United States Eventing Association

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.

The USEA Emerging Athlete (EA21) Central Region Clinic resumed at Holly Hill Farm in Benton, Louisiana, on Sunday, June 11. Rebecca “Bec” Braitling, USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) instructor, streamlined instruction with 12 pre-selected participants who may be vying for a spot at attending the national camp with EA21 Director of Coaching, David O’Connor in January 2024.

Tomorrow, the first of five regional clinics for the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) Program kicks off in the central region of the country in Benton, Louisiana, at Holly Hill Farm. Throughout the summer, the remaining clinics on the East and West Coast will follow. At each clinic, 12 hand-selected riders will participate in a two-day clinic led by USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) coaches. The purpose of the EA21 program is to create a pipeline for potential team riders by identifying and developing young talent, improving horsemanship and riding skills, and training and improving skills and consistency. The intention is to provide young athletes with access to an added level of horsemanship and riding skills to further their training and skill development with greater consistency.

Ayden Schain and Sarah Ross were two of the 19 young riders that participated in the first-ever USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) National Camp in Ocala, Florida, at the start of 2023. Ross came from the West, originally from Nevada and most recently training and competing in California. Schain came from the East, based out of Vermont. Both are now pursuing eventing full-time in Florida with Schain working for Leslie Law and Lesley Grant-Law and Ross with Zachary Brandt.

At the start of the new year, 19 young riders from all over the country embarked on a journey to Ocala, Florida, for the first-ever USEA Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) National Camp led by EA21 Director of Coaching David O'Connor. These riders were hand-selected from the five EA21 Regional Clinics which took place in the summer of 2022 to have the opportunity to participate in a five-day, intensive training camp that addressed both mounted and unmounted lessons which would be critical to their development as young riders. Now that a month has passed by and each of the participating riders has had time to reflect on their experience earlier this year, the USEA is catching up with each of them as they look back on their week in Ocala learning from the best of the best.

The USEA’s Emerging Athlete U21 Program (EA21) application process asks applicants to submit in writing a reflection on their past and current riding experiences. Applicants are being asked to develop a written history that provides the selectors with an opportunity to get to know each applicant from a personal perspective. Combined with submissions of videos and interviews that may be conducted with an applicant’s trainers and coaches, along with performance records, selectors will gain a more complete portrayal of the candidate’s horsemanship and riding skills.

Have you heard of the USEA's Emerging Athlete U21 (EA21) program? The EA21 program officially kicked off in the summer of 2022 with the five Regional Clinics that took place across the country, followed by a National Camp shortly after the start of the new year in Ocala, Florida. USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown sits down with EA21 Director of Coaching David O'Connor and EA21 Regional Coach Shannon Lilley to talk about this influential new program, how the Regional Clinics and National Camp were structured, and how they whittled down the field to 19 top young riders who would be invited to attend the first-ever National Camp.

The inaugural USEA Emerging Athletes 21 (EA21) program national camp wrapped up on Friday after a wonderful week of education and excitement. USEA Director of Coaching, David O’Connor led the camp with 19 selected athletes for the EA21 national program this year, which took place at Overlook Farm South, in Ocala, Florida.