United States Eventing Association

Inaugural Horse & Country Starter Championships a Success at #AEC2024

Lexington, Ky.—Sept. 1—The inaugural Horse & Country USEA Starter championships wrapped up under a beautiful Kentucky sunset at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. Meet our winners below!

Horse & Country USEA Open Starter Championship

While it was our last championship of the night, there was no less excitement for the Horse & Country USEA Starter Open Championship. The atmosphere in this division was amped up even more than earlier in the day, thanks to the lights of the Rolex Arena, which lit up the night sky. When the last horse crossed the timers, it was official– Laura Kiff, of Purcellville, Virginia, was going home a champion.

“This is incredible, and it felt very special to ride under the lights,” Kiff said of the experience. “I think I handled the pressure well, and my horse handled it even better than I expected. He came in like he knew the stadium was for him. I've come to watch the five-star multiple years, and it's incredible to be riding in the ring myself.”

Kiff finished on a score of 23.8 with her mother Allison Hodge’s Appaloosa-Appendix cross. “He's done everything from trail riding, eventing, giving pony rides. I picked up the ride on and off throughout the years, but earlier this year, I decided I wanted to try to bring him to the AEC,” Kiff said. “He knows when to perform. [Out on cross-country,] he sometimes doesn’t feel confident, and we’ve been working really hard on that this year. Here at the AEC, he felt amazing out there, just taking me to every fence.

“The AEC is a special show, bringing together eventers from all over the states and from every level, all the way from Starter up to Advanced,” she continued. “I think the addition of the Starter division this year is a really important one because the grassroots is the base of this sport, and it really builds from there. This level helps introduce people to the sport.”

Taking home the reserve championship title was Hannah Reeser and her own Little Ireland Illusion (Winter Moon White Magic x Arapaho Grace). The pair will be heading back home to Tennessee with a red tricolor ribbon after earning a score of 26.1.

“I’m over the moon–she was incredible,” Reeser said. “She can be quite a spooky horse, so I was a bit nervous coming into this massive arena under the lights, but she handled it like she's been in there thousands of times. I was just so overjoyed when she went in and produced a really lovely round.”

One of her homebred mares, Reeser has had the opportunity to work with her for the last seven years.

“She's taken a long time to get confident and mature into herself,” she continued. “This year, she's really starting to become a lot more confident in herself. I love the Starter division because it gives the young horses a chance to experience this type of environment at a lower level where mistakes aren't as costly.”

Savannah “Woodge” Fulton, of Finksburg, Maryland, is back in the press once again, but this time it’s not because she’s competing in a five-star event. Instead, she’s taking third place in the Horse & Country USEA Starter Open Championship with Mr. O’Brien on a score of 28.5. An 8-year-old Connemara x Irish Sport Horse cross, “Buzz” is owned by Lauren Hyde.

“It's been a long, fun week, and I'm excited we finished it up in good fashion. This is Buzz’s fourth event, and I wouldn’t have been able to flip a coin either way to say if he was going to be great here or if he would be a bit of a lunatic–luckily he was super perfect!” Fulton laughed. “The best part is that we brought a really big contingent from home. Some had good days and some had bad days, but it’s so nice seeing everyone support each other even when their friend’s success means that they didn't get to have a fun canter around [in the victory lap]. Everyone is really happy to be here.”

From the Starter Open Championship to the $60,000 Adequan Advanced Final, Fulton’s AEC week ran the whole gamut of levels.

“It's really exciting and any chance you get to ride in this stadium is incredible,” Fulton concluded. “For the Advanced horse, it helps so hopefully the next time we come here in the spring, we can have a few less rails. For the young horses and for the young people that don't get the opportunity to do the four- or five-star at Kentucky in the spring, this is an incredible opportunity and makes the sport accessible to everyone.”

Horse & Country USEA Starter Junior Championship

Priscilla Pignatelli was the only rider to maintain her position on the leaderboard in the Horse & Country USEA Starter Championships across all three phases, finishing on her dressage score of 22.0 to win by more than eight points. 12-year-old Pignatelli rode Dittos Gold En Fury owned by Emily Holmes. Local to Winter Garden, Florida, Pignatelli can’t believe how far she’s come with the 15-year-old Welsh Cob gelding in such a short time.

“This is so incredible,” Pignatelli said. “Two years ago, I didn't even know how to tack up a horse, and two years later, I'm at the AEC, winning my division. Only a few months ago did I get my first 20 in dressage and I thought I may never get that again. A few months later, I got a 16.0 in dressage, and now I'm here at the AEC! This week has been so amazing. My trainers and my horse’s owner have helped me through this so much, and they’ve made something that I’ve seen professionals do become a reality for me.”

While normally Pignatelli, and her best friend “Max” thrive on the adrenaline rush of cross-country, this week was different. Riding in the Rolex Stadium where history has been made time and time before made an impact on the young rider.

