United States Eventing Association

Novice Competitors Steal the Show at #AEC2024

Lexington, Ky.—Aug. 31—Six Novice divisions crowned their champions in the Rolex Arena on Saturday at the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds. Read on to learn more about them!

USEA Novice Amateur Championship

It’s not deja vu. Ryan Ballou and his 8-year-old Danish Warmblood Astaire ( Volstrups Cash x Egeskovs Habibi) found themselves taking a celebratory lap around the Rolex Arena for the second year in a row again, only this time they had moved up from the Beginner Novice level to the Novice level.

“It's really unreal,” said Ballou, Lewisburg, Ohio. “Last year was my first time competing at the AEC, and I was just blown away. I mean, every time I've gone into the Rolex Arena, it just evokes such appreciation for everyone who's come before us, and to support everyone who's still coming. This environment demands greatness, and it earns respect, and that's why it's revered amongst all eventers. So you know, having that opportunity once was life changing, coming back and having that opportunity again… it still feels really unreal.”

Ballou and “Fred” led their division from the get-go with a dressage score of 23.8 and added just a touch of time on cross-country to settle in on a 25.4. A double clear round today secured their spot at the top of the leaderboard.

He took some tools he learned during last year’s championship and applied them to his competition week this year to help him perform at the top of his game.

“The biggest thing that I learned is how to be calm,” said Ballou. “This entire week, I've really felt at ease. I've come in with a clear cut plan. I've known exactly what I'm going to do each day, and I've really kept my mind focused on what I needed to do to be successful. I didn't have to really juggle emotions, because I knew how to juggle that going into it. That was really the biggest thing that I learned from last year.”

Since we saw them last, Ballou and Fred’s relationship has only strengthened, which is apparent by their record. They haven’t placed outside of the top 5 their entire 2024 season.

“Fred has grown to be my heart horse, my dream horse,” he shared. “If you would have asked me a year ago, you know my heart horse was my first horse, Watson. My trainer, Julie Richards, called me up one day and told me to come try this horse, and I went down, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I can see a future with him,’ and we've been working at that ever since. We've taken our time with him and worked our way up and continued to develop our relationship along the way.”

Lexie Samuels and her 12-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Tiger Tooo (Tinaranas Inspector x Awbeg Duchess) moved up the leaderboard one placing at a time each day of this year’s Championship to finish as this year’s Reserve Champion thanks to a score of 26.7.

“'I’m really pleased with him,” Samuels shared. “He's a bit of a cheeky horse, and he's kind of a chicken, so he's kind of scared of big environments. He actually handled it really, He was really brave and really rideable. My goal was just to have fun this year, so to be second is great.”

Samuels has been riding since she was 11, and this is her fifth time competing at the AEC. Since graduating college, she has had a bit of a challenge trying to get all of the scales to balance, and this year has really seemed to be the positive shift she needed.

“In adjusting to adult life, I had a couple of rough years. I'm just trying to get back into it and remember why I enjoyed competing so much, and trying to take the pressure out of it, but still have fun and still be competitive,” she shared. “I feel like when I graduated college and I started a job, I kind of bit off more than I could chew. I think taking a big step back and just kind of starting over again has really helped a lot.”

Callia Englund’s 5-year-old gelding Fernhill Celtic Flight only began eventing earlier this year, but this marks her fourth year competing at the AEC.

“What was special about this time is that every other time I've been doing the Preliminary, and so this was kind of less stressful. The scores are a lot closer at the Novice level, so it was definitely a different aspect that I hadn't experienced in the other times that I've been here. But it kind of made it feel a little bit more like a championship when it was really down to the point decimal point of scores!” she said.

The pair started their weekend in sixth place with a score of 28.3. Like Samuels, Englund, who now lives in Lexington as a University of Kentucky student, found herself slowly creeping up the leaderboard with each clear round.

Another thing that made the AEC super special for Englund this year was that her mom was able to join her, not only as a support person, but also as a fellow competitor.

“It is her first AEC! She recently moved to Aiken, and so she was super excited to be able to come and compete here at the horse park this weekend. Now that we get to do it together, it's pretty fun!” she said.

