United States Eventing Association

The “Evaluation of the Young Event Horse Prospect” Symposium will be a wonderful educational event for anyone interested in breeding, handling, buying, riding and evaluating young event horses. Taking place in Ocala, Florida, February 22-23, this symposium will explain both the Future Event Horse (FEH) and Young Event Horse (YEH) programs and provide a certification opportunity for YEH/FEH judges on February 24th.

The following speakers will evaluate several young horses for the crowd, touching on conformation, movement, jumping capability, and more. This is a must-see for anyone who is interested in producing young event horses in the U.S.

Robin Walker

Robin began his riding life in England and prior to moving to the USA had ridden at the Advanced and International levels of Eventing. Since then, Robin has continued to ride at the upper levels in Eventing, and he also show jumps successfully up to the Grand Prix level. In addition, he is an ICP Faculty member and is the Advisor to the Developing Event Horse Programs. He is the expert coordinator of the development of the Future and Young Event Horse Programs to ensure goals are consistent with the FEH horses transitioning smoothly into the YEH program. This fits well with the small but successful breeding program that continues at his farm. Robin is based at Maute House Farm in Grass Lake Michigan. The farm has developed into a fully self-contained facility for the production of both horse and rider.

Susan Graham White

Susan Graham White is a USEF licensed judge in Eventing (S), Dressage (R), and Dressage Sport Horse Breeding (r). She is also a licensed FEI 3*/4* Eventing judge. Susan has judged over 200 USEF/USEA recognized competitions, more than 50 international events, including the 2006 and 2007 North American Young Riders Championships, Scotland’s Blair International in 2006, and the Eventing Young Horse Championships at Lion Anger, France in 2009. Still an active competitor, Susan is currently showing in dressage classes at the FEI levels, and also presents young horses in hand and under saddle at breed shows. She teaches and trains at her lovely Wolfhaven Farm in southern Maryland and heads for central Florida during the winter to provide training for her students and gain easy access to the southeastern winter show circuit. Susan currently heads the USEA Future Event Horse committee.

Marilyn Payne

Marilyn's interest in developing young horses began more than 30 years ago when she started breeding, training and competing her own young horses. Today she and her husband Dick live at their Applewood Farm in Oldwick, NJ, and Marilyn continues to compete successfully in both dressage and Eventing, bringing along her homebreds from the day they are foaled. She is presently co-chair of the USEA YEH Committee, having been involved in the YEH program since it began. Her contributions have been instrumental in developing and improving the program and encouraging breeders, owners and competitors to participate. An FEI Eventing CCI3/4* judge, Marilyn is also a USEF "S" Eventing judge and "S" Dressage judge. She has judged nearly every 4* FEI Event in the world as well as the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong and the 2010 WEG in Kentucky. When not sitting at "C" or galloping cross-country, Marilyn conducts training sessions for both Dressage and Eventing judges in the USA and for FEI Eventing judges overseas. Following in their mother's footsteps, her children Doug and Holly are prominent Eventing riders and trainers, devoted to bringing horses along from their first cross-rail to the CCI3* and 4* levels.

Dr. Gary Spurlock and Dr. Shauna Spurlock

Spurlock Equine Associates opened its doors in 1990. After 10 years at University Teaching Hospitals in Ohio, Massachusetts and Virginia and with 2 young children, Drs. Gary and Shauna Spurlock were looking for ways to combine family life with professional passion. The clinic offers outpatient appointments for routine lameness evaluations, pre-purchase examinations and other routine work ups. They offer diagnostic capabilities and surgical facilities as well.

Dr. Gareth Spurlock grew up in Kentucky where his family owned Quarter horses shown by him and his sister. While attending the University of Kentucky, he worked on breeding farms and at the race tracks. He received his veterinary training at The Ohio State University. Following graduation in 1979, he completed an Internship at a surgical practice based at the Thoroughbred race track, Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. He returned to The Ohio State University for his Surgical Residency and a Master’s degree. He attained board certification with the American College of Veterinary Surgeons in 1986. Dr. Spurlock was on the teaching and clinical faculty of Tufts University and then Virginia Tech with a special interest in lameness and orthopedic disease. He entered private practice in 1990, building Spurlock Equine at their home in Lovettsville, VA.

Dr. Shauna Spurlock is a New Hampshire native. She and her sister showed American Saddlebreds and Morgans. She attended the University of New Hampshire before heading off to The Ohio State University for her veterinary training. After graduation she completed a Master’s degree and Residency in Clinical Pharmacology. She then received addition training in Internal Medicine at Tufts University and became board qualified with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She was on the faculty of Virginia Tech before putting her pharmacology training to work at the Food and Drug Administration Center for Veterinary Medicine. She has been in private practice at Spurlock Equine Associates since 1991.

