The 2021 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships have officially begun as the first intercollegiate activity took place this evening, Friday, May 28. Thirteen schools lined up for the opening ceremony at 6:00 p.m. in the coliseum at the Virginia Horse Center.
Each school entered the coliseum at the Virginia Horse Center and showed their best school spirit complete with team mascots, school chants, banners, flags, and dogs sporting their best outfits.
"This year was the best opening ceremony we've ever had at Championships," said Leslie Threlkeld, the USEA Intercollegiate Committee Chair and the Championship organizer since the first USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships in 2016.
New this year to the opening ceremony was the recognition of the competing Seniors from the class of 2020 and 2021. The USEA President Max Corcoran and Leslie Threlkeld presented 20 Seniors with an engraved plaque that acknowledges their participation in the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The opening ceremony was followed by a dinner in college town for the Championship competitors. The dinner was generously provided by Andy Bowles and the Virginia Horse Trials.
The USEA would like to thank the following Seniors listed below for their participation in the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
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 of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as 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. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The USEA would like to thank Saratoga Horseworks, Bates Saddles, FITS, World Equestrian Brands,EQuine AMerica Magazine, Revitavet, Kerrits, R&J Equine Unlimited, LLC, and US Equestrian for sponsoring the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) has opened nominations for the annual appreciation awards through Oct. 29. This is an opportunity for the sport to recognize those horses and riders who excelled in eventing throughout the year. It is also an opportunity to recognize and honor the very important people who have served the sport tirelessly both in a non-riding capacity and riding capacity during their golden years.
Anticipation for the 2024 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship and inaugural USEA Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) Championship is growing, and the host venue, Stable View, is up for the task of making both events an unforgettable experience for all involved. For the first time, the Intercollegiate and IEL program championships will be hosted on the same weekend at the Stable View H.T. in Aiken, South Carolina, on May 4-5, 2024, creating greater unity between the programs and demonstrating a clear pipeline of participation in the sport from grade school through college and beyond.
The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has made five rule changes which will go into effect October 1, 2023. Familiarize yourself with these rule changes below to make sure you are in compliance before heading out for your next event.
With the goal of creating a pathway for young horses in the U.S. and participants of the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Program, earlier this year the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and USEA joined forces to launch the USEF/USEA Developing Horse Eventing National Championships for 6- and 7-year-olds.