USEA Novice Horse Championship

When Megan Edwards, Richmond, Kentucky, and her client Darci Burton, went to Ireland to look at horses a couple of years ago, they both were captivated by a mare that Edwards described as, “feral, but beautiful.” That mare was the now 7-year-old warmblood Legende De Mies (Lux Z xFemme Fatale).

“We actually sent her down to Spain so I could do the young jumpers with her as a 5-year-old,” said Edwards. “We’ve had some silliness along the way–we couldn’t turn left at first! She has mainly done the show jumping, but it just so happened that it has been a year that I didn’t have an event horse, and Darci said to me, ‘Let’s go event ‘Legende’ and see what she does!”

Legende loved it. Edwards aims to continue to produce the mare in both the show jumping and eventing rings.

While seeing the horse mature and become a seasoned show horse has been exciting, the strong connection she has built with the horse’s owner has been one of the biggest rewards of working with Legende.

“I’ve known Darci for four years, and over time, that client relationship has turned into a really good friendship. Since we have gone to Europe together, we’ve been inseparable. I feel so blessed to have not just an owner, but a friend. She’s been with me with the highs of having upper-level horses going and the lows of when something has gotten hurt. To have someone in your corner that still believes in you through it all, it feels so good.”

Burton was watching ringside as Edwards and Legende jumped a double-clear track to secure the win and her joy was evident.

“It’s pretty incredible,” Burton shared. “I enjoy watching Megan and her so much. I really can't describe the feeling… I’m just super grateful!”

Former five-star eventer Marcia Kulak got the chance to gallop around the Rolex Arena again this afternoon aboard her niece Michelle Kulak’s 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding Pantheon (Pandorra x Anastazia) after a double-clear show jumping round saw them finish in second place on their dressage score of 23.8.

Marcia and Michelle found Pantheon as a 4-year-old and loved him so much, they decided to invest in his full brother and sister as well.

“He was so lovely,” noted Marcia. “I said to Michelle’s parents, ‘We should buy them all because they're really hard to come by, and they're bred in America,’ which meant a lot to us.”

Michelle started out as Marcia’s student at the age of 13. As an adult, she met Marcia’s nephew and married him, officially joining Marcia’s family.

“Her family has been so very supportive and she is so dear to me,” Marcia said.

Marcia and Pantheon have won three out of four events they have competed at this summer, so she anticipated the gelding might have a chance to really show off at this year’s AEC.

“I was thinking that we could be competitive,” she said, “but all that mattered to me really was to have him come here and the hard work that we have put in to develop him and to try and mentally get him to be the best he can be and to put together all three phases and have that work out. I think that's basically everybody's goal. It's great to win and it's wonderful to be second, but in the end, I think you just come to these competitions at this level with horses that maybe have never been here, and your goal is to do the best you can.”

Donning the third-place sash was Dr. Rae Stone’s 10-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Haslemere Jacamo (Quidam Junior x Haslemere Sabina) with Erin Murphy in the tack.

This was the gelding’s first year eventing. Stone enjoys foxhunting, but when “McCoy” didn’t take to the sport, she decided to see what he felt about a new career. He made his debut in April with Murphy and did a few shows with Stone before she was sidelined with an injury. Murphy happily took the ride back over while Stone recovers and Stone has enjoyed watching the horse continue to progress in his new discipline.

“She's so wonderful with my ‘McCoy,’ ” Stone said after the division had concluded. “I had already been taking lessons with both Erin and Skyeler [Voss] at Morningside Eventing, which is a tremendous program, so when I got injured, I thought it would be a great opportunity for him to learn from the best with Erin!”

Murphy was so pleased with McCoy’s first time in a championship environment.

“Since he is new to eventing, I wasn’t quite sure how he would take in the atmosphere and the environment, but he was really good all week,” Murphy shared. “He’s just a lovely horse.”

The pair ended their weekend on the same score in which they started, a 25.1.

