United States Eventing Association

New Partnerships Prevail After First Phase of the USEA Modified Championships at the #AEC2024

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 27— Nearly 70 competitors made their first impression across the two Modified Championships at the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds on Tuesday. In the USEA Modified Rider Championship, 16-year-old Willow Schwartz scored a personal best at the level to make an early mark on the division with her own RH Finnegan. Meanwhile, in the USEA Open Modified Championship, Mia Farley and Cecile Zovighian’s Nikita took the early lead.

USEA Modified Rider Championship

Last year, Schwartz finished in the top 10 of the USEA Training Junior Championship at the AEC aboard the 15.2-hand Thoroughbred mare Flashy Bandit (Flashy Wise Cat x Halo’s Bandit). This year, Schwartz is back at the AEC, but on a very different ride and in a new division.

“I got him exactly a year ago,” said Schwartz of her 8-year-old Hanoverian gelding RH Finnegan (WakeUp x Daquan). “When I first got him, it was a little rocky.”

Not only did Schwartz have to learn to ride a whole different size of horse, but she also had to adjust to "Finn’s" personality and quirks.

“A fun fact about Finn is that he was actually gelded when he was 6, and he currently has babies as well. So he definitely can be a little spicy sometimes,” said Schwartz. “But we've worked really hard, and after a few up and down patches, he's definitely stolen my heart, and I'm absolutely obsessed with him.”

Being dressage-bred, the first phase is usually one where Finn excels, but Schwartz wasn’t expecting the results the pair had today. A score of 24.9, a personal best for the pair at the Modified level, has slotted them in the leading spot after the first day.

“We went in there and I just wanted to have a fun test. The goal is always progress, so I was just hoping it would be better than my last test. And it was better than my last test, obviously,” she said with a laugh. “I came out, and I was like, ‘Wow, that felt really good!’ but I definitely wasn't expecting to be leading afterward!”

Schwartz is looking forward to moving onto day 2 and to Jay Hambly’s Modified cross-country track. As she hails from Texas, she and Finn have been doing a lot of fitness work to prepare them for the rolling terrain of the Bluegrass that the Kentucky Horse Park is so famous for. Her mother, Catherine Schwartz, and her trainer this week, Bethany Stephens, will be waiting for her at the finish line.

“My mom is the one who really makes all of this happen,” noted Schwartz. “I'm so grateful for her, and then Bethany as well; I'm grateful that she's teaching me this weekend!”

USEA Open Modified Championship

When Farley (Lexington, Kentucky) saw a video of the now 7-year-old warmblood mare Nikita (Kanndarco x El Dessa) on Instagram last November, she was immediately smitten. After a quick message exchange, she found herself on a plane to Spain just two days later to meet the mare.

“I fell in love with her the minute I sat on her,” said Farley. Up until that point, Nikita had spent her entire career in the show jumping ring. “We didn’t do cross-country when we tried her, but she’s just taken to eventing like no other. She has truly impressed us every single time she has gone out.”

Nikita made her first ever eventing appearance in January of this year at the Beginner Novice level at Majestic Oaks in Ocala, Florida, where she placed second. Since then, the mare has gradually worked her way up to the Preliminary level, and she has only placed outside of the top 5 twice.

When the mare earned her qualifications for the 2024 AEC, Farley decided that competing in the bigger atmosphere would be good for her development. And so far, Farley has been thrilled with her performance.

“She was a total professional,” she said of their dressage test on Tuesday morning. “I hate using the word 'amazing' so much, but she really was. We hauled in, we made the 20-minute walk from the trailers to the ring, and I picked her up, and she felt really good. I had 20 minutes to warm-up, and I felt like she was already at the level that I wanted her at, so I actually walked her for most of the warm-up and then picked her up when the horse before me went in.”

That plan worked well for Nikita as the mare scored a 23.3 to lead the USEA Open Modified Championship after day 1.

Farley, who gained a ton of popularity in the past year riding at the five-star level with David O’Connor’s 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding Phelps (Tiznow x Boom Town Gal), has thoroughly enjoyed bringing along a string of younger horses such as Nikita.

“It's really fun actually just to work with them every day,” she shared. “I think it's kind of cool to look back– like six years ago, I was in this total mindset of winning every single day, but now I can work with them and gauge where they're at on a day-to-day basis, and if they're not going to win on that day, then we just go for a hack and figure out something else where I can get the best out of them.”

The scores are extremely tight, which means cross-country will be quite influential on Wednesday morning. Just one point behind Farley and Nikita on a score of 24.3 is Boyd Martin riding Dean Richardson’s 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding Cadiz 1 (GK Calucci x Sonnengirl B), and sitting in third on a score of 25.2 are Elizabeth Swire and her own 6-year-old Hanoverian gelding Jag’Fly JS (Jaguar Mail x Quiet Please).

Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

A team score of 88.1 puts the team Coffee Two Sugars at the top of the Adams Horse Supply USEA Modified Adult Team Championships following dressage. With just three riders on their team, the members of Coffee Two Sugars, Gina Pletch, Anna Banks, and Cathrine Wunderlich, do not have the added security of a drop score as the week continues.

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About the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)

The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is the pinnacle of the sport at the national levels. Held annually, the best junior, adult amateur, and professional competitors gather to vie for national championship titles at every level from Starter to Advanced. This ultimate test of horse and rider draws hundreds of combinations from around the country to compete for fabulous prizes, a piece of the substantial prize money, and the chance to be named the National Champion at their respective levels. In fact, the 2021 AEC garnered over 1,000 entries and now stands as the largest eventing competition in North American history. The 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds will be held Aug. 27—Sept. 1 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky. Click here to learn more about the USEA American Eventing Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Presenting Sponsor: Nutrena Feeds; Advanced Final Title Sponsor: Adequan; Platinum Level Sponsor: Bates Saddles, Horse & Country; Gold Level Sponsors: ARMA, Parker Equine Insurance, PulseVet, Schneiders Saddlery, Smartpak, Standlee; Silver Level Sponsors: Auburn Labs, Canter Culture Riding Apparel, Kerrits, The Jockey Club, Rood & Riddle; Bronze Level Sponsor: 70 Degrees, Athletux, The Chronicle of the Horse, D.G. Stackhouse & Ellis, Dubarry of Ireland, Equestrian Team Apparel, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kraft Horse Walkers, Majyk Equipe, Retired Racehorses Project, Ride EquiSafe, Santa Cruz Animal Health; Contributing Level Sponsors: Cross Country App, Georgetown – Scott County Tourism, Lexmark, L.V. Harkness, #WeRideTogether; and Prize Level Sponsors: BEMER, Big Ass Fans, Boyd Martin Fan Shop, Ecogold, EquiFit, Equilab, FarmVet, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Horses 4 Your Consideration, I Love My Horse Eventing Boutique, Jack’s Favorites, Jane Heart Jewelry, Kentucky Equine Research, LeMieux, Mare Goods, Neighborly Tack, Outlaw Nutrition, Palmera Polo, Parkmore Supplements, Practical Horseman / Equine Network, Rachel Dory Equine Fine Art, Remond Minerals, Secretariat Center, Shapley’s, Sidelines Magazine, Strides for Equality Equestrians, and VTO Saddlery.

About the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships

The Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adams Horse Supply USEA Adult Team Championships.

The USEA would like to thank Title Sponsor, Adams Horse Supply, and ARMA, The Chronicle of the Horse, Equilab, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation, Kerrits, Nutrena Feeds, PulseVet, Ride iQ, Santa Cruz Animal Health, Schneiders Saddlery, Sidelines Magazine, and SmartPak for sponsoring the Adult Team Championships.