United States Eventing Association

YEH & FEH Qualifiers Gear Up for the West Coast Championships at Twin Rivers Ranch

In a few short weeks, qualified horses for the Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) and Future Event Horse (FEH) West Coast Championships will be coming together in Paso Robles, California for a weekend at Twin Rivers Ranch celebrating the next generation of eventing sport horses. On October 28-29, all YEH competitors who have received a minimum score of 70% and all FEH competitors who have received a minimum score of 72% at one or more qualifying events throughout the season will have the opportunity to compete at one of California’s prominent venues, which is owned and operated by the Baxter family.

For any competitors that are still seeking a qualifying score to attend the championships, Twin Rivers Ranch will host a last chance qualifier (LCQ) on Thursday, October 27, 2022. The LCQ will be judged by Wendy Wergeles and gives any interested yearling through 5-year-old entrant the opportunity to qualify for the championships on Friday and Saturday. The venue will also host a FEH Jump Chute Clinic taught by Willy Arts on the same day, Thursday, October 27, for any 2-, 3-, or 4-year-olds that would like practice.

The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horses

The West Coast had no shortage of impressive young horses at qualifying events for the Dutta Corp. USEA YEH Championships this year. With a score of 87.3% at Twin Rivers International, the 5-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding Carrigfadda (Luidam x The Big Lady), owned by Michlynn Sterling and bred by Jeremiah O’Mahony, dazzled the judges to earn the highest qualifying score for the YEH Championships this year. Indelible (Sandro’s Star x Ava), an Oldenberg gelding owned by Layla Self and bred by Lori Brown, earned the third highest score for the 4-year-old division as well while competing at the Shepard Ranch H.T. Thanks to Texas Rose Horse Park, Pine Hill, Spokane Sport Horses, Shepard Ranch, Twin Rivers Ranch, and Woodloch Stables Horse Trials, the following list of talented young horses have qualified for the championships at events west of the Mississippi river.

5-Year-Olds

• Carrigfadda – Michlynn Sterling (87.3)
• Viva La Vida - Sophie Tice (82.6)
• Catalina Pj – Sigourney Jellins (82.4)
• MBF Gambler – Wendel Vet Services (82.15)
• Franklin Delano CF – Liz Lund (81.6)
• Starting Over – Danielle McKinley (81.3)
• Bubbles and Bourbon – Gamal & Hawley Awad (81.2)
• High Five DF – Cheron Laboissonniere (80.9)
• Cajun Quality – Ashley Hays (79.65)
• Blueshift – Jennifer Selvig (78.1)
• Aventinus – Louise LaRue (73.6)
• Urkel’s Drummer Boy – Camille Brewer (72.4)
• Paulank Impish King – Stephanie Goodman (70.9)

4-Year-Olds

• Indelible – Layla Self (85.3)
• Twist of Cinnamon – Stephanie Poole (82.2)
• LS Crown Royal – Jordan Linstedt (78.2)
• Flagmount’s Reatta – Janet Marden (76.5)
• Jungle Love DF – Nicole Fuentes (75.7)
• Nashville – Andre Nielsen (73.2)
• Monbeg Salt Fever – Ashley Horowitz (72.15)

USEA Future Event Horses

The highest scoring Future Event Horse for all four age groups also came from a West Coast qualifying event this year. Nevadas Ember BDF, a 3-year-old American Warmblood by Blue Dreamin CMeFly out of Nevadas Little Spark, earned an incredible 88.3% score at the Twin Rivers Summer H.T. for owner and breeder Megan Bittle of California. Other stand-out West Coast qualifiers include Carolina Comet W.E. (Rabble Rouser x Comet Swinger), a 3-year-old Oldenberg mare owned by Lauren Salgueiro, who scored an 87.3% and Chatsworth Sea Hawk (Sea Lion x Chatsworth the Lady Hawk), a yearling gelding owned by John P. Lyons, with a score of 86.8%. With the FEH program hosting East Coast, Central and West Championships, the USEA would like to thank Spokane Sport Horses, Shephard Ranch, and Twin Rivers Ranch Horse Trials for allowing the following list of horses the opportunity to qualify for the championships in the Western US. A final qualifying event before the West Coast Championships and LCQ weekend at Twin Rivers Ranch will be hosted at the Ram Tap Horse Trials (Area VI) on October 21.

4-Year-Olds

• The Big Easy – Andrea Baxter (82.4)
• MBF Kingsriver Romeo – Michlynn Sterling (81.8)
• Solaguayre Dina – Celina Sanchez (81.3)
• S-Genesis SE – Rose Sullivan (80.5)
• Tristan – Cindy Hahn (79.6)
• RSH Goliath – Michelle Donaldson (79.4)
• MRF Emblem – Cejka/Tammy Karplus (77.8)
• Good Time Charlie – Anne Ward (76.9)
• Grayscape – William Spoehr (72.1)
• Millie’s Diamond Lad – Stefanie Gladen (73.6)

3-Year-Olds

• Nevadas Ember BDF – Megan Bittle (88.3)
• Carolina Comet W.E. – Lauren Salgueiro (87.3)
• Saphira De Lune – Sharon Steinhauser (80.5)
• Omari – Janice Maurer (79)
• Secret Romance – Stacia Lloyd (78.5)
• Graciella GWF – Christine Jones (77.4)
• Summerhill Grace Omalley – Katie Blanchard (76.5)

2-Year-Olds

• Uno Momento – Gemma Forshaw (81.2)
• Prachtige Schat – Erin Storey (77.6)
• Irish Heart and Spice – Gina Flores (76.3)
• Musical Conquest – Tori Traube (74.2)

Yearlings

• Chatsworth Sea Hawk – John Lyons (86.8)
• Cape Fear – Sarah Cullum (85.3)
• Picante – Ryann Bodman (85.2)
• Coolest Kid BDF – Megan Bittle (82)
• Klearys Big Dreaming – Katie Blanchard (77.1)
• Caspian BDF – Annalea Fulce (77)
• Sea Commander – Arililla Bueno (74.4)
• Olympia 21 – Sarah Jolley (74.3)
• Innisfails Intrepid Knight – Katie Blanchard (73.3)

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.

About the USEA Young Event Horse 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, 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 Bates Saddles, SmartPak, Standlee Premium Products, Parker Equine Insurance, Capital Square, Kerrits, 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 USEA Future Event Horse Program

The USEA introduced the Future Event Horse Program in 2007 in response to the popularity of the already established USEA Young Event Horse Program. Where the YEH program assesses 4- and 5-year-old prospective event horses based on their performance, the FEH program evaluates yearlings, 2-year-olds, 3-year-olds, and 4-year-olds for their potential for the sport based on conformation and type. Yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds are presented in-hand while 4-year-olds are presented under saddle at the walk, trot, and canter before being stripped of their tack and evaluated on their conformation. Divisions are separated by year and gender. At the Championships, 3-year-olds and 4-year-olds are also required to demonstrate their potential over fences in an additional free-jump division. Click here to learn more about the Future Event Horse Program.

The USEA would like to thank Bates Saddles, Parker Equine Insurance, SmartPak, Standlee , Kerrits, Capital Square and The Jockey Club for sponsoring the Future Event Horse Program.