United States Eventing Association

The following is provided through a partnership between STRIDER and the USEA. As part of our shared commitment to horse and rider success, this article series explores key topics across the eventing community.

If you've been on Facebook lately, you've probably had this happen. Someone shares a starter trial in your Area's Facebook group with a link to the entry page. A friend comments that they're going. Your trainer tags a few students. Before long, you've clicked the link, looked over the details, and caught yourself thinking, “Maybe we should go.”

For all the attention given to Instagram, TikTok, and whatever platform comes next, Facebook is quietly reclaiming an important role in growing participation in equestrian sport. It's no longer just where riders post photos after the weekend. It's where many are discovering what to do next.

It makes sense. Eventing has always grown through local communities. Riders often follow their favorite venues, Pony Clubs, and organizers on Facebook. You probably belong to a couple Facebook equestrian groups where friends swap recommendations, trainers share upcoming clinics, and volunteers spread the word about events.

So when a starter trial, clinic, or jumper show appears there, it doesn't feel like advertising. It feels like another rider saying, “You should check this out.”

That conversation matters because entering a horse show is rarely an impulse decision. A social media post can spark interest, but adding the link to the activity page gives riders somewhere to answer all the questions running through their heads. What levels are offered? Will my horse enjoy this venue? Does the schedule work? Is it worth the trip? Those aren't questions a 12-second Instagram Story can answer.

Looking across thousands of events over the past year, we've seen that behavior reflected again and again. An ever-growing number of riders now arrive at STRIDER activity pages off of Facebook than Instagram, and riders coming from Facebook are 36% more likely to actually enter the activity.

Whether it's a USEA recognized horse trial, a starter trial, a combined test, cross-country schooling, a Pony Club rally, or a clinic, the pattern is remarkably consistent—and encouraging.

Maybe that's the bigger story. Eventing has always grown one conversation at a time. From where we sit at STRIDER, we're seeing more of those Facebook conversations become clicks, more of those clicks become entries, and more of those entries become horses out on course.

At a time when low entries have become one of the biggest concerns facing the sport, that's the kind of community-driven trend we're happy to see.
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STRIDER is the leading entry platform across disciplines for the equestrian industry. STRIDER is proud to partner with the USEA to support educational resources and digital tools that help eventers at every level navigate the sport more efficiently. Please visit www.striderpro.com to learn more, or get started with a free Organizer account.

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