Preparing for your first horse trial and not sure what is expected of you at each level? In the last few editions of Rule Refresher we will be diving into each level and the performance expectations of each phase and in this final edition we outline the Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced levels. Want to better prepare yourself or your students for their first competition or a move-up? The USEA Eventing Handbook by the Levels is a free resource to all USEA members that outlines clear and consistent guidelines for riders and trainers to refer to when navigating their way through the competition levels. You can access this guide by logging into your online services account.
Text has been taken directly from the USEF Rules for Eventing with emphasis added by the USEA.
For an additional description of the types of obstacles that may be presented at a given level, please refer to the USEA Cross-Country Obstacle Design Guidelines, which are not specifically incorporated by reference.
APPENDIX 1 - LEVELS OF HORSE TRIALS
5. Preliminary: The Preliminary Level is a moderate examination of competitors and horses in a regular training program preparing for Two Star Events.
a. Dressage: The dressage test may include medium paces at the trot and canter, as well as the
introduction of leg yielding, shoulder in, rein back, and changes of lead through the trot.
b. Cross-Country: The cross-country should include tests of accuracy, agility, boldness, control, judgment and jumping ability. Obstacles may be on a bounce distance.
c. Show Jumping: The jumping course must include either (i) two or three doubles; or (ii) a double and a triple combination.
6. Intermediate: The Intermediate Level is an examination of increasing technical difficulty, preparing competitors and horses for Three Star Events.
a. Dressage: The dressage test may include canter to halt and walk to canter transitions, as well as turns on the haunches, simple changes, counter canter and half pass.
b. Cross-Country: The cross-country should now combine in more elaborate settings the tests introduced at the Preliminary Level, such as combinations with more than one question to be solved.
c. Show Jumping: The jumping course must include either (i) a double and a triple combination; or (ii) three doubles, with more related distances, and technical questions than the preliminary.
7. Advanced: The Advanced Level is the highest national level of Horse Trials. It offers tests of significant difficulty designed to prepare competitors and horses for either Four or Five Star Events.
a. Dressage: The dressage test may include extensions in all three paces, half pass at the trot and/or
canter, and single flying changes.
b. Cross-Country: The cross-country should be clearly a test of boldness and scope as it now combines size with technical difficulty.
c. Show Jumping: The jumping course must include either (i) a double and a triple combination; or (ii) three doubles. The jumping course must be the most technical Division of the national competition.
Want to catch up on past rule refreshers? Click here.
The USEA Foundation is pleased to announce a new initiative, the Janet Briggs Fund for the Continuing Education of Licensed Officials. Established in memory of Janet Briggs, this fund honors her lifelong dedication to the sport of eventing by supporting the ongoing education and development of eventing licensed officials.
In the rolling countryside of Metamora, Michigan, there’s a place where eventers gather not just to compete, but to celebrate the spirit of the sport. Area VIII’s Hunter’s Run Farm—home to the Hunter’s Run Farm Horse Trials—has long been a beloved destination for riders across the Midwest, and this year, it’s gearing up for one of its most exciting seasons yet.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered!
Warm weather is here, and the show season is underway, which is a perfect time for a yearly saddle and equipment check. Recently, Bates Saddles held a webinar alongside British Eventing where Emily Bates, head of product innovation at Bates Saddles, went through a saddle health check. Here are some of her top tips!