Bringing along a young horse is such a special process for everyone involved. The USEA is excited to dedicate an episode to celebrating some of the special young horses in the United States that have risen to the occasion. Joining USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown in this episode are Tommy Greengard, the rider and co-owner of this year's Holekamp/Turner Grant Recipient That's Me Z who represented the U.S. at Le Lion this year, and Kaylawna Smith-Cook, who piloted Bonner Carpenter's Only-Else to the highest national score in the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse 5-Year-Old Championships.
Hear tips and tricks for picking the right young event horse for you, planning the program that works best for them, and so much more in this week's episode.
Plus, you get a bonus excerpt on gut health thanks to our partners at Standlee!
About the USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) 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-years-old, 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 ARMA, Bates Saddles, Schneiders Saddlery, HorseWeek, Kerrits, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee, and The Jockey Club 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.
About The Holekamp/Turner Grant
Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American-bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. offers a prize to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient, consisting of a round trip flight from the Eastern United States to Europe.
For the first time, the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium has headed west! This year's educational experience will take place in Temecula, California, at Galway Downs starting Tuesday, Jan. 14 through Thursday, Jan. 16 and provide an in-depth dive into the mentality of coaching for coaches for all of its attendees.
It's the start of a new year and what better time to talk about prioritizing yourself and your fitness than at the start of a new season? USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sat down with Olympian Boyd Martin and equestrian sports performance fitness coach Tony Sandoval to answer all of your submitted questions regarding your health and fitness so that you can start your year off on the right foot!
This past year was an impressive year of growth for ShowConnect, the innovative event management system for equestrian events. Not only were many updates made by the development team to further enhance the user experience, but many events adopted the platform as their event management system for the year with immense success. Here are a few fun statistics showcasing some highlights of ShowConnect's 2024 season:
Bringing your future eventing prospect with you to a horse trial as a non-compete can be a wonderful educational opportunity for horses not used to the hustle and bustle of the show grounds. However, horses must be registered with the show office as a "non-compete" horse in order to be allowed on grounds. Bringing horses to an event to school, to provide lessons, or to campaign for sale is strictly prohibited.