Waredaca not only hosted the USEA/EMCO Future Event Horse classes last Friday, but they also invited four- and five-year-olds to participate in the popular Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse Series as well. Ten four-year-olds and 13 five-year-olds came out to strut their stuff in the three-phase classes, showing off their athletic conformation and type, as well as their suitability and potential in the dressage and jumping phases.
Unfortunately, I missed most of the four-year-old division (whoops - got lost to the event!), but here are a few photos of most of the five-year-olds (and a few fun candids of others as well!).
To see the complete results, visit the Waredaca site.
The scenic Waredaca dressage rings - the YEH horses start their competition here. Afterwards, they head over to the cross-country jumping course about a hundred yards away or less, and then they finish by stripping off the tack and presenting the horse for their conformation evaluation.Talk about a matched pair! These are Nina Gardner's pair of lovely homebreds (Pepper & Picante...I think! They're all gorgeous chestnuts with blazes!)Katie Ruppel was pleased with her four-year-old TB Houdini's efforts... it was one of his first shows and he was very brave :)Melissa Hunsberger hops Phyllis Dawson's Irish Sport Horse gelding Rockabye Star over a cross-country jump.Bred by Dawson of Windchase in Purcellville, VA, the talented gelding is by Dawson's ISH stallion Brandenburg's Windstar and out of the Connemara/TB mare Kihereen.Boyd Martin on the first of Nina Gardner's "Handsome Redheads", a little mare named Pepper.Pepper is a 15.3 hand TB/WB mare by Shadow Show and out of Baguette.Kate Hasse's Buster Brown shows great potential over fences (check out that scope! Wheee!) He had the highest jumping score of the five-year-old division (a 7.43!)And he's brave, too! This 16.1 hand TB gelding is by Castine and out of Whisper Foot.Sheri LeBrum & Truth or Dare, her 16.2 hand TB gelding by Salute the Truth, a talented stallion who successfully evented up through Advanced with owner Steuart Pittman.Obviously, he takes after his father - brave, handsome & athletic!Speaking of Salute the Truth and Steuart, here's the man himself (Steuart, that is) with a half-sister to Truth or Dare. This is Sharon Laddie's full TB mare Brilliant Truth (Salute the Truth--Fillbrill).A very nimble, talented little girl!Boyd Martin on another of Nina Gardner's lovely redheads... Picante. I love this picture, Boyd looks positively giddy! :)Picante is a 16 hand gelding by Shadow Show (TB) and out of Bramble (WB). I've never seen Shadow Show, but he certainly stamps his babies with a signature look! Very interesting!Melissa Hunsberger shows off Phyllis Dawson's gelding Drifter.Wow, check out the breeding on this Irish import... he's sired by Master Imp (one of the leading sires in Ireland) and by the ISH mare Kalypso Girl.Here is Pedro Gutierrez aboard Corocotta de la Galerna, his Mexican Sport Horse.This fancy gelding was bred to event! He's by High Scope, an ISH competed in the Sydney Olympics (eventing) and out of Cartelera, a TB mare.Here's Lesley Grant-Law (and Canadian Olympic team hopeful!) aboard the English-bred gelding Mad Skillz.This handsome gelding is also by Master Imp.Lesley and her talented husband Leslie Law own this lovely youngster, and we're sure to see more of him in the future!Speaking of Leslie, here he is with Windsor High, a lovely young Irish Sport Horse owned by Troy & Ann Glaus. They finished 3rd with a 70.7.Leslie, the reigning Olympic gold medallist, also competes the Glaus's talented ISH gelding Private Heart at the three-star level.Here's Boyd with his final ride of the day - this time aboard Nina Gardner's mare, Wasabi Rose. This scopey mare is by the Dutch Warmblood stallion Farrington, and out of the Dutch mare Oriental Rose. This pair were the winners in the five-year-old division, scoring a 73.1 overall.*Sploosh!* After three rides in the 5yo division (in the HOT afternoon sun), I bet Boyd thought that water looked pretty inviting...Melissa Hunsberger heads out for her last ride of the day, this time on Phyllis Dawson's homebred, Estrella, an ISH by Brandenburg's Windstar and out of a lovely TB mare, Aye's Turn. This pair had a great go, and finished 4th in the division with a 69.1.
The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is proud to welcome Santa Cruz Animal Health as an Official Contributing Level Sponsor of the 2025 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC), taking place Aug. 27-31 at Galway Downs in Temecula, California.
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The USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) presented by Nutrena Feeds is getting closer and more enticing by the day. Accessibility and opportunities abound with early stabling arrangements for those hauling long distances and the addition of Festival classes at all levels.
