United States Eventing Association

The month of October is jam-packed with championships featuring the next generation of eventing prospects, and the kickoff to this exciting schedule will take place next week at the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships at the Morven Park International and Fall H.T. in Leesburg, VA.

The USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships are a continuation of the USEA Young Event Horse Program (YEH) for four- and five-year-olds, encouraging the development of top-level event horses in the USA. The aim of the Developing Horse Championships is to showcase six- and seven-year-old horses who are successfully competing at the FEI levels with championship divisions at the CCIYH2*-S level for six-year-olds and the CCIYH3*-S level for seven-year-olds.

This year, there are 18 horses entered in the 2-star championship and 8 horses entered to contest the 3-star championship. Of those registrants, 17 of the six-year-olds and three of the seven-year-olds are graduates of the USEA YEH Program, marking the largest participation from program graduates since the inception of the Developing Horse Championships.

Keep reading to meet the YEH Graduates that will compete in each of the championship divisions at Morven Park in October and stay tuned to USEventing.com and our social media channels @USEventing to see how the event shakes out!

YEH Graduates in the CCIYH2*-S Championship for 6-Year-Olds

All but one entrant in the six-year-old CCIYH2*-S division will be coming into the event with championship experience that was dutifully earned in the YEH Program. Two horses that will no doubt be ones to watch during the event are HM Belterra (Bandelero JSF x Murray Hillbilly xx), the Westphalian mare who will be ridden by Chris Talley and is presented by owner and breeder Kimmy Risser of Hickory Manor Farm, and Prince of Oolde (Ibolensky x Aurora J), the Dutch Warmblood gelding ridden by Amber Birtcil and owned by Cellar Farm Corp.

HM Belterra, or “Terra” as she’s known around the barn, was a top-placing competitor in both her 4-year-old and 5-year-old years, earning a spot on the podium in both championship appearances. Not only did the mare smash onto the scene in 2024 when she won her first YEH qualifying event on a score of 85.6 at the Ocala Summer H.T. II, but she followed that up with a Reserve Championship title at the USEA YEH 4-Year-Old East Coast Championships at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill on an even more impressive score of 86.86 two months later. In her 5-year-old year, she came just shy of defending her title when she placed third in the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championships. Since then, Talley and partner Lee Maher have methodically brought Terra up the levels, and this championship appearance will mark her first entry in international competition.

Prince of Oolde may not have started his competitive career until his 5-year-old year, but he wasted no time making a name for himself once he and Birtcil joined teams in the Spring of 2025. After several impressive completions at the Training level in Horse Trial divisions, Prince of Oolde contested the USEA YEH West Coast 5-Year-Old Championship at Twin Rivers Ranch, where he earned an 84.97 to claim Reserve Champion of his age group with Birtcil in the irons. Since then, Prince of Oolde has won an incredible seven of eight of his last competitions, including the CCI1*-L at Twin Rivers Spring International this April.

Wood’s Hole (Super Saver x Passeporta), the Thoroughbred gelding ridden by Ema Klugman, owned by Margaret Goodale and the rider, and bred by Torie Gladwell, is another top-contending YEH Graduate set to compete in the CCIYH2*-S division. Wood’s Hole finished sixth out of 30 entries in the USEA YEH East Coast 4-Year-Old Championships at Fair Hill in 2024 on a score of 80.3 with Goodale in the tack after winning his YEH qualifying event at Hunt Club Farms H.T. with Klugman earlier that year. Since then, the co-owners have continued to share in producing the gelding up the levels. He and Klugman will enter the championship on a hot streak after a podium finish in their first international appearance in the CCI1*-S at Plantation Field International H.T., where the duo earned third place out of 16 starters.

Finally, the sixth-place finisher from the 2025 USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship, Ninja Turtle (Visage Van de Olmenhoeve x Queeny Van't Sterrebornehof) will contest the championship with rider, owner, and breeder, Taryn Pearce, in the tack. Ninja Turtle and Pearce have been paired for the entirety of the Belgian Warmblood stallion’s competitive career, and this spring, they brought home a win in the Open Modified division at the Hitching Post Farm H.T.

The rest of the talented USEA Young Event Horse Program Graduates set to compete in the six-year-old championship are as follows:

• Picasso (High Shutterfly x Athene HBC), the Dutch Warmblood gelding who will be Birtcil’s second mount in the division. Picasso is also owned by the Cellar Farm Corp. and was bred by G.M. Benschop. The gelding finished in the top-8 of the USEA YEH West Coast 5-Year-Old Championships in 2025 and his most recent win came in the Modified Horse division at the Woodside Spring H.T. this May.
• Booli Selmayr will present Calforceone, LLC's Irish Sport Horse gelding, LILW Dun Cal (Unknown x Unknown) in the CCI2YH-S division. Selmayr rode LILW Dun Cal to an eighth-place finish in the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championships at the Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill last fall. Since then, the pair made a stead move up the levels through Preliminary, and they made their international debut in the CCI2*-S division at The Fork at Tryon earlier this month.
  
