United States Eventing Association

The YEH Yearbook: Class of 2012

The USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH) continued with another successful year in 2012. For the eighth year in a row, the USEA YEH East Coast Championships were held at Fair Hill International in Elkton, Maryland. The USEA YEH West Coast Championships were held at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California for the fourth year. Six of the top ten finishers on the East Coast and two of the top eight on the West Coast continued to have a successful career competing at the highest levels of the discipline.

Each year there are several horses that compete in the YEH program that continue on to be competitive in upper-level eventing. The 2012 YEH 5-year-old graduate horses who successfully went on to the highest levels of eventing are Cooley Cross Border, Meadowbrook’s Scarlett, Lysander, Look Again, Parc Cooley, PFun, Calidore, Fernhill Hustler, The Diesel Boy, Severance Pay, Quasar, Counterpoint, Gia, LC O’Shawnisee, Anna Bella, Rain Dancer, R. Star, Soaring Bird, and Talk’s Cheap.

The 2012 YEH 5-year-old East Coast Champion was Cooley Cross Border (Diamond Roller x Whos Diaz). This Irish Sport Horse gelding is owned by Kim Severson (VA) and Jackie Severson (AZ). The gelding is shown by Kim Severson and in 2020, the pair competed at Great Meadow International in the HT CCI4*-S and were clear through the show jumping phase.

Meadowbrook’s Scarlett came in fourth place at the YEH 5-year-old East Coast Championship with Lauren Nicholson in the irons. The Thoroughbred is owned by Marie Le Menestrel (VA) and competed by Nicholson. The duo’s last event was in 2016 at Boekelo where they competed in the 3D CCI-3* and finished fourth out of 94 starters.

Fifth place at the East Coast Championship went to Lysander. The Oldenburg gelding is owned by Otterbein University (OH) and shown by Jordan Golen, Jordyn Mary, and Doug Payne. In 2016, Payne and Lysander earned first place at The Fork CIC-3*/CIC-2*/CIC-1* & H.T. in the CIC-2*.

At the YEH 5-year-old West Coast Championship, Look Again (Quidam De Revel x Lily For Looks) earned a fifth-place finish. This Thoroughbred is owned and ridden by Roverta Zajac (CA). Look Again competed in the YEH 5-year-old classes with Vicky Koss and now has successfully competed through intermediate with David P. Koss, Robyn Fisher, and Zajac.

Parc Cooley (Cavalier Royale x WEllfields Allegro) finished in seventh place at the 2012 YEH 5-year-old East Coast Championship. The Irish Sport Horse is owned and ridden by Sophie Tallman (GA). Julie Richards competed Parc Cooley as a 5-year-old and together they won a class at Burns Farm. Mia Petersen successfully competed Parc Cooley through Intermediate with a top finish at Poplar Place Farm June H.T. in 2017.

PFun (Tadmus x Celerina), previously Fernhill Teddy Two-Two, finished in eighth place at the East Coast Championship. Jennifer Mosing (LA) owns the Irish Sport Horse and he is competed by Will Faudree. Robert O. Costello competed PFun until Faudree took over the reins in 2013. Faudree rode PFun to a third-place finish at Carolina International CCI and H.T. at the CCI4*-S level in March 2021. The pair received a blue ribbon at Millbrook H.T. in Advanced in August 2019.

Eighth place at the West Coast Championship was received by Calidore (Oklund x Honoree). The Dutch Warmblood is owned by Samantha A. Burkhart (MT) and ridden by Gina Economou. Calidore and Economou earned seven second-place finishes in the YEH 5-year-old division. More recently, the pair earned a blue ribbon at Galaway Downs Springs H.T. in the Open Intermediate division in 2015.

Taking home a ninth-place finish at the YEH 5-year-old East Coast Championship was Fernhill Hustler (Malt Striker). Lindsey Lanier (AL) owns the Irish Sport Horse and he is shown by Emily M. Hamel and Juliet M. Mellwig. Fernhill Hustler has successfully competed through Intermediate with Lindsey Lanier, Julie Richards, and Phillip Dutton.