“My horse likes dressage the best, but for me, I'm like any other kid–I love cross-country,” Pignatelli said. “The show jumping today though may have been my favorite part of the AEC because of the victory gallop in the Rolex Stadium. It’s just an amazing feeling to go through your course and do the best that you can.”

Pignatelli isn’t planning on resting on her laurels. “At my next shows, I want to work on trying to beat my previous show’s dressage score, and then work to make my jumping rounds even better and get perfect distances. And at the end of each show, I want to look at my pony and say, ‘Good boy, Max!’ ” Pignatelli concluded.

Like most of our young riders, Pignatelli wouldn’t have been able to attend the 2024 American Eventing Championships, sponsored by Nutrena Feeds, without significant support from her trainer, family, and friends.

“I want to thank Wendy Lewis and Callie Heroux for helping me get this far and for pushing me out of my comfort zone. I'd like to thank my family for always being there for me, my mom and my dad for bringing me into this world, and my horse over jumping for almost taking me out of it!” Pignatelli laughed. “And I'd like to thank everybody who came to the AEC for being so supportive of everybody and being awesome to hang out with!”

Earning the reserve championship title was Zoë Rizzuto & her own Fitz. Rizzuto fought her way up the leaderboard from sixth to finish in second place on her dressage score of 30.5.

A Kentucky local, 13-year-old Rizzuto volunteers often at the Kentucky Horse Park, however her familiarity with the park didn’t make her experience at the inaugural Horse & Country USEA Starter Junior Championship any less special. “I thought, ‘We are here. This is just the icing. You are here.’ I never thought I’d do a lap of honor in the Rolex Stadium,” Rizzuto said. “My horse really made it possible, he's such a good boy.”

“I would not be here without my trainer Angela [Ariatti],” Rizzuto said. “She knows I usually don’t look at my placings because I get really nervous, so she just told me I was in the top quarter [going into the final phase].”

“The cross-country was my favorite part of being at the AEC, at championships, at Kentucky,” Rizzuto said. “[Riding through the Head Of The Lake] was really cool. And then coming down the hill, we were booking it. I loved every second of the event.”

Fitz is not the easiest horse for a 13-year-old. The 8-year-old Connemara is from Ireland and is particularly challenging in the warm-up, where he’s had some negative experiences in the past.

“He's kind of quirky because he's been hit in the warm up before, and we've hit the concrete and everything,” Rizzuto said. “We've been through it. I've had him for a year now, and he's come such a long way. He's such a good boy now, except a bit spooky. I've learned he gets scared when the rider is unbalanced, because he thinks you're gonna fall off. But now I've learned a lot about staying balanced, and learned he's a very powerful horse sometimes.”

In third place is Jenna Greenwood riding Cadbury who finished on a score of 31.6. Coming to the AEC all the way from Spring, Texas, Greenwood says she wouldn’t be here without her trainer, who’s also Cadbury’s owner, Megan Correia-Bittner.

“I qualified for the AEC because my trainer Megan believed I could do it,” Greenwood concluded. “She had a lot of trust in us, and I’m very thankful for her because I would not be here without her–from starting me on a lesson pony to now an AEC third place winner on Cadbury!”

Greenwood has been riding the 16-year-old Welsh Cob for nearly six years. “There has to be a bond between you and your pony,” Greenwood says of her partnership with the gelding. “If you don't have faith in your test, and in the show jumping and cross country, he'll feed off your energy. And he's gonna be like, ‘If you're not confident, I'm not confident.’ He's got my back every single time, every single ride. He's won a lot with me, and I'm so thankful to have him.”

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• USEA AEC Website
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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held Aug. 27—Sept. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles, Horse & Country; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Parker Equine Insurance, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, Smartpak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Canter Culture Riding Apparel, Kerrits, The Jockey Club, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsor: 70 Degrees, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kraft Horse Walkers, Majyk Equipe, Retired Racehorses Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: Cross Country App, Georgetown – Scott County Tourism, Lexmark, L.V. Harkness, #WeRideTogether; and Prize Level Sponsors: BEMER, Big Ass Fans, Boyd Martin Fan Shop, Ecogold, EquiFit, Equilab, FarmVet, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Horses 4 Your Consideration, I Love My Horse Eventing Boutique, Jack’s Favorites, Jane Heart Jewelry, Kentucky Equine Research, LeMieux, Mare Goods, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Palmera Polo, Parkmore Supplements, Practical Horseman / Equine Network, Rachel Dory Equine Fine Art, Remond Minerals, Secretariat Center, Shapley’s, Sidelines Magazine, Strides for Equality Equestrians, and VTO Saddlery.

About the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Title Sponsor, Adams Horse Supply, and ARMA, The Chronicle of the Horse, Equilab, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kerrits, Nutrena Feeds, PulseVet, Ride iQ, Santa Cruz Animal Health, Schneiders Saddlery, Sidelines Magazine, and SmartPak for sponsoring the Adult Team Championships.