The USEF Show Jumping Course Advisor Program was introduced in 2004 to raise the standard of show jumping course design in the United States. In cooperation with the USEA, the program initially focused on show jumping courses for FEI and Advanced level competition, but expanded in recent years to reviews of courses for Preliminary and Intermediate horse trials. The goal of the program is to ensure the standard of the courses throughout the country and to deliver courses that provided the same level of technicality. The program has been effective in improving the consistency of show jumping courses through the review and critique of courses from a majority of designers.
In 2017, the Eventing Committee approved an expansion of the program. Course Designers for all FEI Eventing competitions in the United States are now asked to submit their courses as posted with all technical details (distance, time allowed, etc.) within five days of the competition for review by Eventing Show Jumping Course Advisor Richard Jeffery. Each course is posted on the USEF website with Jeffery’s analysis along with a course evaluation completed by the Course Designer prior to the event. This allows Course Designers to review other courses and consider Jeffery’s input when designing their own courses. The ultimate goal is to establish and maintain an equal standard of jumping for events across the country.
For more information about the USEF Show Jumping Course Advisor Program, click here. To view all of the reviews provided by this program, click here.
What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.