United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is excited to announce a request for expressions of interest to host the first USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing West Coast Championships in 2027. With the continued success of the USEA Intercollegiate & IEL Championships on the East Coast, and the increase in participation in both programs across the country, the USEA is responding to that interest with an expansion of the Championship offerings in the western United States.

Host site(s) should; be attractive and presentable venues, offer at a minimum Starter through Preliminary levels, with the option to include Intermediate as well, 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 student’s educational journey by bringing riders in grades 5-12 and undergraduate collegiate athletes together to celebrate their team’s successes 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.

The USEA is requesting expressions of interest from existing horse trials, ideally in Areas VI, VII, IX, or X, that would be capable of adding the Intercollegiate & IEL Championships to their current offerings. This would mean that the championship competitors would run alongside regular horse trials competitors. Bids will be accepted for events that run in the spring of 2027. If selected, the host venue will be encouraged to run Intercollegiate and IEL Team Challenges at their site at least once prior to the end of 2026.

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 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 (scoring provider (i.e. ShowConnect, Startbox, EventEntries, etc.) or manual tabulation; 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. Plan for a formal awards ceremony, and
5. 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 West Coast Championships in 2027 must be submitted by the end of the day on Monday, March 30, 2026, for consideration.

Please direct inquiries and expressions to the following contact:

Kaleigh Collett, Marketing & Advertising Manager
Phone: (703) 669-9994
[email protected]

The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship has been hosted at the following locations (participation date included):

• 2016 - 2018 – Lexington, Virginia (Virginia Horse Center)
  • 2016 – 39 competitors, 10 teams
  • 2017 – 80 competitors, 21 teams
  • 2018 – 87 competitors, 23 teams
• 2019 – Fairburn, Georgia (Bouckaert Farm) | 90 competitors, 23 teams
• 2021 – Lexington, Virginia (Virginia Horse Center) | 105 competitors, 27 teams
• 2022 – Fairburn, Georgia (Bouckaert Farm) | 87 competitors, 22 teams
• 2023 – Mill Spring, North Carolina (Tryon International Equestrian Center) | 93 competitors, 25 teams
  
  

The USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships have been hosted at the following location (participation data included):

• 2024 – 2027 – Aiken, South Carolina (Stable View)
  • 2024 – 192 entries, 51 teams
  • 2025 – 225 entries, 59 teams
  • 2026 Projections – 250 entries, 65 teams

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. Many events across the country offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually or in 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 2026 USEA Intercollegiate & IEL Championships will be held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 15-17. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Gallagher’s Water, Horse & Country, Kerrits, PulseVet, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, World Equestrian Brands, Young Rider Magazine, and 100xEquine 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 Club. The 2026 USEA Intercollegiate & IEL Championships will be held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 15-17. Click here to learn more about the Interscholastic Eventing League.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Gallagher’s Water, Horse & Country, Kerrits, PulseVet, Sidelines, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether, World Equestrian Brands, Young Rider Magazine, and 100xEquine for sponsoring the USEA Interscholastic Eventing League.