The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing program has steadily gained popularity since its creation in 2014. In 2016, the USEA intercollegiate national leaderboards were introduced, and every December a new set of nationally ranked riders are named.
For 2021, the collegiate riders that took home top honors were Cosby Green of University of Kentucky, Katie Lichten of University of Virginia, Jackson Dillard of Clemson University, Morgyn Johnson of Randolph-Macon College, Cora Severs of University of Kentucky, Katie Szewczyk of University of Florida, and Nicole Carlone of Iowa State University.
USEA Advanced Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
Earning 10 points at the Advanced level Cosby Green earned the 2021 USEA Advanced Intercollegiate rider of the Year. She was the only intercollegiate rider to earn points at the Advanced level. Green was also the second-highest ranked Intermediate Intercollegiate Rider of the Year with 56 points at the Intermediate level. Green accumulated these points with her two upper-level mounts, Copper Beach, a 2006 Irish Sport Horse gelding and Highly Suspicious, a 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding sired by Russel. Get to know more about Green by clicking here.
USEA Intermediate Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
For the second year in a row, Katie Lichten topped the USEA Intermediate Intercollegiate Rider of the Year leaderboard. Lichten earned 65 points at the Intermediate level while competing Sapphire Blue B (Heritage Fortunas x Lucy Blue) a 2010 Irish Sport Horse gelding and Yarrow (Yaveri x Amelia) a 13-year-old Canadian Sport Horse gelding.
USEA Preliminary Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
Jackson Dillard finished the year with 31 points at the Preliminary level to earn himself the title as the 2021 USEA Preliminary Intercollegiate Rider of the Year. was the highest-ranked Preliminary Intercollegiate Rider of the Year. Dillard earned his points by piloting his own 2009 Warmblood gelding Elmo and his own 2011 Hanoverian mare, Layla Q (Loerke x Ayla Q).
The second-highest ranked collegiate rider at the Preliminary level was Sydney Shinn as she earned 20 points at the Preliminary level.
USEA Modified Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
Finishing with 21 points at the Modified level, Morgyn Johnson was the 2021 USEA Modified Intercollegiate Rider of the Year. Johnson earned her Modified points with her 2014 Trakehner gelding, Peter Parker GS (Humble GS x Painter’s Emily).
The second-highest ranked Modified collegiate rider of 2021 was Johnson’s teammate, Austin Skeens of Randolph-Macon College, with 15 points.
USEA Training Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
Cora Severs finished the 2021 competition season with 33 points to top two national leaderboards – the 2021 USEA Training Intercollegiate Rider of the Year, and the 2021 USEA Training Young Adult Rider of the Year. Severs earned her 33 points with Cuervo (Judgement ISF x Alexis Titty 11 Z) a 2007 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Stacey Severs.
Morgyn Johnson, the highest-ranked intercollegiate rider at the Modified level, was also second-highest ranked on the USEA Training Intercollegiate Rider of the Year leaderboard with 26 points at the Training level.
USEA Novice Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
With 38 points, Katie Szewczyk of University of Florida was the 2021 USEA Novice Intercollegiate Rider of the Year. Szewczyk accumulated 38 points with her 2003 Quarter Horse gelding, Suspicious Behavior (Clark Noble x Streakin Bella).
USEA Beginner Novice Intercollegiate Rider of the Year
Nicole Carlone of Iowa State University finished the 2021 competition season with 16 points at the Beginner Novice level to earn the 2021 USEA Beginner Novice Intercollegiate Rider of the Year. Carlone accumulated these points with her 2007 mare Too Big For Your Britches.
Congratulations to all the collegiate riders! For more information on the USEA Intercollegiate Program, please click here. To see all the intercollegiate leaderboards at every level, click here.
Don’t forget the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships take place on May 21-22, 2022 at Chattahoochee Hills H.T. in Fairburn, Georgia. Every school must renew its affiliate registration with the USEA for 2022. Click here to renew.
About the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program
The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, EQuine AMerica Magazine, FITS, Kerrits, RevitaVet, R&J Equine, USEF, World Equestrian Brands, and Saratoga Horseworks for sponsoring the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
Welcome to the Show Me state and to Area IV USEA members! The 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention kicks of tomorrow and features four full days of educational seminars, committee meetings, and social gatherings all with one aim—to bring the eventing community together to continue to improve upon and celebrate the sport that we all love. This year’s Convention takes place in St. Louis, Missouri, at the Marriott St. Louis Grand in downtown St. Louis from Dec. 7-10, and we have rounded up everything you need to know to make the most of your time in the heartland.
To accompany the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, USEA Educational Partner STRIDER has prepared Digital Resources to Maximize Education & Access for the Eventing Community. In keeping with the USEA’s mission to expand the sport of eventing, this webinar outlines ways in which digital tools can be leveraged to increase access and education across equestrian opportunities. As part of STRIDER’s popular Professional Development Webinar Series, this presentation aims to provide a quick overview of best practices and digital tools used across the equestrian industry to boost growth.
Every horse who participated this year in the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program has a story—a background that involves a breeder who labored over bloodlines, veterinary care, initial training, and so much more. This year’s highest-placing U.S.-bred horse in the 5-year-old division at the Dutta Corp./USEA Young Event Horse Championships, Arden Augustus, is no exception. His breeder and owner, Anita Antenucci of Arden Farms in Upperville, Virginia, started her program nine years ago and said that the Warmblood gelding was a more emotionally driven breeding for her than others due to his connections with Antenucci’s long-time friend Sharon White.
Have you ever wondered why professional riders love bringing their horses through the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) program? USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown chats with two of this year's YEH Champions, Caroline Pamukcu who won the USEA YEH 4-year-old East Coast Championship aboard HSH Afterglow, and Andrea Baxter who won the USEA YEH 5-year-old Championship with Camelot PJ, to discuss this year's Championships and all of the great things that the program has to offer.