Debbie Hinkle has long been a staple of the eventing community in Area VIII. While she hasn’t spent her entire life on a farm, she first started riding farm horses and volunteering at farm shows.

Strange as it may seem to some die-hard eventing fans, not everyone seeks out horses in their lives. Sometimes, the horse world chooses the equestrian. And that’s exactly what happened to this month’s VIP Volunteer Laurie Hogan. Hogan has two main passions in life—volunteering at horse trials and...

Area X may not be known as a hot spot for eventing—but there’s more than enough action to keep volunteer Brian Murphy busy. Murphy first started volunteering after he needed something to do while he supported his wife when she competed on the weekends.

With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that...

As 2024 draws to a close, we would be remiss not to recognize the many volunteers who dedicate countless hours of their free time to the success of our sport. There were 72,374 hours logged in the USEA’s Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) this year across the 171 events that utilized the eventingv...

Last month, readers met VIP Volunteer Rebecca Proetto, who volunteered at the MARS Maryland 5 Star horse inspection. This month, the focus turns to husband and wife Ed and Leanne Barnett who introduced Proetto to the art of running an efficient horse inspection at Maryland. Ed and Leanne undertak...

Scattered among the eventers and horses at the MARS Maryland 5 Star horse inspection in October were volunteers dressed smartly in matching red shirts. While all eyes were on the athletes, they worked behind the scenes, ensuring the event ran smoothly. The event was particularly special for volun...

This month’s VIP Volunteers are a mother and daughter duo who have a unique tradition that started over four decades ago: volunteering at the Kentucky Horse Park together. While both Marjorie “Marji” Hines and her daughter, Robinson Regen, have a pleasure riding background, and Hines used to work...

Eventers are generally quite good at creating a welcoming community for people of all backgrounds and abilities, whether they’re brand new to the sport or competing at the five-star level. It’s not uncommon to see an upper-level rider taking their time to say an encouraging word or extending a ha...