Jan 21, 2022

Get Your Young Event Horses Ready: 2022 YEH Calendar and YEH Rule Change Updates Announced

By Kate Lokey - USEA Staff
USEA/ Meagan DeLisle photo.

The USEA established the Young Event Horse (YEH) program in 2004 to identify young horses that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. While the goal of the YEH program is to identify horses that will be successful at the four- and five-star levels, horses with the potential for lower-level success are also showcased by the program.

Throughout the competition year, YEH classes are offered at competitions around the country, giving 4- and 5-year-old horses the chance to gain experience in eventing and show off their skills under saddle in dressage and over fences in a jumping and galloping test. Whether you are looking to qualify for the 2021 Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships or simply give your young horse some competitive experience without the stress and pressure of a full horse trials, YEH classes are a great way to introduce your young horse to the sport of eventing.

To qualify for the 2022 Dutta Corp. USEA YEH East Coast Championships, horses must earn a score of 75 percent or higher at any YEH qualifying event. To qualify for the 2021 Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships, horses must earn a score of 70 percent or higher at any YEH qualifying event.

The USEA YEH Committee recently added a few rule changes that were approved by the USEA Board of Governors at their December 2021 meeting. Those rule changes are updated in the YEH Rules document and the following are now in effect for 2022:

  • Three refusals at one fence, or four total on course, will be recorded as Elimination at both YEH qualifiers and at YEH Championships. At qualifiers, judges may allow riders to continue for education, but still receive an Elimination on record.
  • It will be recorded as a Technical Elimination if a horse misses a jump on course at YEH Championships. At qualifiers, all jumps must be jumped or it is a Technical Elimination. If a rider misses a fence, the judge may blow the whistle and allow them to go jump the missed jump with no penalty.

Ready to get out there and compete? Check out the 2021 calendar of YEH events:

2022 USEA Young Event Horse Calendar

Event

Dates

Stable View YEH Qualifier (Area III)

February 15, 2022

YEH/FEH at Florida Horse Park (Area III)February 22, 2022

Full Gallop Farm Mid February H.T. (Area III)

February 23, 2022

Full Gallop Farm March H.T. (Area III)

March 2, 2022

Full Gallop Farm March I H.T. (Area III)

March 12-13, 2022

YEH/FEH at Florida Horse Park (Area III)March 22, 2022

Texas Rose Horse Park H.T. (Area V)

March 25-27, 2022

YEH/FEH at Florida Horse Park (Area III)April 5, 2022

Pine Hill H.T. (Area V)

April 9, 2022

MDHT FEH/YEH/NEH Qualifier (Area II)

April 10, 2022

Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. (Area VII)

May 12-15, 2022

Galway Downs Spring H.T. (Area VI)

May 13-15, 2022

Winona H.T. (Area VIII)

May 13-15, 2022

Hunt Club Farms H.T. (Area II)

May 20-22, 2022

MDHT FEH/YEH/NEH Qualifier (Area II)

May 15, 2022

VHT International & H.T. (Area II)

May 26-29, 2022

Twin Rivers Summer H.T. (Area VI)

June 30-July 3, 2022

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Area III)

July 1-3, 2022

Chattahoochee Hills H.T. (Area III)
July 8-10, 2022

The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm II (Area II)

July 15-17, 2022

Applewood Farm FEH/YEH Qualifier (Area II)July 16, 2022

Hunt Club Farm H.T. (Area II)

July 29-31, 2022

Applewood Farm FEH/YEH Qualifier (Area II)August 17, 2022

Waredaca Farm H.T. (Area II)

August 19-21, 2022

Five Points H.T. (Area II)

September 10-11, 2022

MDHT YEH/NEH Qualifier (Area II)

September 11, 2022

Flying Cross Farm H.T. (Area VIII)

September 16-18, 2022

Twin Rivers Fall International (Area VI)

September 22-25, 2022

Spokane Sport Horse Fall H.T. (Area VII)

September 29-October 2, 2022

The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH East Coast Championships at Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill

Oct. 13-14, 2022

The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch

Oct. 28-29, 2022

The calendar of YEH events is updated periodically throughout the year. Please click here for the most up-to-date calendar information.

Don’t see a YEH event near you? Please contact your local USEA Horse Trial organizers to express interest in attending YEH classes and ask if they are willing to add them to their event.

For more information regarding the YEH Program, contact Kate Lokey at [email protected] or (703) 779-9897.

Helpful Links For YEH:

YEH Calendar

YEH General Page

YEH Rules and Guidelines

2022 YEH Championship Information

Holekamp/Turner Grant Information

YEH 4-year-old Dressage Test for Qualifiers

YEH 5-year-old Dressage Test for Qualifiers

Entry Form for YEH Qualifiers

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, Saratoga Horseworks, and The Jockey Club 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.

Dec 07, 2023 Convention

USEA Board of Governors Meet for the First Time During 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention

This afternoon, USEA President Louise “Lou” Leslie welcomed U.S. Eventing Association (USEA) Board of Governors members, USEA staff, and USEA Annual Meeting & Convention attendees to the first of two Board meetings which will take place during this year’s Convention in St. Louis, Missouri, with the teaser that 2024 is going to be full of initiatives for more opportunities to access the eventing experience, some of which attendees might get first wind of during this year’s gathering. The 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention takes place Dec. 7-10 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand Hotel.

Dec 06, 2023 Convention

Fast Facts: 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention

Welcome to the Show Me state and to Area IV USEA members! The 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention kicks of tomorrow and features four full days of educational seminars, committee meetings, and social gatherings all with one aim—to bring the eventing community together to continue to improve upon and celebrate the sport that we all love. This year’s Convention takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Marriott St. Louis Grand in downtown St. Louis from Dec. 7-10, and we have rounded up everything you need to know to make the most of your time in the heartland.

Dec 05, 2023 Education

Digital Resources to Maximize Education & Access for the Eventing Community

To accompany the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, USEA Educational Partner STRIDER has prepared Digital Resources to Maximize Education & Access for the Eventing Community. In keeping with the USEA’s mission to expand the sport of eventing, this webinar outlines ways in which digital tools can be leveraged to increase access and education across equestrian opportunities. As part of STRIDER’s popular Professional Development Webinar Series, this presentation aims to provide a quick overview of best practices and digital tools used across the equestrian industry to boost growth.

Dec 05, 2023 Young Event Horse

Young Event Horse Arden Augustus Exceeds All Expectations for Antenucci and White

Every horse who participated this year in the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program has a story—a background that involves a breeder who labored over bloodlines, veterinary care, initial training, and so much more. This year’s highest-placing U.S.-bred horse in the 5-year-old division at the Dutta Corp./USEA Young Event Horse Championships, Arden Augustus, is no exception. His breeder and owner, Anita Antenucci of Arden Farms in Upperville, Virginia, started her program nine years ago and said that the Warmblood gelding was a more emotionally driven breeding for her than others due to his connections with Antenucci’s long-time friend Sharon White.

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