United States Eventing Association

Kelly Carter Shares How ECP Certification Gave Her Coach, Rebecca Brown, the ECP Edge

Kelly Carter (Dallas, Texas) grew up in the horse world showing on the Arabian, Quarter Horse, and Paint Horse circuits, but after a 17-year-hiatus from equestrian sports, she decided to start from ground zero and give an entirely new discipline a try. That's when she connected with Becky Brown and Rebecca Brown of Seagoville, Texas, and was introduced to the world of eventing.

“When Rebecca moved back to Texas after college, and I was just about to turn 40, I thought to myself, ‘You know what? I want to do something I have never done before and that I have no idea how to do.’ I was ready for a new challenge. Rebecca and I went shopping in the fall of 2014 and ended up finding My Mexico, a superb gelding who took me from Beginner Novice to two-star. It’s been a tremendous journey.”

Over the years, Carter has had the opportunity to watch Rebecca grow in her development as a coach and rider. She attributes the USEA’s Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) and Rebecca’s involvement in other USEA programs throughout her career as a big part of the professional’s development—a fact that Carter appreciates as both a competitor herself and as a mother of a young rider in the sport. Rebecca holds her Level IV ECP certification and all of the coaches at her home base at Estrella Farm are also ECP-certified.

“I’ve been completely in the care and trust of Rebecca. My skills evolved as Rebecca grew her business and developed into an incredible coach—the coach she is today. I now have a daughter in the sport, and I 100% am thankful that we are being guided by someone who is a highly accredited instructor with the ECP.”

Even though Carter has years and years of equestrian experience, including earning World Championship titles in many different disciplines, she noted that having a highly-educated coach in her corner as she and her daughter navigate the sport of eventing has been instrumental in both of their growth. She encourages parents, both those with and without an understanding of the sport of eventing, to pursue connecting their children or themselves with an ECP-certified coach for many different reasons.

“I really would encourage everyone to find an ECP instructor,” she shared. “We have amazingly talented, knowledgeable coaches out there who are peer-reviewing and giving their stamp of approval to these accredited instructors. We put our faith, our trust, and our safety in these instructors’ hands. I think having a coach with a formal education is imperative. I cannot imagine just picking a trainer based on a recommendation. The ECP is an invaluable program offered by the USEA.”

“I'm getting older,” Carter continued, “and I know how much I don't know. It's important to stay humble and remember that I'm not a professional—I'm a mom, and I'm an amateur. I'm trying to keep all the plates spinning, and I still want to be a part of this sport. I know I need to assemble the best team around me to keep me and my daughter safe and help us be competitive and pursue our dreams, but also do so in a responsible way.”

Throughout her eventing career, Rebecca and the other ECP-certified coaches in her program have been that stable, consistent education to Carter and her now 16-year-old daughter, Caden Carter.

“I remember when I did the two-star at Red Hills [Tallahassee, Florida] with My Mexico. The day of cross-country I thought, 'Oh, my God, I can't do this.' And Rebecca said, ‘No, no. Come on, we're gonna walk it again. Every time you walk it, the jumps get smaller.’ She was just so incredibly supportive and understood where I was coming from emotionally, but also knew it was within my ability to complete the course," Kelly recalled. "We did it, and to this day, riding through the finish flags at Red Hills is one of my proudest accomplishments as an eventer.”

As both Kelly and Caden pursue move-ups through the levels with their new horses, Kelly has complete faith in the coaching program that Rebecca is following while guiding her.

“Over the years, people would say to me, 'When are you going to move up?' And I'd respond, 'When Rebecca tells me to,' ” because nobody knows me and my talents and what I'm capable of better than my coach. I 100% trust that she's going to guide me appropriately. I've gone from Beginner Novice to two-star and trusted her the whole way.”

That trust is deep-rooted in Rebecca’s pursuit of excellence both as a coach and a competitor, a trait that Kelly admires deeply.

“Two things that have always impressed me about Rebecca: Her dedication to continuing education and her tireless commitment to giving back to the USEA,” noted Kelly. “She surrounds herself with good people, top-notch instructors in the world of eventing, and then she brings that knowledge back to her students. Rebecca is also one of the founders and coaches of the EA21 program and is committed to educating and developing the next generation of eventers. It has been delightful to watch her career grow and flourish in the way that it has."

About the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP)

Coaches are essential to the training of riders and horses for safe and educated participation in the sport of eventing. The USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP), formerly known as the Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP), was initiated in 2002 to educate all levels of eventing coaches with crucial training principles upon which they can continue to build throughout their teaching careers. ECP offers educational workshops and assessments by which both regular coaches, Level I through Level V, Young Event Horse (YEH) coaches, and Young Event Horse professional horse trainers can become ECP certified. Additional information about ECP’s goals, benefits, workshops, and assessments as well as names and contact information for current ECP certified coaches, YEH coaches, and YEH professional horse trainers are available on the USEA website. Click here to learn more about the USEA Eventing Coaches Program.

The USEA would like to thank Parker Equine Insurance, the United States Pony Clubs, and Strider for their support of the Eventing Coaches Program.