Members of the United States Eventing Association’s (USEA) Adult Rider Program are invited to a five-star experience at the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event in 2023 by joining Derek di Grazia on a walk of the CCI5*-L cross-country course he’s designed. The USEA-hosted event will take place at 9 a.m. EST on Thursday, April 27.
This course walk is only open to USEA Adult Rider Program members, who can sign up through a link sent to them by their Area Adult Rider Coordinator. Those who sign up are asked to arrive at the start box at 8:45 a.m.
In addition to the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event, di Grazia’s courses have been featured at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (England), the Tokyo Olympics, Bromont International Horse Trials (Quebec, Canada), and at the Morven Park International Horse Trials (Leesburg, Virginia). As a rider, di Grazia won the Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1985 with Sasquatch (Quinta’s Playboy x Sweet Surprise), a Thoroughbred-Appaloosa cross. He began designing cross-country courses in 1986 and has designed at Kentucky since 2011.
The USEA Adult Team Championship will return to the Kentucky Horse Park at the 2023 USEA American Eventing Championships, presented by Nutrena Feeds, on Aug. 29 through Sept. 3. Participants of the course walk get the opportunity to scope out the championship venue in advance of the event later this year. Click here for more information about the USEA Adult Team Championship.
About the USEA Adult Rider Program
The USEA Adult Rider Program is open to all adults, professional or amateur, ages 22 years and older. The program aims to unite adults across all skill and experience levels in a supportive program that promotes education, communication, recognition, and fun! The goal of the Adult Rider program is to continue to encourage participation in the sport of eventing beyond one’s junior years by providing educational programs, support to Area Adult Rider programs, funding opportunities, and the Adult Team Championships (ATC) at the USEA American Eventing Championships, presented by Nutrena Feeds. Click here to learn more about the Adult Rider Program.
About the USEA Adult Team Championships
The USEA Adult Team Championships, which debuted in 2014, is the capstone event for the USEA Area Adult Team Challenges, providing adults the chance to compete as a team and represent their Area of the country in a friendly and fun environment. Historically, adult riders had three regional Team Challenges in which to compete with fellow adults in a team environment, with the locations changing each year. In 2013, the USEA Adult Rider Coordinators voted to move to support Adult Team Challenges taking place in all 10 Areas across the country, with the finale being the ATC at the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds. Each Area can send up to eight teams from Beginner Novice through Preliminary level to the ATC. Adult Riders know how to have a good time, and there is no doubt that they bring an increased level of excitement and camaraderie to the AEC! Click here to learn more about the Adult Team Championships.
The USEA would like to thank The Chronicle of the Horse, FITS Riding, Nutrena Feeds, SmartPak, Achieve Equine/FLAIR, Kerrits, and Horse & Country TV for sponsoring the USEA Adult Team Championships.
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
The USEA office will close at 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, Dec. 20, 2024, and will reopen again on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025. The USEA staff will return emails and phone calls when the office re-opens on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 or at their earliest convenience.