The Volunteer Incentive Program was established in 2017 and in just one year has experienced incredible growth, both in the number of volunteers using the Eventing Volunteers app and in the number of organizers putting the app to good use. In 2016, when the app was being piloted in Area II, it had just 800 registered volunteers. This year, the app has over 6,000 registered users and is used by 86 USEA recognized events across the country.
Bonnie Kibbie, chair of the USEA Volunteer Committee talks about the responsibilities of the committee and the how the Eventing Volunteers app has grown and developed with feedback from both volunteers and organizers, as well as some of the benefits it provides for volunteers and organizers alike. The app has been designed to be as user-friendly as possible, making it easy to sign up for volunteer jobs, log hours, check out leaderboards, and more!
Kibbie also discusses some of the other projects the Volunteer Committee has undertaken. In addition to the number of resources the Committee has crafted for organizers on volunteer best practices, the Committee is creating jump judge training videos, a project spearheaded by committee member Irene Doo with the support of a grant from the USEA. Doo has been coordinating, editing, and producing these videos, which will be available for all USEA events and volunteers as a free online resource. The Volunteer Committee also recently released a short two-minute survey to gauge interest on a number of possible volunteer educational opportunities. Kibbie describes some of the potential ideas the Committee has been discussing. Click here to take the survey!
Jackie Smith of Stone Gate Farm has been a supporter of the Volunteer Incentive Program since its inception and comes on the show to talk about how organizers can benefit from using the Eventing Volunteers app. As an active competitor, licensed official, ICP certified instructor, and show organizer, Smith has her hands full. The Eventing Volunteers app helps her organizer all her volunteers for her many recognized and unrecognized events in one place and makes it easy to communicate with her volunteers. She’s also attracted new volunteers to her events, just because her events use the app!
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.