Feb 12, 2022

The VIP Volunteer: Kristen Janicki

By Meagan DeLisle - USEA Staff

A lifelong love of horses has blossomed into so much more for Kristen Janicki through not only a lifetime of volunteering, but also her career. Born and raised in the suburbs of Chicago, Janicki loved all animals, especially horses, from a very young age. While she never owned a horse of her own growing up, she got her start in the saddle at a local hunter/jumper barn and competed in local competitions. In 1993, she took a Quarter Horse named Ozzie that she was leasing to the Fox River Valley Pony Club Three-Day Event where she won her division and found herself hooked.

“My love of horses continued and I went on to receive a Bachelor of Science degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1998 and then attended graduate school at the University of Kentucky, studying under Dr. Laurie Lawrence in the area of Equine Nutrition.”

While in graduate school, Janicki found that she was too busy to own her own horse, so she began taking lessons with Champagne Run in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to running a booming training facility, Maggie Wright of Champagne Run also organizes events held at the Kentucky Horse Park so Janicki began competing at and volunteering at those events.

Kristen Janicki with a friend while volunteering at the USEA American Eventing Championships held at the Kentucky Horse Park. Photo courtesy of Kristen Janicki.


“I was awestruck that ‘normal’ people got to show at such a cool facility where professional three-day eventers competed,” Janicki reflected. “That was about 20 years ago, and I’m still at it! I’ve probably done it all from running dressage tests, ring stewarding, jump judging, ring crew, scribing. You name it, I’ve probably done it! I was even able to e-scribe at the 2010 World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park for Para-Dressage, which was easily the coolest volunteer position I have ever done!”

Now Janicki also assists with events put on by the Keeneland Pony Club and the Mid-South Eventing and Dressage Association (MSEDA). After years of helping with so many different events, Janicki feels that her sweet spot in volunteering lies within scoring.

“Scoring, especially show jumping and cross-country, is interesting because you get to work with a lot of different people, from judges to stewards to technical delegates, and really understand what it takes to make an event happen. I’m a very analytical person, so following a set of rules and guidelines is easy for me to implement into my job as a scorer, and you have to do a lot of that while scoring,” she commented.

While the days are long, Janicki says they are well worth it because of the people she has worked alongside and now become friends with. “They love the sport as much as I do, and there’s nothing better than watching someone cross the finish flags with their arms around their horse’s neck even though they didn’t make time and had 20 penalties on course.”

When it comes to the eventing community, Janicki says her love for the sport all boils down to two things: the relationship between the horse and rider and the people involved in the sport.

“Being a volunteer for as long as I have, it's so much fun to see horses and riders compete up the levels successfully, or a horse take several riders through their first Beginner Novice or Novice horse trials. Eventing is such an interesting sport with three distinct phases, and that requires riders to really understand their own strengths and weaknesses, plus that of their mount. That doesn’t happen overnight, it’s a relationship that is built with trust and time. The eventing community is one of the most supportive groups of people I have known. In 2021, I had a close friend competing in the Novice Amateur division at the USEA American Eventing Championships, and it was so much fun cheering her and her horse on in every phase, regardless of how she placed. Just watching her cross the finish double clear on a horse she developed was so inspiring and emotional, it was such a great moment for me to be there with her!”

Janicki was proud to be a part of the cheering squad for a dear friend competing in the 2021 USEA American Eventing Championships. Samantha Haynie for Shannon Brinkman photo, courtesy of Kristen Janicki.

Her childhood love of horses has had a huge impact on Janicki’s entire life and she was even able to make a career out of that passion as the Associate Digital Brand Manager for BUCKEYE Nutrition. She gets to travel often with the Mars Equestrian team at several of the events that they sponsor.

“I am lucky that my personal and professional life blend together every day,” remarked Janicki. “Working with the Mars Equestrian team is a completely different and fun perspective, and I get to experience some of the larger events through the sponsorship and trade show side as well, such as Kentucky Three-Day Event and Maryland 5 Star. On top of that, I work directly with our sponsored riders for BUCKEYE Nutrition, and developing successful nutrition programs for these high-level athletes brings out the geek in me!”

Kristen Janicki competing Romeo in 2009 prior to his retirement. Photo courtesy of Kristen Janicki.

And if you are wondering, yes Janicki did finally get a horse of her own, Romeo a black APHA gelding who she competed in several smaller combined tests and horse trials around Lexington until he was retired in 2011. At the ripe age of 23, Romeo is happily enjoying his retirement, and Janicki is still volunteering.

If you are competing at the Kentucky Horse Park and see a volunteer with a Golden Retriever named Rey, that is Janicki! Rey often accompanies Janicki on her volunteering excursions, and she hopes that competitors, eventing fans, and other volunteers alike will stop by and say hello the next time they are competing in Lexington.

About the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program

Volunteers are the lifeblood of our sport, the unsung heroes, and the people who make it possible to keep the sport alive. In efforts to recognize the dedication, commitment, and hard work that volunteers put into eventing, USEA formed the Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) in 2015. In 2017, an online management portal was designed for volunteers, organizers, and volunteer coordinators at EventingVolunteers.com (available as an app for iOS and Android).

Volunteer incentives include national and area recognition, year-end awards with ribbons, cash prizes, and trophies, a top ten USEA Volunteer leaderboard, and a Volunteer of the Year award which is given to the volunteer who tops the leaderboard by accumulating the most volunteer hours over the USEA competition year. Click here to learn more about the USEA Volunteer Incentive Program.

Nov 28, 2023 Convention

Education Abounds at the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in St. Louis, MO

The USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is an event that many USEA members look forward to year after year to catch up with their fellow eventing enthusiasts and stay up to date on all the latest work happening on the USEA Committees and Task Forces, but there’s so much more to explore. The educational opportunities offered at this year’s Convention, which takes place on Dec. 7-10 at the Marriott St. Louis Grand hotel in St. Louis, Missouri, are endless and afford members with the opportunity to expand their horizons through a full schedule of seminars and events. Plus, each day of the Convention counts as one ECP Continuing Education credit for those in attendance!

Nov 27, 2023 Board of Governors

Meet the Nominees for the USEA Board of Governors

Each year every member of the USEA receives a nomination ballot to submit nominees to the Board of Governors and during the Annual Meeting of Members, all members are invited to vote for those individuals nominated to serve. All members receive a proxy to vote for their chosen representatives for those unable to attend the Annual Meeting of Members. The only restriction for Board membership is that they must be USEA members. There are 10 positions representing each Area of the country and 11 at-large positions with no other restrictions.

Nov 26, 2023 Safety

Rule Refresher: Frangible Essentials for Riders and Jump Judges

Effective Dec. 1, 2023, USEF rule EV145.8 will require, whenever possible, new cross-country obstacles (for which frangible devices are appropriate) to be constructed with FEI approved frangible technology for the Training level and above (previously it was Modified and above).

Nov 25, 2023 Classic Series

Poulos and Flaherty are Grateful for Opportunity to Compete in the USEA Classic Series at Ram Tap

The Ram Tap Horse Park Horse Trials hosted the final USEA Classic Series Event of the year this past weekend in Fresno, California. The event offered three traditional long-format divisions at the Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training levels. Meet the final USEA Classic Series champions of 2024 below.

Official Corporate Sponsors of the USEA

Official Joint Therapy Treatment of the USEA

Official Feed of the USEA

Official Saddle of the USEA

Official Real Estate Partner of the USEA

Official Equine Insurance of the USEA

Official Forage of the USEA

Official Supplement Feeding System of the USEA

Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA