United States Eventing Association

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 eventingvolunteers.com platform to log volunteer time. This impressive amount of volunteer time was contributed by 4,378 amazing VIP volunteers.

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 undertake a 12-hour drive from their home in Indiana to Maryland just to volunteer at the event.

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 volunteer Rebecca Proetto, who kept records and guided the athletes at the end of the jog strip.

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 cattle with her father on the family farm, they knew very little about eventing when they first started volunteering.

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 hand to a new competitor.

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is thrilled to announce Santa Cruze Animal Health as a “Bronze Sponsor of the American Eventing Championships (AEC),” “Sponsor of the Adult Team Championships,” as well as a support sponsor of the AEC volunteers. They will provide gift certificates for the top three teams in the Adult Team Championship divisions and 350 UltraCruz Natural Fly & Tick sprays and coupons for the AEC Volunteers!

If you’ve ridden at Fair Hill International (Elkton, Maryland) in the last decade, you’ve most likely ridden at an event put on with the help of volunteer Dennis Davis. Davis and his wife, Bobbie Davis, have been volunteering at Fair Hill for the last 11 years.

You might not know her name, but chances are, if you’ve competed at an event in South Carolina, Virginia, or other venues across the eastern United States, you’ve met Diane Bird.

Do you have plans to attend the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds at the Kentucky Horse Park this Aug. 27 – Sept. 1? Make your mark on the event by signing up to volunteer! Volunteer positions are open to everyone, including competitors, trainers, owners, fans, friends, and family that are making the trip to Lexington, Kentucky, later this summer, and the USEA highly encourages its members to find the time in their busy schedules to give back. These Championships cannot run without the support of hundreds of volunteers that donate their time.

There are a lot of moving parts behind every horse trial, but one of the most important facets to an event running smoothly is the dedication of the volunteers working the event. Let’s face it, our sport would not be what it is without the time offered up by these individuals. Without the contributions of volunteers, it would be impossible for an event to operate in the way that it needs to and at a cost that competitors could afford. That is why it is so important that we continue to not only recognize the amazing volunteers who give up their weekends to support our sport, but also carve out time in our schedules to volunteer as well and give back to the sport in that manner.