Just out of the ribbons, The Diesel Boy (Lyracist x Fleur) finished in 13th place at the East Coast Championships. The Diesel Boy is an American Warmblood who is owned and ridden by Karli Wright (GA). The gelding earned a first-place finish in the YEH-5 division at Waredaca H.T. with Molly S. Kinnamon in the irons. Kinnamon has successfully shown The Diesel Boy through Intermediate.

Not far behind was Severance Pay, who ended the East Coast Championship in fourteenth place. The Irish Sport Horse is owned and ridden by Lindsey Lanier (AL). He has been shown by Lanier since he was a young horse and the pair have competed through Intermediate level together.

Quasar (Quando Quando x Vanessa) successfully graduated from the YEH 5-year-old divisions to show at the highest levels of eventing. The Oldenburg is owned and shown by Emily Hedberg (MN). As a five-year-old, Quasar was ridden by Alayna Pastuck and earned a first-place finish in the YEH-5 at Richland Park H.T.

Counterpoint (Concerto Grosso x Natalina) is a Holsteiner owned by Arnell Sporthorses (CA) and currently shown by Lauren G. Burnell. The gelding showed in the YEH-5 classes with Sarah Berry successfully. In April 2021, Counterpoint competed at Twin Rivers Spring International with Burnell and finished first in the H.T. CCI3*-S.

Gia, a Hanoverian owned and shown by Becky L. Farrell (Alberta), also showed successfully in the YEH 5-year-old classes. Gia was also shown by Jonathan H. Holling and has been competed through the Intermediate level.

LC O’Shawnisee (Snoford O’Donnell x Acks Like An Angel) is an Irish Draught owned and ridden by Andrea Nielsen (WA). In the YEH-5 division, the duo showed at Area VII Young Rider Benefit H.T. and finished second. The pair has competed through Intermediate.

Another YEH 5-year-old graduate is Anna Bella. The Holsteiner, owned by Gsc Syndicate (VA), has been competing with Kurt A. Martin since 2012. The pair was clear in cross-country and show jumping in Open Intermediate at their last event at the Rocking Horse III H.T. in 2018.

Rain Dancer (Ruffian x Lady Logan) is an Oldenburg owned by Cynthia Gartrell (MD) and shown by Sofie Harangozo. Rain Dancer competed as a five-year-old with Cynthia McNemar. In 2019 Rain Dancer and Harangozo competed in the CCI2*-LJ at NAYC and were clear through the cross-country phase.

R. Star (R. Johnson x Heavenly Star) competed in the YEH 5-year-old classes with Courtney Cooper and Sarah H. Cousins. The Irish Sport Horse is now owned and ridden by Nicole Horton (CA). Courtney Cooper and Jennifer Brannigan competed R. Star through the Intermediate level. In 2015, R. Star and Brannigan earned a blue ribbon in the HT Open Intermediate I at Seneca Valley Pony Club H.T.

Andrea Baxter successfully showed Soaring Bird (Bird on the Wire x Vuelta) in the YEH 5-year-old classes. The Thoroughbred is owned by Baxter (CA) and Connie Baxter (CA) and now shown by Tori Traube. In 2018 at the Event at Rebecca Farm, Soaring Bird and Rebecca Braitling earned third place out of thirty starters in the Open Intermediate division.

Talk’s Cheap (Ilian de Taute x Loughnatousa April) is a Selle Francais owned and competed by Elliott Timmons (IN). Talk’s Cheap showed as a young horse with Ciaran A. Thompson and earned a second-place at South Farm H. T. in the YEH-5 division.

Congratulations to the 2012 YEH graduates and we are looking forward to learning more about the class of 2013! To find out more about previous YEH Yearbooks, click here.

About the USEA Young Event Horse Program

The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged four and five, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.

The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, SmartPak, Standlee Hay Company, Parker Equine Insurance, Saratoga Horseworks, and Etalon Diagnostics for sponsoring the Young Event Horse Program. Additionally, the USEA would like to thank The Dutta Corp., Title Sponsor of the Young Event Horse Championships.