United States Eventing Association

The second annual Intercollegiate Eventing Championships kick off today at the Virginia Horse Trials in Lexington, Va. Last year, the University of Georgia Red Team was crowned the Intercollegiate Champions – will they hold onto their title or will they have to pass the crown?

• There are 17 Colleges and Universities being represented by 21 Teams with 84 horses and 81 riders.
• Teams in attendance have come as far as west Texas.
• Teams are made up of riders competing at any level (Beginner Novice – CIC2*) and a coefficient system is used to account for difficulty and scoring differences. Only the best three individual scores count.
• The Spirit Award, sponsored by VHT, is up for grabs again, rewarding refunds on entries to the winning team. UGA set the bar high for school pride last year with matching saddle pads and outfits, painted faces and impressive team camaraderie.
• VHT will host an evening meet and greet on Friday, May 26 at 6:30 pm so the teams may get to know each other and hear important announcements about the competition. Students, coaches and parents are all invited to the "College Town" East Stabling complex for pizza, salads, subs and drinks.
• Free coffee, tea, water and breakfast snacks will be available in the College Town show office each morning.
• Team prizes including embroidered show coolers and saddle pads, trophies, helmet cases, boots, USEA apparel and more, will be awarded through fourth place, thanks to the generous USEA sponsors. Ribbons will be awarded through the top six teams.
• All teams are encouraged to attend a special unmounted ceremony at the conclusion of the event to recognize the top placed teams and Spirit Award winner and to distribute team ribbons and prizes.

Competition Schedule:

• Thursday – 4:30 p.m.: CCI* Horse Inspection
• Friday – 9:00 a.m.: CIC2*, CCI*, AI, Intermediate and Preliminary Dressage
  1:00 p.m.: CIC2*, AI, Intermediate Show Jumping
• Saturday – 8:00 a.m.: Training, Novice, Beginner Novice Dressage
  8:00 a.m.: CIC2*, AI, CCI*, Intermediate Cross-Country
  10:00 a.m.: Training, Novice, Beginner Novice Show Jumping
  1:00 p.m.: Preliminary and Open Training Cross-Country
• Sunday – 9:00 a.m.: CCI* Horse Inspection
  8:00 a.m.: Training, Novice, Beginner Novice Cross-Country
  8:00 a.m.: Preliminary and Open Training Show Jumping
  12:00 p.m.: CCI* Show Jumping

Important Links:

• USEA Intercollegiate Website
• Virginia Horse Trials Website
• Entry Status
• Ride Times
• Live Scoring - FEI | Horse Trials

The schools represented at the inaugural intercollegiate eventing championships. USEA/Shelby Allen Photo.

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About the USEA Intercollegiate Program

In 2014, the USEA Board of Governors approved the creation of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program as an official program of the USEA. Originally proposed with input from the Intercollegiate Eventing League, the program was established to provide a framework on which Eventing teams and individual competition could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. Click here to see if your school is an University Affiliate.

Don’t forget if you have not yet renewed your membership with the USEA – Collegiate members get a $25 discount! Log onto your Online Services Account to renew, and a $25 refund will be issued after the USEA has received proof of enrollment.

To account for differences in level difficulty, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Only the best three individual scores will count towards the team score, so teams of four will have one “drop” score.

The coefficient system that will be applied at the Championship is as follows:

Beginner Novice: 1.1

Novice: 1

Training: 0.9

Preliminary: 0.85

Intermediate: 0.75

CCI*: 0.75

CIC2*: .70

For riders in the FEI divisions the dressage coeffecient will be removed to calculate the team score. The team with the lowest score at the end of three phases will be named the 2016 Intercollegiate Champion. Team ribbons will be awarded through sixth place, and team prizes will be awarded through fourth place!

About the Virginia Horse Trials

The Virginia Horse Trials has been a premier Eventing destination for over 25 years. Situated on 600 acres, the Virginia Horse Center is a first-class venue. Brian and Penny Ross founded the Virginia Horse Trials in 1989, and organized the Event through its 25th Anniversary in 2014. Andy Bowles took over the organization of the Virginia Horse Trials in 2015 and looks forward to maintaining it as a destination for east coast eventers in the years to come.