United States Eventing Association

How the Wilton Fair Grant and Essex Horse Trial Grants are Helping Cosby Green's Eventing Dreams Come True

I was lucky enough to receive the Wilton Fair Grant and the Essex Horse Trials Grant at the tail end of 2023 to put towards my 2024 adventures with my horses. I moved over to England with three horses in March 2023 and towards the end of the year, I had decided I wasn’t quite ready to travel back home to America just yet. Receiving these grants has made staying over an additional year possible, and I couldn’t be more thankful!

The first thing I was able to utilize the grant money towards was attending the Andalucía Sunshine Tour in Spain, which is a show jumping circuit. I thought it would be a great way to prep the horses for the season and would be something slightly different from anything I’ve done before. It was such a cool experience to be able to watch top show jumpers from all over the world every week, and the horses I brought had very clear progressions through their month there. Once we arrived back in England in March, the country was essentially under water due to all the rain. Event after event was canceled, but we finally were able to make a proper outing in the CCI4*-S at Thoresby Park in Nottingham, England. My horses were certainly unpolished due to the time of year and lack of prep runs, but it served its purpose nonetheless.

After Thoresby, it was time for Badminton. I had an extremely unconventional lead-up to Badminton, and I was really uncertain that we were going to make it! When Jonelle Price mentioned I should do it once I completed the CCI5*-L at Pau (France) last fall on Bel Mar Farm's Copper Beach (Radolin x Cloverballen), I thought there would be no way it would become a reality. However, "Sean" just had to prove me wrong. He put in a phenomenal performance at Badminton, most impressively going clear across the country. Show jumping was the opposite of the result I was hoping for, but I’m still grateful for the experience regardless.

Right after Badminton, we had all eyes set on the Millstreet International in Ireland. I was so proud of the horses as Highly Suspicious (by Russel) finished second in the CCI4*L division there and Cooley Seeing Magic (Metall x Ferro), owned by Jo Pidduck, put in another solid performance at the CCI3*-L level at just 8 years old. I currently just have some BE100s and Novice’s in my future for the next couple of months with younger horses, while the top horses enjoy the quiet months before things get very intense and exciting in the fall.

Being able to be in England has been such a life-changing experience, and I am so privileged to be able to have help from these grants and the USEA Foundation to help make all of my wild dreams possible. The experience of being over here has pushed me out of my comfort zone, filled me with confidence and perspective, and has been an overall game-changer in my career. A year ago I would have never been able to dream of all the things I’ve been able to do, so I can’t wait to see what the future holds!

To learn more about 2024 available grants through the USEA Foundation, please visit https://useafoundation.org/

About the USEA Foundation

The fundamental mission of the USEA Foundation is to protect and preserve the sport of eventing for future generations and to provide support for the core educational, safety, and equine welfare programs of the USEA. In addition, the Foundation administers educational grants for riders with the intent of preparing them to reach their goals. Learn more about the USEA Foundation at www.useafoundation.org.