Robles, Calif.) – August 17-18, 2022, Coached by Rebecca Brown.

The EA21 coaches worked with the selection team to select 19 riders for the 2022/2023 USEA EA21 national camp. They are listed below in alphabetical order:

1. Lea Adams-Blackmore
2. Camryn Chung
3. Maya Clarkson
4. Julia Beauchamp Crandon
5. Kayla Dumler
6. Sarah Ertl
7. Jules Fanello
8. Madelyn Floyd
9. Ella Garcia
10. Kiersten Miller
11. Caitlin O’Roark
12. Harper Padgett
13. Dylan Philipps
14. Maia Ramberg
15. Bree Robinette
16. Sarah Ross
17. Audrey Sanborn
18. Ayden Schain
19. Ashley Widmer

• The EA21 national camp will be taught by USEA’s EA21 Director of Coaching, David O’Connor
• Seven west coast riders signed up for catch-ride horses to ease the significant travel, and those horses are being provided generously by: David O’Connor, Shannon Lilley, Sara Kozumplik, and Joe & Ruthie Meyer
• World renowned groom Emma Ford will be on-site to teach equine management sessions to the EA21 camp participants
• USEA educational partner WeRideTogether will be on-site on Monday, to have an educational discussion for ethics and code of conduct
• The EA21 national camp will take place at Overlook Farm South in Ocala, Florida, with one day (Thursday) at the Florida Horse Park for cross-country lessons
• Kerrits, the Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA, will be providing merchandise to all EA21 camp riders
• Ride iQ, an educational collaborator of the USEA, will be on-site helping with coverage, and will also be offering subscriptions to their services for all USEA EA21 program members, both regionally and nationally
• The national camp riding sessions will be open to auditors. There will be a spectator area for auditors during the ridden sessions, and auditors are asked to watch quietly. The classroom lecture sessions are closed to camp members only. Auditors may use the service entrance at Overlook Farm: 13727 NW 115^th Street, Ocala, FL 34482, gate code: 1234#

For questions regarding the Emerging Athlete 21 Program, please email Kate Lokey at [email protected].

About the USEA Emerging Athletes 21 Program

The purpose of the USEA Emerging Athletes 21 program (EA21) is to identify and provide consistent quality instruction to the next generation of elite event riders. The aim is to create a pipeline for potential team riders by identifying and developing young talent, improving horsemanship and riding skills, and training and improving skills and consistency.

The USEA Emerging Athletes 21 Program was launched in 2022 with a model of five summertime regional clinics taught by selected USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) instructors, leading to a winter national camp consisting of selected Young Riders from the regional clinics. Athletes who are 21 years or younger, are current members of their USEA Young Rider Area program, and are established at the Training Level or higher, are eligible to apply for the EA21 program. Applications for the 2023 regional clinics will open in January/February, 2023.

The USEA would like to thank Kerrits, WeRideTogether, and Ride iQ for their support and sponsorship of the EA21 national camp.