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 2025 USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships were an incredible success, ushering the programs forward as the first standalone championships knock on the door for 2026. The Intercollegiate and IEL Programs were merged for their year-end championships to ensure that the USEA’s junior and young adult members have a goal to continue to pursue their passion for eventing throughout their educational years and beyond, and the support the event has received in the last two years has been astounding.
A pre-purchase examination (PPE) is big part of investing in a new eventing partner, but there are so many options and add-ons that can be done in a PPE that the process can feel a bit daunting. USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sat down with equine veterinarian and USEA Board of Governors member Dr. Angie Yates, DVM, to discuss all things related to the PPE, different perspectives to keep in mind, and more in this week's episode of the USEA Podcast. This episode is a great one if you anticipate you will be in the market for a new horse soon!
Amidst the unbridled enthusiasm of the USEA Intercollegiate teams competing in this weekend’s USEA Intercollegiate & Interscholastic Eventing Championships at Stable View (Aiken, S.C.), the Interscholastic Eventing League (IEL) riders have held their own with displays of teamwork and horsemanship all weekend long. While all teams put their best foot forward, one team rose above the rest. The Iron Bridge Hounds Pony Club came into the weekend with one goal in mind—to win. They achieved that goal by such a large margin, a little more than 16 points, that they were able to claim the title of champions before their last rider, 16-year-old Claire McMillan, had even left the start box.
The University of Kentucky has claimed top honors at the 2025 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship, held this weekend at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina. With 10 teams and 36 entries, they not only secured the title of “School with the Largest Presence” once again, but also rode away with their second national championship title, adding to their 2021 victory. Their winning team, the Kentucky Wildcats (made up of Callia Englund,Sarah Ertl, Macy Hale, and Emerson Padgett) dominated the championship finishing 11 points ahead of second place with a total score of 77.76.
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