USEA Novice Junior 15 & Under Championship

A sea of kids and parents dressed in purple garb with Go With It Farm sprawled across every shirt and hat stood at the edge of the stands of the Rolex Arena as Madison Zgutowicz, Sandy Spring, Georgia, entered the ring with the 20-year-old Welsh pony mare My Valentine. She was sitting in second going into the final phase, and the crowd of her purple-clad barn mates burst into cheers as she delivered a double-clear round, which would ultimately move her up to the champion spot after the overnight leader had a rail.

“It’s been an amazing weekend,” said Zgutowicz. “This has been a very emotional weekend because it is mine and ‘Vista’s’ last show together. It’s been a three-year process, and I am just so grateful.”

Vista has helped Zgutowicz grow up in the sport, and the young rider is so grateful for the pony’s patient personality and all that she has taught her.

“My favorite thing about Vista is how trustworthy she is. You can make a mistake, you can have a problem, and Vista is like, ‘Oh, okay, I’ll fix it!’ ” she said. “She’s the best horse. She definitely helps build your confidence up, especially for young riders who are working their way up the levels.”

Looking back on her weekend, Zgutowicz couldn’t have asked for any of the phases to have gone better.

“Dressage was perfect. Vista performed exactly how I wanted her to,” Zgutowicz recalled. “I don't look at my scores when I ride, so I had no idea how I was doing. I went to cross-country feeling pretty confident. Vista was perfect. She was quick and double clear. But, when I came into show jumping, I knew that I was in second, so I knew that I couldn't afford a rail. I was focused and Vista knew her job. She knew as soon as she stepped into this arena that she had to do it. And she did.”

If you thought you were seeing double today when you saw Kendal Fansler trot into the Rolex Arena twice aboard an adorable gray pony, you weren’t mistaken. The young rider from Clarkesville, Maryland, had two identical mounts in this division: Hedgerow Farm’s 14-year-old Connemara gelding Delilah’s Boy and Hedgerow Farm’s 20-year-old Anadalusian gelding Curioso (Nishkito x Bright Easy Jet), who she was placed third and fifth with, respectively, after cross-country.

But as the class played out, Fansler found herself moving on up the leaderboard with “Sammy” and “Curry,” and the next thing she knew, she was taking home both the second and third place prize with her beloved ponies.

“I just love these ponies so much,” Fansler said with a huge smile. “I was so excited to have them both here, and I knew I was going to have fun on them, because I always do!”

Fansler ended on her dressage score with both of her entries and decided to have a little fun during the victory gallop and take them both along for the ride!

“I brought them both out there, and then when I went to go, Curry didn’t want to go! But then when we got going they tried to race.”

She was all smiles as she and her two four-legged best friends made their way around the arena with red and yellow ribbons flying.

USEA Novice Master Amateur Championship

As Jane Musselman jumped the last show jump clear on Bobby Murphy’s track in the Rolex Arena, a small smile broke out across her face. Not only did Musselman just take home the title in the division, but she had just accomplished her third-ever USEA AEC Championship victory.

This was her first year, however, competing at the AEC with Corleone Tops (Tinka’s Boy x Unatame De Hus), a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding. Musselman only recently partnered up with “Leo,” and this weekend was their fourth event together. Going into the final phase in the lead can be nerve wracking for most people, but Musselman only had one worry.

“The only thing I'm worried about is me riding well,” she said. “As long as I ride him well enough he's gonna try. He did his absolute best today.”

The Louisville, Kentucky, resident had quite the support crew here with her this week.

“I want to thank everybody,” Musselman stated. “My family came–one of our children was here, my husband, my dad, and my sister. It was a big crowd for me, and that was really nice.”

Musselman recognizes it takes a village to make something like this possible. She was especially thankful to her trainers, Martha Lambert, Phillip Dutton, and Reese Koffler Stanfield.

Julie Carani, Barrington, Illinois, describes her partner of five years, the 10-year-old Oldenburg gelding Cabriolet 18 (Cabalito x Rubaiyat 18), as a Labrador Retriever.

“If he could sit on my lap, he would,” she said with a grin. “He’s always in my pockets and is truly the sweetest. He takes amazing care of me all the time.”

Her partnership with “Reese” did not have the most conventional start.

“The first time I rode him, I brought him out to a canter, and he tripped and fell to his knees, and I was like, I love him! He was such a baby at that time. He could barely hold himself up. He has grown so much since then.”

