The 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships will take place on May 21-22 at Chattahoochee Hills H.T. in Fairburn, Georgia, and 92 championship competitors will be making the trip to Georgia to compete. Will a new Champion emerge this year or will the University of Kentucky defend its Championship title?
Get excited for the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships with these pictures and fun facts about the Championship teams!
Auburn University:
In 2018 and 2019, Auburn University won the Championship title and in 2021 they won the Spirit Award. They are coming to this year’s Championships with six teams which is the highest number of teams they have ever sent to Championships.
"Championships are a chance for our team to come together one last time and represent Auburn and all that we have been working towards this past year. We are excited to be so close to home and [we are] sending a record number of riders/teams to compete. Our teams could not be more excited and we are hoping to have another strong finish to the year. War Eagle!" said Auburn Eventing Team President, Gabrielle Yashinsky.
Clemson University:
Clemson won the Championship title in 2017 and they have sent riders to every Championship since 2016.
"While Championships are definitely the culmination of all of our hard work this year, and we hope to win, mostly it’s a time for us to be together with our team and friends from other teams. This weekend is about cheering for the Tigers, supporting our team members, and spending a couple of days together before parting ways for the summer. We have more support people coming than riders, and I think that says a lot about how much our team values friendship. It’s also a celebration of our seniors - all of ours are coming!" said Audra Alland of the Clemson Eventing Team.
Florida State University:
"The eventing team at FSU has always been on the small side, so we are very excited to be able to send a full team of 4 this year. This will be our second appearance at the championships and the first appearance of Tallahassee Community College (TCC), our fellow Tallahassee team. Between the two teams, we have a mix of seasoned eventers and dressage riders dabbling in some eventing. Our riders and horses have been putting in a lot of work to prepare for the championships and this will be the first USEA show for several of our riders. All of our riders are very excited to represent FSU at the Championships! GO NOLES and EAGLES!" said Taylor Reynolds of the FSU eventing team.
Tallahassee Community College:
The Tallahassee Community College Eventing team will be making its Championship debut at this year’s Championships.
Texas A&M University:
Texas A&M University is the only school to win the Spirit Award twice as they were winners of the Spirit Award in 2017 and 2019.
University of Florida:
Coached by five-star event rider, Ashley Johnson, the UF Eventing team made their Championship debut in 2018 and they have competed in Championships ever since.
University of Georgia:
The University of Georgia won the very first USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships in 2016. Last year, they had two teams finish in the top six – the University of Georgia Red team finished second and the University of Georgia Black team finished sixth.
"[The USEA] Intercollegiate Championships represents the destination of the journey each member has been on this entire year. Balancing horses and academics is seriously no joke. Each and every one of the team members has been working alongside their trainers to prepare for this event. Their commitment and resilience have never wavered. Not only has everyone worked tirelessly in their riding efforts, but the team has raised over $5000 this year to pay for our members’ entries. We could not be more proud to be sending four teams almost free of cost this year! It is on [our] home turf, so it is extra special to be competing this year. UGA Eventing hopes to show up and show out. Can we get a GO DAWGS!" said the UGA Eventing Team President, Sierra Shurtz.
University of Kentucky:
The University of Kentucky has competed every year in Championships and last year was their first year winning the Championship title. This year they have eight teams entered which is the same number of teams they had last year. This impressive number of teams continues to be the record for the most teams any school has ever brought to Intercollegiate Championships.
"Championship is a way for our team to come together and support each other and have the most fun while doing it! It is always so fun to meet riders from the other schools as well. We are so grateful for the Lexington equine community for supporting us in our journey to get here!" said the UK Eventing Team President, Hannah Warner.
University of the South (Sewanee):
The University of the South Eventing Team made their Championship debut in 2019 and this year will mark their second appearance at the Championships.
University of Virginia:
The University of Virginia is one of the few schools that have competed at Championships every year since 2016.
"Our riders are honored to get to represent our schools at intercollegiate championships. This competition is a hallmark for college students and we are lucky to get to make the trip down to Georgia to compete as a team," said the University of Virginia Eventing Team.
USC Aiken:
USC Aiken has competed in every Championship since 2017. They placed third in 2018 and fifth in 2019 and will be looking for a competitive finish this year.
Virginia Tech:
Virginia Tech recently participated in the College Row contest at the 2022 Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event and they won the award for ‘Best Drink.’
Stay tuned for the Meet the Teams preview coming out soon!
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. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as on 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. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The USEA would like to thank this year's USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships Sponsors: Bates Saddles, FITS Riding, Kerrits, Horse & Country, U.S. Equestrian, and World Equestrian Brands.
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.