United States Eventing Association

Permanent ECP Workshop and Assessment Calendar Introduced in 2023

The United States Eventing Associations’ (USEA) newly revamped Eventing Coaches Program (ECP), formerly known as the Instructor’s Certification Program (ICP), is proud to announce that a permanent workshop and assessment calendar will be introduced for 2023. The ECP has been hard at work over the last two years determining ways to increase participation in educational opportunities and coach certification. The newly formed workshop and assessment calendar was created with the greater eventing calendar in mind, including major competitions, and will remain on similar dates and at the same locations for years to come, so that planned attendance is more easily attainable for interested coaches.

The new year will kick off with the annual ECP Symposium, which will be hosted at Barnstaple Eventing in Morriston, FL on January 17-19, 2023. The ECP Symposium is a three-day immersive educational experience for anyone who is interested in learning more about eventing coaching. Guest speakers include sports psychologist Dr. Paul Haefner, Olympic Gold Medalist and USEF Chief of Sport, David O’Connor, and more! Click here to register to attend.

The first component of the permanent schedule is the ECP Workshops. Each workshop will take place in a different area of the country in order to make the events more accessible geographically for anyone interested in attending. Each workshop will also host one session dedicated to dressage and one dedicated to jumping. All levels (I-V) of ECP certified coaches are welcome and encouraged to attend any of the workshops listed below in 2023.

• Area 3 Workshop, hosted by Michelle Mercer and Ashley Johnson, at Robin Walker’s Malvern House in Citra, FL
  • Dressage Workshop: January 3-5, 2023
  • Jumping Workshop: January 10-12, 2023
• Area 2 Workshop, hosted by Natalie Hollis and Suzannah Cornue, at the hosts’ Destination Eventing Farm in Dickerson, MD and Carolyn Mackintosh’s Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, MD
  • Dressage Workshop (Destination Eventing): March 13-15, 2023
  • Jumping Workshop (Loch Moy): April 17-19, 2023
• Area 4 Workshop, hosted by Jennifer Rousseau, at Stacie McManus’ Jigsaw Farm in Woodstock, IL
  • Dressage Workshop: June 20-22, 2023
  • Jumping Workshop: July 25-27, 2023
• Area 6 Workshop, hosted by Bec Braitling, at the Baxter’s Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, CA
  • Dressage Workshop: September 12-14, 2023
  • Jumping Workshop: September 26-28, 2023

“The most important thing is that we have something that people can plan for ahead of time,” said Bec Braitling, host of the Area 6 Workshop at Twin Rivers Ranch. “We’re such a big country so we have to be able to plan these things and know that it is a goal, just like a competition that we are aiming for.” When asked about her plans for next Septembers workshops, Braitling said “I was lucky enough that I had David O’Connor come and do a workshop last year that was really inspiring, and I got to shadow the (ECP) co-chairs, Phyllis Dawson and Robin Walker in an assessment just last week, so I think that really helped me get motivated and understand the goals.”

The second component of the new schedule is the ECP Assessments. There will be two assessments hosted each year that are open to all levels (I-V) of ECP certified coaches. If you are interested in being assessed or wish to increase your certification to the next level, consider attending one of the opportunities below next year.

• Area 2 Assessment at Phyllis Dawson’s Windchase in Purcellville, VA on June 26-28, 2023
• Area 4 Assessment at Stacie McManus’ Jigsaw Farm in Woodstock, IL on October 8-10, 2023

Stacie McManus, owner of Jigsaw Farm, will welcome the Eventing Coaches Program to her farm for a workshop and an assessment in 2023. If you ask McManus, her 27-year-old Autistic son, Jake, is the real owner of the farm, which was named “jigsaw” after the puzzle piece symbol for Autism. Level IV ECP instructor, Jennifer Rousseau, has taught Jake since he was a kid and is the reason the McManus’ got involved with the program and the sport of eventing. “We aren’t personally eventers, but the component of education and raising the standards for safety is something we are passionate about,” said McManus. “I like good horsemanship in any discipline, and it is an honor for us to have people like Karen O’Connor come through and really watch them challenge the instructors to raise their game.”

If you are interested in learning more about the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) and the new workshop and assessment calendar, please click here.

About the USEA Eventing Coaches Program

Instructors are essential to the training of riders and horses for safe and educated participation in the sport of eventing. The USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) was initiated in 2002 to educate all levels of eventing instructors with essential training principles upon which those instructors can continue to build throughout their teaching careers. ECP offers educational workshops and assessments by which both regular instructors, Level I through Level V, Young Event Horse (YEH) instructors, and Young Event Horse professional horse trainers can become ECP certified. Additional information about ECP’s goals, benefits, workshops, and assessments as well as names and contact information for current ECP-certified instructors, YEH instructors, and YEH professional horse trainers are available is available on the USEA website. Click here to learn more about the Eventing Coaches Program.