The Modified level was introduced to eventing in 2017 to bridge the gap between the Training and Preliminary levels, a gap that has frequently recognized as being the biggest “jump” between levels. After watching the Modified level grow successfully over the last four years and with the addition of the new CCI* level as the FEI equivalent to the national Modified level, the USEA is very pleased to announce the addition of the Modified Three-Day Event in 2021.
In the USEF Rules for Eventing Appendix 3 – Participation in Horse Trials, the new Modified Three-Day division is outlined as follows:
“Open to competitors of any age on horses 5 years of age or older. Both the competitor and the horse as a combination must have obtained MERs at three horse trials at the Training level or higher, plus an additional MER at Modified level or higher, with no jumping penalties at obstacles on the cross-country test. A competitor established at the Preliminary level may compete on a horse that has obtained two MERs at the Training level or higher. Qualifying competitions must be completed within a 24-month period of the start of the Classic Competition.”
The specifications for dressage, endurance day, and show jumping for the new Modified Three-Day are below:
Modified | |
Dressage |
Modified Test A |
Phase A |
|
• Distance |
2640-3960 meters |
• Speed |
220 meters per minutes |
• Time |
12-18 minutes |
Phase B |
|
• Distance |
1650-1925 meters |
• Speed |
550 meters per minute |
• Speed Fault |
n/a |
• Time |
3 or 3.5 minutes |
• Jumping Efforts |
5-7, 4’1” maximum brush height |
Phase C |
|
• Distance |
2880-6160 meters |
• Speed |
160 or 220 meters per minutes |
• Time |
18-28 minutes |
Phase D |
|
• Jump Height | Fixed 1.05m (3'5") Brush 1.25m (4'1") |
• Jump Spread | Highest Point 1.30m (4’3”) Base 2.04m (6’5”) Without Height 2.6m (8’6”) |
• Drops | 1.5m (4'11") |
• Distance |
2695-3675 meters |
• Speed |
490 meters per minute |
• Speed Fault |
n/a |
• Time |
5.5-7.5 minutes |
• Jumping Efforts |
24-30, no more than one effort commenced per 130 meters. |
Show Jumping |
|
• Distance |
600 meters |
• Speed |
325 meters per minute |
• Jumping Efforts |
10-13 |
• Height |
1.05 meters (3’5”) |
• Overall Spread of Oxers |
1.25 meters (4’1”) |
• Overall Spread of Triple Bars |
1.45 meters (4’9”) |
Two events have already signed on to offer Modified Three-Day Events at their competitions in the fall:
The USEA Classic Series Guidelines have been updated to reflect the addition of the Modified Three-Day. The Guidelines can be viewed here.
Organizers interested in hosting a Modified Three-Day Event in 2021 should contact either USEA Senior Director of Competitions Sharon Gallagher at [email protected] or USEA Director of Programs and Marketing Kate Lokey at [email protected].
The USEA Classic Series keeps the spirit of the classic long format three-day events alive for Beginner Novice through the Preliminary levels. Competitors can experience the rush of endurance day, including roads and tracks, steeplechase, the vet box, and cross-country, as well as participate in formal veterinary inspections and educational activities with experts on the ins and outs of competing in a long format three-day event. Riders who compete in a USEA Classic Series event during the year will have the chance to win a variety of prizes at the events from USEA sponsors. Click here to learn more about the USEA Classic Series.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, FITS, SmartPak Equine, Parker Equine Insurance, and Stackhouse & Ellis Saddles for sponsoring the USEA Classic Series.
Following feedback from our membership to the rule change proposal for the USEF Rules For Eventing: Appendix 3 – Participation In Horse Trials, the United States Eventing Association (USEA) Board of Governors voted to modify the rule change proposal, but still to recommend the establishment of rider licenses and increase Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) to the regulating authority of the sport US Equestrian (USEF).
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is happy to announce the dates, locations, and judges for the USEA Future Event Horse Championships in 2021. The Future Event Horse (FEH) Championships offer classes for yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds to evaluate their potential for becoming successful upper-level event horses.
USEA Area II announces its annual fundraising auction online is open for bidding! This fundraiser is over 20 years old and now well-known as the "Black Friday" for entries to ALL your favorite events! In typical years, the auction is held as a silent auction at the Annual Area Meeting, but because of COVID-19 restrictions, no in-person meeting will be held, so we're bringing the auction to everyone online this year.
The first USEA Pony of the Year award was presented in 2007 to the legendary Theodore O’Connor (Witty Boy x Chelsea’s Melody), a Thoroughbred/Anglo-Arab gelding ridden by Karen O’Connor and owned by the Theodore O’Connor Syndicate. Now, a trophy bearing his name is presented each year to the Pony of the Year.