United States Eventing Association

Two Weeks until Prizes, Parties and Spirit at the 2023 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship

In two weeks, Collegiate teams will converge on Tryon International Equestrian Center (TIEC) for the seventh annual USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships! Championship festivities will kick off on Friday, May 26 after dressage with the opening ceremony and close on Sunday, May 28 at the conclusion of show jumping with the awards ceremony.

The Tryon International Spring Horse Trial will offer divisions from Beginner Novice through Intermediate and will run dressage on Friday, cross-country on the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games Property White Oak Course on Saturday and show jumping in the stadium on Sunday. Entries for the event are closed as of Tuesday, May 9, but don’t forget to have one representative from each college or university email the definite team rosters to Leslie Threlkeld at [email protected] by 12:00 p.m. ET on Monday, May 22.

While the championship title may be the most sought-after prize, the annual Spirit Award is a close second! This year, there will be several exciting criteria and activities to determine which college or university comes out on top. The TIEC organizers will be judging the contest and determine the overall winner at the end of the event. As is customary, stall decorations in College Town and the teams’ overall spirit and camaraderie throughout the weekend will be part of the criteria that help determine the final placings.

The first Spirit Award event will take place during the opening ceremony on Friday evening. At 6:15 p.m. ET, the Collegiate teams will gather in the warm-up ring of the Tryon Stadium to line-up for the Parade of Teams. After the parade, all teams will compete in qualifying heats of the Bouncy Pony Relay Race Championship. The top eight teams will come back on Saturday night for the championship race. The USEA will also honor all graduating seniors before the completion of the opening ceremony.

On Saturday, Collegiate members will be treated to their own Competitors Party on the Skydeck at Tryon Stadium during the “Saturday Night Lights” $78,000 CSI 2* 1.45m Grand Prix. Food and drink will be provided, and teams will compete in a round of trivia during the party, so be sure to brush up on eventing history, rules, and pop culture references in preparation! At 7:00 p.m., teams will be asked to gather at the stadium in-gate for a formal course walk of the CSI2* show jumping course. Then, before the competition starts at 8:00 p.m., the teams will again be invited into the stadium to recognize all of the hard work in getting to the Championship. Prepare to be celebrated, as Saturday Night Lights tends to draw big crowds from the local community. Finally, during the arena drag break, the final race of the Bouncy Horse Relay Race Championship will gallop away, and a winner will be crowned!

The TIEC organizing team will deliberate and crown their Spirit Award Champion on Sunday during the Intercollegiate Championship awards ceremony. Along with the Spirit Award, the top eight teams will receive ribbons for their achievements and the top three teams will receive prize bags, courtesy of the Intercollegiate sponsors: Bates Saddlery, FITS, Horse & Country, Kerrits, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether and World Equestrian Brands.

Get ready to pack the tack trunk with team gear, college flags and pom-poms. The USEA looks forward to seeing all of the Collegiate teams at Tryon! TIEC offers an expansive selection of on-site accommodations, which can be viewed here. All reservations, including the on-site cabins and RV-camper hookups, should be made through the Tryon Resort Lodging office, which can be reached via email at [email protected] or by phone at (828) 863-1015. For any question regarding the Championship, please contact Kaleigh Collett via email at [email protected] or by phone at (703) 669-9994.

Check back during the week of the Championship to “Meet the Teams” and learn more about the colleges and universities that will be competing!

About the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program

The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.

The USEA would like to thank this year's USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships Sponsors: Bates Saddles, FITS, Horse & Country, Kerrits, U.S. Equestrian, WeRideTogether and World Equestrian Brands.