United States Eventing Association

The USEA is proud to announce that Rebecca Farm will be the host of the first USEA Preliminary 3-Day Event July 23-26, 2009 in Kalispell, Montana. The P3D is a Classic format three-day event, incorporating roads and tracks, steeplechase, and cross-country into four phases on speed and endurance day. Beginning in 2010 five events nationwide will run the P3D and will team up with the 12 events that run Smartpak Training 3-Day Events to form the USEA Classic Three-Day Event Series. All of these events will run as national competitions under a unique set of rules and specifications tailored to riders who are seeking the experience and education of the full-format three day event.

The U.S. is the only country in the world still sanctioning Classic competitions. When the FEI announced at the end of 2008 that it will no longer recognize this format and will not include specifications and rules for Phases A, B, and C in future FEI Rule Books, USEA President Kevin Baumgardner took immediate steps to ensure its future. “We were extremely disappointed at the FEI’s decision to abandon the Classic three-day event and realized that if we were to keep this format alive we needed to work fast to establish rules and criteria that would allow it to continue as a national sport,” Baumgardner said. “The USEA is responding to our many members who believe the Classic is worth fighting for and want it to remain as a vibrant part of eventing.”

Long a proponent of the Classic format, Baumgardner announced at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention in December 2008 that he was establishing two committees: one to work on the P3D rules and specifications led by USEA Organizers’ Committee Chair (and organizer of the Virginia Horse Trial P3D) Penny Ross, and one dedicated to developing a uniform set of criteria for the existing T3D competitions, chaired by USEA Adult Riders Committee Chair (and co-organizer of the Waredaca T3D) Cindy DePorter. Each of the two committees is made up of Classic organizers, officials, and riders. In addition, Eventing Hall of Fame member Jim Wofford, a passionate supporter of the Classic Three-day Event, has lent his knowledge and expertise to the committees.

No one has fought harder to maintain the Classic Three-day Event than Penny and Brian Ross and they are delighted that this new national series is launched: “Brian and I believe in the Classic format, the commitment, respect and the responsibility between the team of horse and rider to achieve and maintain a standard of horsemanship in the spirit of the ultimate goal of three-day eventing as history meant it to be,” said Penny Ross. “With the encouragement and commitment from the Virginia Horse Center and our USEA riders, Brian and I look forward to hosting the Classic for a long time to come.”

Following a joint conference call last week, the two Classic committees finalized full sets of rules and specifications that are now ready to be presented to the USEA Board and the USEF Eventing Technical Committee for approval. These criteria should be implemented for the 2010 Classic Three-day Event Series. For the remainder of 2009, T3D organizers will use an interim set of specifications modeled on those set out in the 2008 FEI Rule Book. Competitors are encouraged to check the competition websites for full details.

Wofford describes the work of the committees this way, “The Classic Committees are developing a systematic and logical progression from Training to Preliminary Classic levels. This ensures that horses and riders will be appropriately challenged as their expertise develops.” Wofford sees this as the beginning of a more extensive series of Classic competitions under national rules: “In the future, I predict that riders will have the full range of competitive levels available to them in a Classic format, and that the Classic format will once again have taken its place as the pinnacle of achievement for horse and rider.”

No one has more experience at the Classic three-day event than Wofford. He won team silver medals in both the Mexico and Munich Olympic Games and individual silver at the Alternative Olympic Games in Fontainebleau, France in 1980. He has likely trained more riders and horses to compete in Classic three-days than anyone else and, teaching as many clinics as he does, he is in an excellent position to know what the amateur riders and up-and-coming young riders want. “My students around the country tell me that when they complete a Classic they feel an enormous sense of accomplishment. They remark on the incredible sense of partnership they feel with their horse, and many state that the Classic is a life-changing experience for them,” he said.

The Classic at the training level has been in existence for the last few years as a USEA “Test”. That is, it was run as an educational activity recognized by the USEA only. This year, the T3D became a fully recognized competition under the USEA’s Endorsement Agreement with the USEF. The CCI1* with steeplechase has been run for the last few years by five organizers who are committed to continuing the tradition. These include Penny and Brian Ross at the Virginia Horse Trials, Rebecca Broussard and Sarah Kelly at Rebecca Farm, Mary Fike at Mid-South Three-day Event and Robert Kellerhouse at Galway Downs International Three-day Event. Margaret Good who has organized a Classic Three-day Event at Morven Park for a great many years is unable to include one at her event this fall, but hopes to put the Classic back on the schedule in 2010.

The organizer of the Galway Downs Event, Robert Kellerhouse, summed up the feelings of the group: “Like the others organizing the Classic Series, I am very proud to have the incredible group of volunteers and staff necessary to host a traditional Three-day Event. Not only is the Classic Series the ultimate test of focus, courage, strength, and stamina for the horse and rider, but it equally tests the same qualities in an event’s organizing team!” he said. “The riders in the U.S. are very fortunate to have a group of 11 events that are willing to organize competitions for the Classic Series. The USEA has provided a great service to its members by coordinating the effort to launch the Classic Series at the Training Three-day and Preliminary Three-day levels.”

The USEA is planning a full Classic Three-day Event educational program at the Annual Meeting and Convention to be held in Reston, Virginia December 2-6 aimed at helping riders, organizers, and volunteers prepare for the 2010 Classic Series. Please check the USEA website for further information regularly as details of the program will be announced as they become available.