Phil Silva

Felisberto “Phil” Silva has been working with horses for 25 years and is in demand as a handler for breed shows, inspections, keurings and FEI jogs. His passion for training and proper handling translates into remarkable performances by horses and ensures their safety. Phil has a fine reputation throughout the industry for reliable transportation and professional handling services at shows and inspections. As a result, owners, breeders and riders continue to trust Phil with their champion horses.

Phil has long recognized the need for more mentoring of young equestrians so that they can learn about the world of sport horse breeding, showing, and handling. With the support of Dressage4Kids, Phil helped launch an exciting curriculum to address this void. In fact, the Young Breeder’s Sport Horse Educational Program held its debut clinic at Ten Broeck Farm in November 2010. Today, Phil continues to work on promoting and expanding the program, and providing his services as a clinician.

Daniel Marks, VMD

For 24 years, Dr. Daniel Marks served as the Team veterinarian for the USET and U.S. Olympic Teams in Jumping and Dressage and was an integral part of their medal winning successes. He was also the team veterinarian for the Canadian team at the Olympics and World Championships, as well as for teams from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Japan, Virgin Islands, and the Bahamas. Highly respected around the world, Dr. Marks was a professional horseman, rider and trainer, prior to becoming a veterinarian. He was one of the few U.S. riders to be accepted into the Spanish Riding School of Vienna at the time, and then turned his talents to competing jumpers and hunters at major national horse shows, and then went on to riding in timber races. Dr. Marks became a founding partner of the Delaware Equine Center which grew into one of the largest private equine clinics in the world. He has had many principal equine veterinary contributions and credits the majority of those developed with his decades-long partner and friend, Dr. Matthew MaacKay-Smith. Dr. Marks coined the term “Pre-Purchase” Exam and established many of the presently accepted guidelines, eliminating “pass-fail” and encouraging the practice of taking radiographs as part of the exam, which at the time was controversial but now has become the worldwide standard. After many veterinary contributions, Dr. Marks has now had over 40 articles featured in professional publications, and continues his consulting equine practice.

Leslie Law – Special Guest Speaker and Rider

Leslie Law is well-known as an international event rider. Riding Shear L’Eau, he was the individual Olympic gold medalist at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens and helped Great Britain earn the team silver medal. Leslie has a long record of major successes including the team silver in Sydney in 2000, European team gold medals in 2001, 2003, and 2005, the World team bronze in 2002, as well as 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th place finishes at the Badminton CCI4*. Since arriving in the United States in 2006, Leslie has racked up a huge list of accomplishments including being a three-time winner of the American Eventing Advanced Championship, Young Event Horse Champion and Reserve Champion, along with multiple CCI3* and CIC3* wins. He has now become one of the most sought-after coaches and clinicians in the United States and has served the USEA through his work on the Board of Governors, and his support of both the Young Event Horse Program and Young Riders Program.

Kai-Steffen Meier – Special Guest Speaker and Rider

Kai-Steffen Meier is a top German Event Team rider who grew up in an equestrian family. His parents were sport horse breeders and all of his horses up through the young rider level were homebreds and self-broken and trained. After finishing school, Meier rode for the German army program and was based in Warendorf where he could train with many German national trainers. He then moved to northern Germany and worked and trained for two years under Andreas Dibowski. By 2009, Meier had started his own business and concentrated on finding young horses to produce to the top levels of Eventing. Meier has won the prestigious Bundeschampionat and placed several horses in the top 10. He has also competed five times at the World Championships for young horses at the Le Lion d’Angers with four top-15 finishes. He has been a member of the German Eventing Team since 2004 and has competed and placed at two European Championships as well as other prestigious events such as Badminton, Luhmuhlen CCI4* and Pau CCI4*. In 2014, Kai-Steffen Meier married Belgian Event rider Lara de Liedekerke, who competed at two WEGs and two Europeans. Together they have a daughter and they run a stable with 25 event horses in the middle of Belgium. www.arville-sporthorses.com

Attendance for the symposium will cost a small fee of $25.00 for USEA members, and non-members will be asked to pay the full $50.00 attendance fee. The classroom portions will be held each morning at the beautiful Clubhouse in the elite new facility at the Ocala Jockey Club. The afternoon live horse demonstrations will return to Betsy Watkins’ beautiful Longwood Farm South.

A hotel room block has been set up at the Holiday Inn & Suites Ocala, so contact Kate Lokey for the room block code, and to register for the symposium. Please note the room block cutoff date is January 21, 2016 and pre-registration is encouraged as slots may fill up as they did in 2015.

Click here for an online registration form.