Jul 21, 2022

Get Qualified for the 2022 FEH Championships!

By Kate Lokey - USEA Staff
USEA/ Samantha Haynie photo.

The qualifying competitions for the USEA Future Event Horse (FEH) Championships have been taking place across the country all winter and spring, but there is still plenty of time this summer to qualify for the Championships in the fall, at an FEH event.

The FEH program evaluates the potential of yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds to become successful upper-level eventing horses. At qualifiers, the youngsters are judged in-hand on their conformation and movement, while the 4-year-olds additionally have an under-saddle walk, trot, canter evaluation. At Championships, the 3-year-old and 4-year-olds are also judged through the jump chute in a free-jumping class. The USEA did announce a new format for the 3-year-old Championships this year, which removes the triangle format for the age group, and instead judges the 3-year-old gaits at liberty in the jump chute enclosed arena.

FEH horses must earn a minimum qualifying score of 72 percent at any qualifier to be eligible to compete in the USEA FEH Championships. Horses may qualify at any USEA FEH qualifier, but must only choose one championship, East Coast or West Coast. Additionally, 4-year-old horses may not compete in both the FEH and YEH Championships in the same year. A 4-year-old may compete at both FEH and YEH qualifying competitions, but may only compete in one FEH or YEH program championship, not both.

Tina Fitch Photography

The 2022 USEA Future Event Horse Championships will kick off with the East Coast Championships at Loch Moy Farm (Adamstown, Md.) September 17-18. Katie Rocco and Stephen Bradley will judge the East Coast Championships this year. The FEH Central Championships will take place at Haras Hacienda (Magnolia, Tx.) once again, and will be judged by Christel Carlson and Karen Winn. Lastly, the FEH West Coast Championships will take place October 28-29 at Twin Rivers Ranch (Paso Robles, Calif.) in conjunction with the USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships. Katie Rocco and Marilyn Payne will be the west coast judges.

All three Championship venues will provide a professional jump chute crew to safely guide the 3- and 4-year-olds through the jump chute division. All three venues also plan to have a last chance qualifier the day before their respective Championships.

Is your horse qualified? The USEA manages a running leaderboard with FEH horses that are qualified for the 2022 Championships, and the list of those horses may be found here. The FEH horses are listed in ranking based on the highest scores. The leaderboard is updated twice monthly after the USEA receives scores from each event.

Helpful Links for FEH Championships:

For questions about the FEH program or the FEH Championships, please contact Kate Lokey at [email protected].

Don’t see an FEH qualifier near you? Reach out to your local organizers to express your interest, and ask them to add an FEH division to their event!

About the USEA Future Event Horse Program

The USEA introduced the Future Event Horse Program in 2007 in response to the popularity of the already established USEA Young Event Horse Program. Where the YEH program assesses 4- and 5-year-old prospective event horses based on their performance, the FEH program evaluates yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds for their potential for the sport based on conformation and type. Yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds are presented in-hand while 4-year-olds are presented under saddle at the walk, trot, and canter before being stripped of their tack and evaluated on their conformation. Divisions are separated by year and gender. At the Championships, 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds are also required to demonstrate their potential over fences in an additional free-jump division. Click here to learn more about the Future Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee , Kerrits, Capital Square and The Jockey Club for sponsoring the Future Event Horse Program.

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Historic Results and Determination Propel Smith to 2022 Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year Title

From horse trials in her home state of California where she prepared herself and her horses to take on the best in the nation and around the world to five-star events overseas where she represented the United States on some of eventing’s biggest stages, Tamie Smith had a remarkable season and finished 2022 as the Bates USEA Lady Rider of the Year for the second year in a row.

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Weekend Quick Links: March 30-April 2

Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.

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Learning about Young Event Horses: Setting Goals

Many riders across all levels have found that working with young horses has provided them with the most valuable experiences in eventing. The opportunities for young event horses have never been more exciting. The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse East Coast and West Coast Championships continue to grow in profile as the culmination of a calendar of qualifying events is expanding to more areas of the country. More American riders and their young horses are aiming for the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion D’Angers, France, particularly thanks to programs like the Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Grant. That’s become one of the most attended sporting events in the entire country. It’s given young event horses from the United States a chance to represent the growth of the American eventing community’s dedication to properly developing talent in the sport.

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