United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) and the USEA Volunteer Committee are proud to introduce a new offering under the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) umbrella that celebrates volunteers for their expertise in various key roles within the sport of evening. The Volunteer Achievement Program, which was officially launched at the 2025 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in New Orleans, Louisiana, will be offered for the first time during the 2026 season through EventingVolunteers.com.

The Volunteer Achievement Program (VAP) was created by the USEA Volunteer Committee to recognize volunteers for their education, experience, responsibility, and commitment to different volunteer positions offered at USEA Recognized Events. Since the creation of the VIP, the committee has received ample feedback from volunteers and coordinators requesting a way to acknowledge and award those who master various technical roles, such as serving as a dressage scribe or a cross-country jump judge. The production of the VAP is a direct response to this feedback.

All volunteers who currently utilize the Eventing Volunteers App or EventingVolunteers.com, as well as any future registrants, will be eligible to participate in the VAP. Participation is entirely voluntary, and VAP qualifications will not be required to volunteer at an event. By completing the program requirements, volunteers can earn virtual badges for eligible roles. Volunteer hours will be eligible for use towards a VAP badge(s) up to five (5) years after the time of service.

The following roles are eligible for VAP Badges on EventingVolunteers.com:

• Dressage Bit Check
• Dressage Score Runner
• Dressage Scribe
• Dressage Warm-Up Steward
• Show Jumping In-Gate Steward
• Show Jumping Jump Crew
• Show Jumping Scribe
• Show Jumping Timer
• Show Jumping Warm-Up Steward
• Cross-Country Finish Timer
• Cross-Country Jump Judge
• Cross-Country Starter
• Cross-Country Warm-Up Steward

Minimum badge requirements for each role can be found here. To start accumulating hours towards a VAP Badge, log in to your EventingVolunteers.com account and access the “My Dashboard” tab. Within the dashboard, click “My Achievements” tab, denoted by a “★” icon, to view your progress towards the eligible VAP roles. If you’ve already completed hours in one or more of these roles in the last five years, those hours will automatically count towards the total number of hours displayed in the “My Achievements” tab.

There are several steps required to earn a VAP Badge. To get started, volunteers must ensure they are registered on EventingVolunteers.com to sign up for volunteer shifts and accumulate hours of service. Once this step is completed, the VAP Badge Application Process is as follows:

1. The volunteer views the volunteer video and reads the guidelines for the role.
2. The volunteer takes the assessment for the role.
3. The volunteer works in said role at one or more USEA recognized competition(s).
4. When the volunteer meets the minimum badge requirements for the role, they can apply for the badge directly through EventingVolunteers.com.
5. The Volunteer Coordinator(s) or Organizer(s) for each competition where the volunteer worked will be asked to approve the volunteer’s application for the badge for said role.
6. Once the volunteer is approved, the badge will be added to the role for said volunteer in their Eventing Volunteers profile.

Steps 1 through 3 can be completed in any order that the volunteers see fit before they submit their badge application. Each role assessment will have five multiple-choice questions, and a passing score of 80% will be required to proceed. Quiz questions will highlight the main objectives that the volunteer will need to accomplish during their shift for each role. The questions are to affirm and demonstrate that the volunteer understands the overall goal of their position to help the show run efficiently. Assessment questions will be based on the content in the volunteer videos and volunteer guidelines, making it beneficial to review these materials prior to starting the assessments. Materials can be accessed directly from the “My Achievements” page using the icons next to each role name.

The VAP was created to help volunteer coordinators identify experienced volunteers at their events by setting pre-defined benchmarks that are achievable for volunteers across all Areas. It is the Volunteer Committee’s hope that the program not only makes the coordinators job easier but also allows volunteers to travel to events where they may not know the staff on-site and still make a meaningful and appropriate contribution to the event through their proven expertise.

To learn more about the Volunteer Achievement Program, click here. To create an account on EventingVolunteers.com to get started with the VAP, click here. For more information on the VAP or the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program, please contact Kaleigh Collett at [email protected].

The development of the VAP was made possible in part by a generous donation from Kathy Kerns, a lifelong champion of eventing volunteers. The USEA looks forward to celebrating the dedicated volunteers who continuously aid the sport through this exciting new program!

About the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our sport—the unsung heroes, and the people who make it possible to keep eventing alive. In efforts to recognize the dedication, commitment, and hard work that volunteers put into eventing, the USEA formed the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) in 2015. In 2017, an online management portal was designed for volunteers, organizers, and volunteer coordinators at EventingVolunteers.com, which is also available as an app for iOS and Android.

Volunteer incentives include national and area recognition, year-end awards, a top 10 USEA Volunteer leaderboard, and a Volunteer of the Year award which is given to the volunteer who accumulates the most volunteer hours on EventingVolunteers.com at recognized events throughout the USEA competition year. Click here to learn more about the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program.

The USEA would like to thank Horse Illustrated for their support of the Volunteer Incentive Program.