The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce a virtual Adult Team Challenge to take place this fall. Following the cancellation of the 2020 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds, including the Adult Team Championships (ATC), the Adult Rider Coordinators came together to develop an opportunity for their peers.
The USEA will support a virtual team challenge in which scores will be tallied virtually from any USEA events at the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, Modified, and Preliminary levels, taking place August 1, 2020 through November 22, 2020. This virtual challenge will be open to all 2020 USEA AEC qualified riders who were eligible to ride on their Area’s ATC Team (in the Rider division and/or Amateur division). Scores will be tallied from events that each team designates, and while the riders must have been qualified to compete on a team at the 2020 ATC, the virtual challenge scores may be tallied from any Rider, Amateur, or Open division.
Each Area’s Adult Rider Coordinator will be responsible for creating and submitting their Area Teams to the Adult Rider Co-Chairs. This will follow the same process for the ATC at the AEC, and all teams must meet the ATC rules as outlined for the AEC.
ATC team qualified riders are urged to contact their Area Adult Rider Coordinator to sign up for a team. There is no limit to the number of teams, but all teams must be submitted by October 12. The USEA will provide prizes to the winning teams after the virtual challenge is complete.
Dates – August 1, 2020 through November 22, 2020
Events – Any USEA recognized event that takes place between the challenge dates
Levels – BN, N, T, M, P
Rider Eligibility – Riders must be currently enrolled in the USEA Adult Rider Program in their Area and must be 22 years of age or older. Riders must have been qualified to compete on an ATC team at the 2020 AEC in the Rider and/or Amateur division.
Horse Eligibility – Team horses must have been qualified to compete at the 2020 AEC at the respective level with the rider on the team.
Team Requirements
Scoring
The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, SmartPak, Nutrena, and The Chronicle of the Horse for supporting the 2020 USEA ATC Virtual Challenge. Click here to learn more about the Adult Team Championships.
With the Paris Olympics on the horizon this summer, riders from the top eventing nations are gunning for a coveted team spot, and British team selection is particularly tough due to a plethora of talent. Tom McEwen came to the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event to prove he’s on form with James and Joe Lambert and Deirdre Johnston’s JL Dublin, and he’s out in front after two days of dressage.
Derek di Grazia’s name is legend at the Kentucky Horse Park as the designer of the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event cross-country course for over a decade, in addition to countless other influential tracks around the world. Now with the inclusion of the Cosequin CCI4*-S division, which runs alongside the famed five-star, riders at both the four- and five-star levels get to experience one of the iconic di Grazia Kentucky tracks while competing in the bluegrass. The USEA caught up with riders of both levels to get their feedback on this year’s courses.
Two riders will share the top spot on the leaderboard in the Cosequin CCI4*-S at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event upon the conclusion of dressage on Friday. Early in the morning, Great Britain’s Lucienne Bellissimo found herself launching up the scoreboard after a beautiful test with Dyri earned them a score of 26.0. While no other pair could top their performance, one team did match it perfectly near the end of the day– Liz Halliday (USA) and her 2023 Pan American Games silver medal mount Miks Master C.
Who is ready for another day of dressage at the 2024 Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event (DK3DE)? Just like yesterday's schedule, we will first see the CCI4*-S field compete this morning starting at 8:00 a.m. EST, followed by the CCI5*-L field at 1:00 p.m. EST.