United States Eventing Association

After focusing on flatwork during the first day of the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) East Coast I Regional Clinic at Morven Park, the 12 hand-selected riders and coach Shannon Lilley headed to the spacious outdoor ring early this morning to put some of their skills to the test over fences.

The goal versus the art was the theme of the day for the 2024 USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) West Coast I Regional Clinic. From green bean young horses to FEI veterans, the goal was the same for every rider: working the way up the pyramid of the German training scale. The art of riding was how they got there.

Flatwork is the foundation for jumping, as most eventers know. And today, on the first day of the USEA Emerging Athlete (EA21) East I Regional Clinic at Morven Park, coach Shannon Lilley got down to the nitty-gritty of the German Training Scale to help 12 riders with their own horses and on their briefly borrowed mounts at the end of each session when they swapped horses with their lesson partner.

The summer USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) Regional Clinics are officially in full swing with the completion of the EA21 Central Clinic last week and the EA21 East I (Leesburg, Virginia) and West I (Paso Robles, California) Clinics kicking off today. As we await the coverage from the East and West Clinics, led by EA21 Coaches Shannon Riley and Rebecca Brown respectively, we thought we would share some of our favorite moments from the EA21 Central Clinic which took place in Kansas City, Missouri last week.

Upon completion of the flatwork session during the first day of the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) Central Clinic, EA21 coach Bec Braitling allowed the 12 participants to play a heavy hand in designing the show jumping course for day two.

Each of the twelve riders selected to participate in the 2024 USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) Central Regional Clinic comes from different backgrounds. Some have begun their FEI careers, while others are gearing up for a Modified move up, some are on experienced schoolmasters, while others are on catch rides or greener horses. EA21 Coach Bec Braitling took that into account when brainstorming what the lesson plan for flatwork day at the Central Clinic might look like.

One of the best parts of summer is the return of the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 Program (EA21) Regional Clinics! This will be the third year that the USEA is offering these two-day educational sessions for the chosen applicants. There are five clinics taking place across the U.S. over the course of the summer. A USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) certified instructor will guide 12 hand-selected applicants at each clinic.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is excited to announce that coach applications are now being accepted for the 2025 USEA Emerging Athlete U21 Program (EA21). One additional coach will be selected and hired for a three-year term for the EA21 program, teaching one two-day summertime regional clinic annually throughout the term.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the athletes selected for the 2024 USEA Emerging Athlete U21 Program (EA21). USEA Young Rider program members aged 21 and under are eligible for the program. The purpose of the USEA EA21 Program is to identify and provide consistent quality instruction to the next generation of elite event riders.

The USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) program was established in 2022 with the aim of creating a pipeline for potential U.S. team riders by identifying and developing young talent and pairing them up with influential educators within the sport of eventing to improve their skills both in and out of the saddle.