The United States Eventing Association (USEA) Eventing Handbook by the Levels is going to be an asset to every program, no matter if you are a trainer, rider, parent, or eventing enthusiast. The USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) Committee dedicated two years to putting together a guide that includes teaching and training principles that work harmoniously with exercises and concepts from every level from Starter through Advanced. If you are intending on attending the 2022 USEA ICP Symposium at Barnstaple South Farm in Ocala, Florida on February 8-9, then you will be one of the first individuals to access the full copy of this extremely beneficial tool.
Today’s excerpt from the USEA Handbook by the Levels comes from the Exercises and Concepts section. Included for every level and every phase, the Exercises and Concepts section gives riders and instructors tangible tools which will measure the rider’s abilities and skill levels. These exercises and concepts were intended to work harmoniously with the teaching and training principles documented in the Universal Overview section of the handbook. Included below are the Exercises and Concepts sections for cross-country at both the Training and Intermediate levels.
Exercises and Concepts for Training Level Cross-Country:
The instructor should confirm the rider’s understanding of and ability to perform all exercises identified under Starter through Novice Level Cross-Country Exercises.
Canter and gallop - Quality and variations:
Preparing for increased technical questions on cross-country:
Exercises and Concepts for Intermediate Level Cross-Country:
The instructor should confirm the rider’s understanding of and ability to perform all exercises identified under Starter through Preliminary Level Cross-Country Exercises and Concepts.
The Intermediate level rider and their instructor should create exercises which prepare the horse and rider for the increased technical difficulty and increased overall speed required for the Intermediate cross-country course. Cross-Country exercises should include:
The ICP Symposium has undergone a reboot and will feature an interactive and inclusive format that encourages participation and input from active professionals at all levels through a hands-on live teaching session. While geared towards eventing professionals, the ICP Symposium is open to all who wish to attend and will feature relevant information that all riders and eventing enthusiasts can learn from. As an added perk, early registrants will receive an advanced copy of the new USEA Eventing Handbook! Register for the ICP Symposium here.
About the USEA Instructors’ Certification Program
Instructors are essential to the training of riders and horses for safe and educated participation in the sport of eventing. The USEA Instructors’ Certification Program (ICP) was initiated in 2002 to educate all levels of eventing instructors with crucial training principles upon which those instructors can continue to build throughout their teaching careers. ICP offers educational workshops and assessments by which both regular instructors, Level I through Level V, Young Event Horse (YEH) instructors, and Young Event Horse professional horse trainers can become ICP certified. Additional information about ICP’s goals, benefits, workshops, and assessments as well as names and contact information for current ICP-certified instructors, YEH instructors, and YEH professional horse trainers are available on the USEA website. Click here to learn more about the Instructors’ Certification Program.
The USEA would like to thank Stable Secretary and Parker Equine Insurance for sponsoring the Instructors’ Certification Program. Additionally, Parker Equine Insurance offers 5% off to all ICP instructors and Stable Secretary provides a 25% discount on their subscription services to all ICP instructors.
The CCI5*-L field was narrowed by one this afternoon following the first horse inspection on High Hope Inspection Lane at the 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event. Horse and rider pairs were looking their best, with a few horses demonstrating their readiness for the upcoming competition through their flamboyant behavior (we're looking at you Bronte Beach Z and Dyri).
The man, the myth, the legend himself, Derek di Grazia is back in his typical fashion at this year's Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event and he has designed some beautiful tracks for both the CCI5*-L and CCI4*-S competitions this year. You can get a first look at these amazing courses as well as some insider interviews with di Grazia himself thanks to our friends at the CrossCountry App!
It's the most wonderful time of the year—and we aren't talking about the holiday season. Welcome to 2025 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (K3DE) week! This week the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, will be crawling with eventing lovers from all across the globe for the first five-star of the 2025 season and the USEA is excited to once again be onsite for all of the action.
The USEA is saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Dr. Timothy “Tim” Holekamp on April 19. He was 79.