United States Eventing Association

Request for Expressions of Interest: USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships Host Sites

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is excited to announce a request for expressions of interest to host the first standalone USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships in 2026 and 2027. With the success of the inaugural joint championships in 2024, the USEA is confident that the progression of these programs lends to a standalone event for these hardworking students in 5^th through 12^th grade and undergraduate college programs.

Host site(s) should: be attractive and presentable venues, offering at a minimum Starter through Intermediate levels, have consistently good footing, have the ability to promote to and accommodate spectators and supporters, and have a demonstrated record of implementing a media plan that includes a successful working relationship with local media.

The USEA strives for these Championships to serve as a pipeline for participation in the sport throughout a students educational journey by bringing these age groups together to celebrate their team’s success during the academic year. The competition should offer a unique and memorable atmosphere for the collegiate and scholastic members to compete and mingle with their peers as they mature within the sport.

The new standalone Championships will fall on rotating dates bi-annually. For the first year in 2026, the Championships must be hosted during the third week of May on Friday the 15^th through Sunday the 17^th. During the second year in 2027, the Championships must be hosted during the second week of May on Friday the 7^th through Sunday the 9^th. The USEA is accepting expressions of interest from potential host sites that would be willing and able to accommodate both years of competition, with the USEA attaining a special license to operate on each event date.

The inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship was held at the Virginia Horse Center in 2016 with 37 competitors and 10 teams. Since then, and with the addition of the IEL Championship, participation has grown exponentially with 192 competitors on 52 teams completing the 2024 Championships at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina. The Championships will return to Stable View in 2025. The USEA will license the rights to run these Championships to a host site/organizer with a small licensing fee, while retaining certain rights of control over the event.

Only organizers with an established relationship with a facility and proof of support for the expression of interest from the host site owners/operators, or the owner(s) and/or operator(s) of a prospective host site may nominate said venue for consideration. Expressions of interest should be submitted in the form of a letter and consisting of no more than 800 words.

All expressions of interest should also include the following:

1. Address of proposed site(s),
2. A list of site features relevant to eventing competitions including but not limited to;
   1. The permanent and/or temporary stall capacity, and ability to section off portions for individual teams,
   2. The number of arenas (including dimensions and footing type),
   3. Existing infrastructure, levels, and acreage available for cross-country;
   4. A plan for team scoring tabulation (manual vs. automated; see Intercollegiate Eventing Handbook for more information),
   5. Accommodation for an opening ceremony, competitor party, and spirit award activities in the evenings, and
   6. Any other features of note.
3. Contact information for the person or entity submitting the expression of interest,
4. Indication of live scoring platform,
5. Plan for a formal awards ceremony, and
6. A statement on how the venue plans to create a special championship atmosphere for the students.

Expressions of interest for the USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships in 2026 and 2027 must be submitted by the end of the day on Friday, December 6, 2024 for consideration.

Please direct inquiries and expressions to the following contact:
Kaleigh Collett, Marketing & Advertising Manager
Phone: (703) 669-9994
Fax: (703) 779-0550
[email protected]

The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship has been hosted at the following locations:
2016 - 2018 – Lexington, Virginia (Virginia Horse Center)
2019 – Fairburn, Georgia (Bouckaert Farm)
2021 – Lexington, Virginia (Virginia Horse Center)
2022 – Fairburn, Georgia (Bouckaert Farm)
2023 – Mill Spring, North Carolina (Tryon International Equestrian Center)

The USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships have been hosted at the following locations:
2024 – 2025 – Aiken, South Carolina (Stable View)

About the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program

The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students at universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually or on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship is a capstone event for the program, which is held annually in the spring. The 2025 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship will be held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 3-4. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, Nunn Finer, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, and World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program.

About the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL)

In August 2020, the USEA Board of Governors approved the creation of the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) as an official program of the USEA. The mission of IEL is to unite junior riders who are in the 5th—12th grade and provide a supportive community through which students can continue to pursue their riding interests. A group of junior members in the 5th—12th grade who share a common bond, such as the same barn, school, Pony Club, or other connection, can register with the USEA as an IEL Affiliate. The second annual USEA Interscholastic Eventing Championship will be held alongside the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 3-4, 2025. Click here to learn more about the Interscholastic Eventing League.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Horse & Country, Kerrits, Nunn Finer, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, and World Equestrian Brands for sponsoring the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League.