• Indecision (By Your Side x Chica de Lema), the Westphalian gelding that is owned and ridden by Maya Clarkson, competed in the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championships last fall and is coming into the Morven Park International after several completions at the Modified level and one completion in the Open Preliminary at Waredaca Farm H.T. this year.
• Clarkson’s second mount, Redfield Pixar RFB (Fandango HX x Pepita), the Dutch Warmblood mare co-owned by the rider and the breeder, Redfield Farms, competed in the USEA YEH East Coast 4- and 5-Year-Old Championships in 2024 and 2025, respectively, finishing with scores in the mid-70’s. This year, Redfield Pixar RFB and Clarkson made two appearances at the 2-star level and recently took home third in the Open Modified at Millbrook H.T.
• Kaitlin Clasing will present her own Pamorkus BSW (Falaise de Muze x Unknown), a Dutch Warmblood gelding, in the CCIYH2*-S Championship. Pamorkus BSW finished in the top-25 at the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship last fall and recently won the Open Modified division at the MCTA H.T. at Shawan Downs.
• Cooley Night Owl (Dignified Van't Zorgvliet x Barnadown Looks), the Irish Sport Horse gelding owned and ridden by Brittany Crandall and bred by Maurice Cousins, completed the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championships last fall. Earlier this month, Crandall piloted Cooley Night Owl to a win in the Open Preliminary division at The Fork at Tryon.
• Zoe Crawford will be riding her own Sportsfield Olympic Bay (Olympic Lux x Levallys Girl) in the championship. The Irish Sport Horse gelding completed the USEA YEH East Coast Championship in 2025 and logged three completions in CCI1*-S competitions this year.
• Rockstar Quality (Zirocco Blue VDL x Enessa), the Dutch Warmblood gelding presented by Sydney Hagaman, co-owned by the rider and Kendra Hagaman, and bred by Broederij Morsink, enters the championship with two top-20 finishes in the YEH-4 and YEH-5 East Coast Championships. This year, the pair stepped up to Preliminary and earned multiple top-10 finishes throughout the summer.
• Morgan Houberg will ride her own Irish Sport Horse gelding, MHE Excel Star Noble Ikon (Ganesh Hero Z x Ces Chippy DI), in the CCIYH2*-S championship. The gelding, bred by Brian Burke, completed the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship last fall and recently completed a CCI1*-S and a CCI2*-S in preparation for the event.
• Quick Study (Windy Isles Get Smart x Lady’s Clover), the Connemara gelding owned and ridden by Anna Jones, will make his third championship appearance after completions in the USEA YEH East Coast 4- and 5-Year-Old Championships over the past two years. This spring, the pair earned a third place finish in the Preliminary Horse division at the Rocking Horse Spring H.T.
• Katherine O’Brien’s V. Charleston X (Charleston x Emma V), the Holsteiner mare ridden by Alexandra Knowles, competed in the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship last fall with former rider Sharon White. This will be Knowles second outing with the mare.
• The final two YEH Graduates in the CCIYH2*-S will both be ridden by Caroline Pamukcu. HSH Winston (Winston x Graceful Candylass), the Irish Sport Horse gelding owned in partnership by the rider, Sherrie Martin and Catherine Hare, finished in the top-10 in the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship last fall and made an impressive move up to the CCI1*-S level at the Maryland International this June where they earned the Reserve Champion title.
• Pamukcu’s second mount, HSH Van Conquistador (ASB Conquistador x Elite Van De Wellington), is an Irish Sport Horse gelding that is co-owned Sherrie Martin and Gayle Davis. In his 5-year-old year, HSH Van Conquistador completed the USEA YEH East Coast Championships in the top 15. This year, the gelding successfully stepped up the Preliminary level with a second place in the Flora Lea Horse Trials Open Preliminary division and completed his first international event by winning the CCI1*-S at The Maryland International.

YEH Graduates in the CCIYH3*-S Championship for 7-Year-Olds

The USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Reserve Champion and top-5 finisher from the CCIYH2*-S 6-Year-old Developing Horse National Championship, Centerfold (Sligo Candy Boy x Temple Polly), will return to contest the seven-year-old championship with owner and rider, Alyssa Phillips, in the irons. The Irish Sport Horse gelding made an impressive showing at the 2024 Championship, earning a whooping score of 88.61 and missing out on the top place by mere tenths of a point.

Centerfold and Phillips have had several completions at the CCI2*-S level, but the most impressive result came at The Event at TerraNova, where they took home top honors out of 46 starters on their dressage score of 28.9 this spring. The duo went on to move up to the CCI3*-S level at The Event at Rebecca Farm in July, where they earned a podium finish, taking home third out of 21 competitors.

Last year’s champion of the CCIYH2*-S Developing Horse National Championship, Arden Janeway (Jaguar Mail x Freespirit), the American Sport Horse mare owned by Anita Antenucci and bred by Peter Barry, will return to defend her title with rider Sharon White. In 2024, Arden Janeway and White finished in sixth place at the USEA YEH East Coast 5-Year-Old Championship on an impressive score of 85.35. The pair should be coming into the championship with confidence after finishing on their dressage score in the CCI2*-S at The Fork at Tryon to take home the champion title.

Finally, in addition to her two mounts in the six-year-old championship, Amber Birtcil will present Cellar Farm Corp’s Orpheus (Gerardus x Hiewitta), the Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by G.A. Post. Orpheus and Birtcil earned a top-5 finish in the USEA YEH West Coast 4-Year-Old Championship 2023. This year, the pair has had three starts at the CCI3*-S level with the most notable coming at the Aspen Farm H.T. in June, where they came out on top in a division of 11 starters on their dressage score of 34.4.

The USEA wishes all the competitors in the USEA/USEF Developing Horse National Championships at the Morven Park International and Fall H.T. the best of luck! For more information on the championships, click here. To learn more about the USEA YEH Program, click here.

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 4- and 5-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 Platinum Sponsor, The Dutta Corp., as well as Contributing Sponsors ARMA, Bates Saddles, CrossCountry App, FLAIR Equine Nasal Strips, Gallagher's Water, Gorsebridge Go For Gold, The Jockey Club, Kerrits, Marshall+Sterling, Schneiders Saddlery, SmartPak, and Standlee, and Prize Sponsor 100xEquine for sponsoring the USEA Young Event Horse Program.

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 $10,000 flight credit from the Eastern United States to Europe.