Morven Park is thrilled to host over 250 riders for its annual Spring Horse Trials. The weekend features an equestrian discipline known as “eventing,” in which each horse and rider combination must compete in dressage, show jumping, and cross-country. Competition begins on Saturday, March 31 and continues through Sunday, April 1 and is free for spectators.
“We are excited to be hosting the Morven Park Spring Horse Trials in our brand new outdoor riding arenas this year,” said Sheryl Williams, Morven Park’s Executive Director. “We are thankful for the equestrian community’s continued support of the arena project and the International Equestrian Center and wish our competitors a great ride over the weekend.”
This year’s competition will feature 16 divisions, from Beginner Novice through Intermediate. Riders and horses will gallop across Morven Park’s cross-country course, known as one of the best in the world. The Spring Horse Trials will also be the first event hosted in the newly built Morven Park arenas. Competition begins at 8:00 a.m. and will end at approximately 4:00 p.m. each day.
While riders of many levels compete at Morven Park, the education of young horses and riders has long been a focus, building on the legacy of the Morven Park International Equestrian Institute, an equestrian college for aspiring riders and trainers that was based at the park from 1967 to 1991.
All guests are asked to enter Morven Park via Tutt Lane from Route 15, just north of Leesburg. Spectators are invited to eat the MVP Café, which will be open both days of Horse Trials, and peruse offerings at the Vendor Village, which will be located right outside the Hofmann Building.
For more information about Horse Trials and the International Equestrian Center, visit www.MorvenPark.org. For those interested in sponsorship, email [email protected].
Morven Park is a 1,000-acre nonprofit park in Leesburg, Virginia. Known as the “Central Park” of Loudoun County, Morven Park welcomes 200,000 visitors each year who come to enjoy exquisite scenery, formal boxwood gardens, the Morven Park International Equestrian Center, the Athletic Field Complex, the iconic Greek Revival mansion, museums, and hiking trails. Morven Park was once the home of Thomas Swann, Jr., governor of Maryland during the Civil War, as well as the home of Westmoreland Davis, governor of Virginia during WWI. For more information, or to support the Park, visit www.MorvenPark.org.
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.