United States Eventing Association

"Pick your lane and stick with it; it's all building blocks in the training scale." This was coach Emily Mastervich Beshear's central message for each of the morning dressage sessions during day 1 of the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) East Coast II Regional Clinic held at Stable View.

Did you miss our coverage of the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) East Coast I Clinic held last month? Fear not, you can find that here, and scroll down to see a few more of our favorite moments from the two-day clinic, which was held at Morven Park in Leesburg, Virginia.

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.

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.

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.

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.

This week, USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) and ECP Level IV coach, Rebecca Brown of Dallas, Texas, is back on the West coast at Aspen Farms in Yelm, Washington to teach twelve talented Young Riders at the EA21 West II Regional Clinic. Day one started with a dressage lecture from Brown, which focused on the German training scale and the varied uses of each part of the rider's body in communicating with their horse. These themes were then translated into the dressage lessons that followed throughout the morning.

A chilly morning dawned on the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) Regional Clinic at Twin Rivers Ranch, headed by West Coast EA21 coach Rebecca Brown of Dallas, Texas. A woman who wears many hats and is supremely committed to the sport, Brown is an ECP Level 3 coach, FEI 4* rider, U.S. Dressage Federation bronze and silver medalist, co-chair of the USEA Young Rider Committee, member of the EA21 Task Force, and founding member of the EA21 program.

For riders at the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) East I Regional Clinic, today’s dressage lessons with Advanced rider and Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) coach Shannon Lilley focused on the training scale as it relates to jumping.

After a lecture on Monday, 12 young riders rode in pairs in front of Lilley in the indoor arena at Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, Virginia, on Tuesday.