The pair have had a consistent season leading up to their appearance at the AEC, and Carani felt good coming into the weekend. They sat in fifth after cross-country, and as the pairs ahead of them acquired faults, they slowly climbed the standings on their unmarred dressage score of 30.3.

When Anna Kjellstrom, Versailles, Kentucky, saw Sportsfield CoolKenny stick his head out over his stall at Sportsfield Horses in Tipperary, Ireland, she knew he was the one.

“I said immediately, ‘I don’t care if that horse has two legs, I’m buying it!’ ” She and “Cookie” couldn’t have been a more perfect match.

Originally, the AEC was not on Kjellstrom’s radar for herself and the 6-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding (CoolKeenan x Patricks Polly), but with the event practically in their backyard and their qualifications met, she decided to give the event a go.

“Finally two weeks I was like, ‘You know, maybe I should start working on my dressage,’ ” she said with a chuckle. “I've been mostly doing the jumpers with him. So I got back to the dressage ring with my coach Allie Knowles. And gosh, it’s amazing how when you work on something, it actually helps!”

The pair scored a 30.4 at the start of their week and produced two double-clear rounds in the jumping phases to move up from sixth to third overall.

USEA Novice Rider Championship

A tearful Kerri Long had no expectations when it came to competing at this year’s AEC. If you had asked her five years ago if she thought she would be taking a victory gallop around the Rolex Arena aboard the now 10-year-old Georgian Grande gelding Blue Suede Shoes (Flying W Farms Falcon x Flying W Farms Lady In Blue), she probably would not have believed you.

“I was teaching some lessons to some little kids when this family came up to me and told me they had this 5-year-old they had bought as a yearling for their child that wasn’t working out,” she said. “They were told he was dangerous, and they asked if I wanted to ride him, and I said no! He was my first horse that I started myself, and that means a lot to me.”

But “Memphis” stole the early lead with a dressage score of 25.7–a score that the pair would leave totally unharmed throughout the remainder of the championship weekend. “I didn’t know what he was going to be,” she recalled. “Nobody expected anything out of him. We just thought we would see if he was good at anything, and it turns out he is actually a pretty fun little dude. His owners finally asked if I wanted to buy him, and at the time I thought, ‘He’s gray, a gelding, a weird breed.’ I wanted a bay Thoroughbred mare. I didn’t get any of those things, but he’s turned into a really cool horse.”

The pair are now heading back home to Woodbine, Maryland, where Memphis is promptly getting all the turnout that he could ever dream of. Long wanted to give a special shoutout to her friend Heather Studs for making the trek with her and lending a helpful hand. The weekend couldn’t have been possible without her.

A double-clear round would be just what Rebecca Speer, Wimberly, Texas, and her 13-year-old Thoroughbred mare Roman Express (Roman Ruler x Grey Chatelaine) would need to move up to second place after show jumping.

“I was really nervous,” Speer said of trotting down into the Rolex Arena Friday morning. “[Show jumping is] my weakest phase, and it's probably ‘Roma's’ weakest phase too. I've never jumped in a venue this big before, so it's very impressive. I just tried to focus on my rhythm, my turns, keeping her in front of my leg just put my leg on at the base and go. I was so happy to get around on my dressage score.”

Speer has had Roma for a year now and had to adjust to a whole new ride, but now that the pair have learned one another, Speer wouldn’t have wanted to have been on a different horse this weekend. “I had been riding a warmblood mare that I bought as a young horse, and she's very careful. I wasn't having a lot of luck on the cross-country with her,” she said. “She was too careful to gallop at fences and attack them. So I got this Thoroughbred, and I was so happy to have that horse on cross-country yesterday. I felt like I could have pointed her at anything, and we just couldn't miss. She's a good girl.”

The Kentucky Horse Park is the largest venue that third-placed pair Amanda Margolin Ko and Cardinal Point Farm’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Luminous CPF (Everdale x Zamora-ISF) have ever competed at.

“I just wanted to complete,” she said with a laugh. “That was the only goal. It has been super fun, and I was just honored to be able to ride here and get to be on the grounds!”

