Just a week ago today almost 90 college students representing 12 different universities gathered at Chattahoochee Hills in Fairburn, Georgia for the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships. The weekend was full of spirit, glitter paint, fierce competition, and camaraderie. While schools were competing against one another, you could often find "arch rivals" cheering for one another as rider after rider crossed the finish flags on cross-country. Take a trip back in time as we revisit some of our favorite memories through the lens from this year's Intercollegiate showdown.
From the classroom lecture to the riding sessions, the focus on the final day brought those final finishing touches to bear on the athletes of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South.
“There are 385 million people in the U.S., and only 3.8 million have horses,” David O’Connor said as he began the classroom session on day 4 of the Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp. “Not all of them are into eventing.”
A change in the original schedule of the Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp brought cross-country day forward to the third day instead of the original final day. Alongside his work with the U.S. Equestrian Federation and the FEI, EA21 Director of Coaching David O’Connor advises the Caisson Detachment of the 3rd United States Infantry Regiment on horsemanship and will be traveling to Arlington, Virginia, to attend the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter. But no one was disappointed by the change.
Having established clear lines of communication yesterday on the flat, it was time to take those tools to the jumping arena during day two of the 2024-2025 Emerging Athlete Under 21 (EA21) National Camp held at Sweet Dixie South in Ocala, Florida. The curriculum for the second day focused on the rider’s responsibilities and maintaining rideability.