The 2023 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship at Tryon International Equestrian Center is just a few days away, which means it is time to meet the teams! A total of 93 competitors, 13 schools, and 25 teams will be competing at the 2023 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship on Friday, May 26 through Sunday, May 28.
Auburn University will be on the hunt to defend their 2022 Championship title with three carefully selected teams covering 10 entries. The University of Kentucky will once again field eight teams with 28 entries, while the University of Georgia isn't fair behind in size with 5 teams including 18 entries. Transylvania University, James Madison University, Randolph-Macon College and University of Louisville will return after missing the 2022 Championship, while Baylor University and University of Tennessee - Knoxville will be making their Championship debuts.
Before the action starts, find out which championship competitors have had run-ins with celebrities and who is most likely to move to Europe after college in the Meet the Teams preview below.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Kerrits, Horse & Country, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, and World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.
The inaugural USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) Championships may have been the pinnacle for program members of the IEL last year, but that’s not the only exciting achievement that occurred in 2024. A total of 41 events offered IEL Team Challenges for over 360 program members, and in the end, a year-end leaderboard champion was named at every level from Starter through Intermediate. The following IEL members worked tirelessly with their clubs and on their own competitive journeys in 2024 to earn the title of Interscholastic Rider of the Year at their respective level. Join us in congratulating these up-and-coming eventers on their success!
Veterinary pathologist Susan Hart has been trapped in an “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” loop on the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) Volunteer Leaderboard since 2022. After two years of chipping away at the leaderboard, 2024 was finally her year to proverbially walk down the aisle. With a total of 691 and a half hours, Hart topped the leaderboard to become the 2024 USEA Volunteer of the Year, sponsored by Mrs. Pastures, and win the first gold medal in USEA VIP history, which is awarded for achieving over 2,000 lifetime volunteer hours.
Day 3 of the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium at Galway Downs was all about correct cross-country position after an informative discussion from sports psychologist Natalie Hummel.