Mar 02, 2021

IDCTA Presents: A Live Stream with David O'Connor

On Wednesday, March 10, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Central time, join Eric Dierks for a live stream interview with David O'Connor.

David was an alternate for the 1988 Summer Olympics, and riding Wilton Fair, was part of the U.S. team at the 1990 World Equestrian Games, where he placed 35th individually and the team finished fourth. At the 1994 World Equestrian Games, he placed 44th individually riding On a Mission and was also an alternate for the team. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, David finished fifth individually riding Custom Made and he also helped the team to a silver medal with Giltedge.

At the 2000 Summer Olympics, again riding Custom Made, he won the individual gold medal and helped the U.S. team to a bronze medal aboard Giltedge. During the individual competition at the 2000 Games, he led each stage of the event, and made Olympic history with a record-breaking dressage score. David and Custom Made won the 1997 Badminton CCI4* (now CCI5*-L), becoming only the second American rider to do so. In the 1998 World Equestrian Games with Giltedge, he finished sixth and helped the U.S. team to fourth place. Also with Giltedge, David won silver at the 1999 Pan American Games and contributed to the U.S. team’s gold medal performance. The pair also won team gold at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain.

David was consistently ranked as one of the top three-day event riders in the world by the FEI with a first place in 2000, third in 1997, and fourth in 1996. He was also the top eventing rider in the U.S., topping the USEA leaderboard in 1998 and 1999. He was a three-time winner of the Kentucky Three-Day Event; once at the CCI4* (now CCI5*-L) and twice at the CCI3* (now CCI4*-L) level.

Four horses ridden by David - Giltedge, Custom Made, On a Mission, and Wilton Fair - have held positions on the list of the top 50 USEA high-scoring horses.

In 2004, David retired from competition to focus on other aspects of the sport, taking on administrative and coaching roles as well as being a three- and four-star course designer. He was an FEI Bureau member from 2008-2011 and served as the President of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) from 2004 to 2012. In 2006, David was appointed the International Technical Advisor to the Canadian national eventing team. In that capacity, he led the team to silver medals at the 2007 Pan American Games and the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games. In January 2013, David left the Canadian team after being appointed chef d’équipe to the USEF eventing team.

Click here to register for the live stream interview.

This live stream is provided by the Illinois Dressage and Combined Training Association.

Jul 02, 2024 Educational Activities

USEA Educational Activity Highlight: Sherwood Forest Hunter Pace | Sherwood Oregon | July 13, 2024

What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.

Jul 02, 2024 Profile

No Longer Dreaming: Claire Allen's Goal of Qualifying for USEF Eventing Young Rider Championship is Now Reality

Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.

Jul 01, 2024 Competitions

Alliston’s Busy Weekend, Braitling’s Reuniting with Five-Star Mount, & Kalkman’s Advanced Victory Highlight Twin Rivers Summer H.T.

As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.

Jul 01, 2024 Education

USEA Podcast #364: All Your Grooming Questions Answered

There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.

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