USEA Board of Governors member Morley Thompson is on the ground in Lima, Peru at the 2019 Pan American Games and will be sharing his thoughts from the spectator's seat!
The Army Equitation School is a green oasis of solitude in a concrete urban jungle. Getting there in Lima traffic is a challenge, but once you enter the walls it has beautiful trees and many helpful volunteers. The overall size of the grounds is quite limited though. The entrance for a spectator is a bit like shopping at IKEA as you are routed along a circuitous path through sections of the cross-country course, through the Peruvian equivalent of a Tiki hut, and eventually get to the dressage area.
The size of the venue is so limited that the cross-country course loops back and forth on itself. Imagine a CCI3*-L course at Kentucky in an area that is probably smaller than the inside of the Kentucky steeplechase track. There are some slight hills and lots of trees, so it does not feel like a Tryon derby field, but the twisty course may prove tough for horses that are not handy.
There are places where trucks are rumbling on city streets on the other side of a wall less than 20 yards from a cross-country jump and there literally were cross-country jumps within the dressage stadium, with a water complex less than 10 yards from A.
Today's dressage was very impressive for the top tier of riders. The U.S. is in a very enviable position to have Lynn's 29.2 be our drop score. Lynn's test set a bar for being calm, rhythmic, and precise but other tests bested her in brilliance and energy. Tamra's test was fantastic and would have placed well in any international competition.
Individually, Brazil's Marcelo Tosi on Starbucks was very impressive. I am probably showing my lack of familiarity with many of the international riders, but I was very impressed by the riding skills of Guatamela's two ladies. Sarka Kolackova De Mendez's Carneval 32 has some incredible moments of brilliance and energy, but with all his energy the extended walk was not on his playlist. For this test, the walk-canter transition at C when the horses were anticipating the medium canter (and pointed at a cross-country jump) proved very challenging for several.
Both the Canadians and Brazil are close on our tail so we need two more great phases!
Rally your teammates! The spring semester is here and the 2025 USEA Intercollegiate Team Challenge season has officially begun. As riders prepare for the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship on May 2-4 at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina, many will be heading to their local Horse Trials to sharpen their skills and build team spirit ahead of this epic event.
The USEA Foundation is pleased to announce the new Organizer's Relief and Competition Assistance (ORCA) Fund and has updated the Frangible Technology Fund for 2025. Please read below for more information on each opportunity.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce the following individuals appointed to serve as USEF Eventing Selectors.
Hands down, the USEA's Big Valentine's Quiz is always one of our most popular podcasts each year, and this year USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown pitted U.S. eventing power couple Jacob and Cornelia Fletcher against Australia's beloved Shane and Niki Rose for another fun-filled episode! From eventing knowledge to cute couple questions, Nicole puts these two couples to the test. Which couple do you think came out on top?