Forty-six horses will take on Richard Jeffery's show jumping course in the Rolex arena this afternoon, beginning at 1 p.m. Will Faudree withdrew Andromaque early this morning, as did Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice. Francis Whittington also opted not to present Easy Target, withdrawing him from the competition. Caitlin Silliman and Catch a Star were held, then opted to withdraw. All other horses were ultimately accepted, although several were held and represented, including Annie Clover, Bay My Hero, Catch a Star, Novelle, and Coal Creek.
Be sure to check out our photo gallery!
From the classroom lecture to the riding sessions, the focus on the final day brought those final finishing touches to bear on the athletes of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South.
“There are 385 million people in the U.S., and only 3.8 million have horses,” David O’Connor said as he began the classroom session on day 4 of the Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp. “Not all of them are into eventing.”
A change in the original schedule of the Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp brought cross-country day forward to the third day instead of the original final day. Alongside his work with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI, EA21 Director of Coaching David O’Connor advises the Caisson Detachment of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment on horsemanship and will be traveling to Arlington, Virginia, to attend the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. But no one was disappointed by the change.
Having established clear lines of communication yesterday on the flat, it was time to take those tools to the jumping arena during day two of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athlete Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South in Ocala, Florida. The curriculum for the second day focused on the rider’s responsibilities and maintaining rideability.