United States Eventing Association

Correct jumping positions, generating a quality canter and keeping it rhythmic, and practicing good habits consistently were the takeaways from the second day of the 2024 USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) West Coast II Regional Clinic on Wednesday.

Catching riding was the theme of the first day of action at the 2024 USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) West Coast II Regional Clinic on Tuesday at Aspen Farms, a 240-acre facility in Yelm, Washington, about 60 miles south of Seattle.

At the end of an exciting weekend at Aspen Farms Horse Trials, Karen O'Neal and Clooney 14, a 10-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Annika Asling, sealed the win in the inaugural CCI4*-S. They started the division in the lead with a dressage score of 35.0, but then dropped to second after show jumping on Saturday due to one rail.

A big crowd gathered at Aspen Farms Horse Trials Saturday afternoon to watch the inaugural CCI4*-S division take on the show jumping track designed by Chris Barnard. Supporters, sponsors, competitors, and visitors enjoyed watching FEI show jumping during a 4-Star Reception with catered food and beverages, sponsored by Southern California Equestrian Sports.

Aspen Farms Horse Trials started with a full day of dressage competition on Friday under fair skies. More than 300 competitors from throughout Area VII and beyond are competing this weekend, and five horse/rider combinations entered Aspen Farms' inaugural CCI4*-S—the first ever offered in the state of Washington.

A good canter with a consistent rhythm was the key to success during day two at the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) West II regional clinic at Aspen Farms in Yelm, Washington. During the morning lecture that kicked off the day's educational activities, Brown recounted a lesson that she was taught by U.S. show jumper and Olympic gold medalist, Joe Fargis, that "there is no smoke and mirrors in riding. If you sit on the horse well, the horse will go well. Simpler is better." Brown built on this theory throughout the rest of the day, consistently returning to the German training scale and reliance on the flatwork to find success over the fences.

It was an influential cross-country day at the Aspen Farms Horse Trials for the upper-level divisions and CCI3*-S and CCI2*-S. The leaderboards for the Preliminary, Intermediate, and FEI classes featured all new names by end of day Sunday—none of the overnight leaders from Saturday held their leads. Combinations who could jump clean and fast rose up the ranks.

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! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.

Riders returned to Aspen Farms in Yelm, Washington for the final day of the USEA Emerging Athlete (EA21) Regional Clinic with USEA Instructor's Certification Program (ICP) Level IV Certified Instructors Rebecca Brown on Tuesday. Coming off of a solid first day focusing primarily on proper flatwork and dressage basics, the twelve young riders took to the outdoor arena for the show jumping portion of the clinic.

Sophie Click and her 9-year-old Oldenburg gelding Tarantino 54 (Quattro B x Los Argentina) held onto their lead through Sunday's cross-country portion of competition, coming off of their winning show jump round Saturday, June 11, to take the overall victory in the CCI3*-S at Aspen Farms Horse Trials in Yelm, Washington.