Ko had no expectations with the 8-year-old gelding whom her mother bred.

“She tried to breed dressage horses,” noted Ko, “and ended up getting an eventer. Bringing him along has been a bit of a challenge. I've learned a lot through the process. We've really taught each other a ton. He definitely is a spitfire, so there has been lots of bucking and lots of time spent on the ground. It's really rewarding to be here and actually have him be calm and confident.”

Ko and Luminous CPF finished with no faults added to their dressage score of 28.2.

USEA Novice Junior Championship

Emma Petrick had hoped to qualify for the 2023 AEC, but it just wasn’t in the cards. Just coming to Kentucky for this year’s Championships was a highlight of her season. She never imagined she would go home a champion.

“I was just so happy to be here,” noted Petrick, Strongsville, Ohio. “I came in with a competitive mindset, but I didn’t really have any high expectations. I was just trying to go clear–I was just happy about that!”

Petrick brought along her 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Hawthornstud Futures Bright (Future Trend x KEC Capetown), better known as “Rollo,” for her AEC adventure. She and Rollo have been partnered together for 2 ½ years now. While they have had quite the competitive career together, it hasn’t always been smooth sailing.

“I cannot even count how many times I fall off in that first year,” she said with a chuckle. “He was definitely a hard one to figure out, but now that he is my best friend, I couldn't be more thankful for him.”

The pair started the weekend tied for second after dressage. Their double-clear show jumping round today moved them up to first, and they left their dressage score of 29.2 through the weekend.

Kelsie Goodare is no stranger to the top-three at the AEC. Last year, she and her 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding Carli 13 (Crunch x Herri) topped the USEA Beginner Novice Junior Championship, and this year they moved up a level to claim the Reserve Champion title.

“I'm speechless,” Goodare commented after her show jumping round. “This definitely wasn't something that I was expecting. I was really looking forward to being here and being at such a fantastic facility and just to have our group from the barn coming. Last year, it was just me from our barn, and now we have two other girls, so it was just awesome having our whole group here.”

After almost two years together, this summer was really the point in Goodare and Carli 13’s relationship where they clicked.

“We’ve gotten to know each other even more,” she said. “There’s still things that I'm figuring out and that he's figuring out about me. He knows his job and I'm still learning–he's, helping me along the way. He's been great.”

The Rockford, Michigan, Senior started school this past Monday, and then packed up her trailer to haul to Kentucky on Tuesday. She hopes to graduate early so that she can spend some time as a working student before beginning college.

Making a massive move-up from 10th after dressage to sixth after cross-country was Celia White and To Infinity and Beyond Dash, an 8-year-old Oldenburg gelding (Tatendrang x Barcarole). A double-clear round in show jumping would launch them three more places to round out the top three on their dressage score of 31.1.

“Finn” was the horse who helped White transition from the hunter/jumper ring to eventing three years ago. Their bond is undeniable.

“He's taught me a lot,” said White, Marietta, Georgia. “He's a good guy, and I'm so proud of him. He tries his heart out all the time. He's amazing. I love him so much.”

Coming to the AEC helped tick off a childhood bucket list item and ribboning in the top 3 was just an added bonus.

“Ever since I was a little girl, I always said I wanted to go to the Olympics,” she said. “I kind of let the dream die a little bit when I started doing the hunters, because I wasn't the greatest at it, but I've always wanted to do big competitions. Last year, when I was at the AEC, I bombed it. It was not great.”

She put that experience behind her and came into this year with a clean slate. Her barn friends cheered her on the whole way.

“I was a little nervous [going into dressage], but all my friends at the barn were like, just go have fun. Ride like it’s your last. And then yesterday, everyone was like, ride it like you stole it! I was walking the course and I was just thinking, ‘This is my horse. I love him. I'm walking into the ring on a horse I love so I basically already won this because I love him so much.’”

Adams Horse Supply Adult Team Championships

The scores were tight in the Adams Horse Supply Novice Adult Team Championship, but it was the team Supersonics IV who found themselves taking home the title with a five-point lead. Supersonics IV was made up by Brynna Gang, Carrie Meehan, Lianne Burgess, and Katarzyna Jachymczyk.

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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.