Five-year-old YEH winner Adirmo, owned and ridden by Debbie Adams.
Photos by Sylvia Palmer
On March 9th, the Spalding Labs/USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) competition for four- and five-year-olds was hosted at the Florida Horse Park (FHP) in Ocala. Like other early season competitions, the number of entries was small, however the quality of horses was quite impressive. Cheryl and Tim Holekamp are to be complimented for their very professional organizational effort. The outstanding venue and smooth running competition made for a wonderful learning opportunity for the young horses.
Sponsors Spalding Labs and Fleeceworks are very supportive of the YEH program believing that it is a true “talent search” for future horses at the top levels of eventing. Fleeceworks generously rewards the winners at each qualifier with their really nice sheepskin saddle pads and quilt liners. For the first place finishers Spalding Labs provides Fly Predators giving six months protection against flies for the entire barn. The five-year-old winner was Adirmo, a KWPN gelding owned and ridden by Debbie Adams. This was his first competition ever and his score was high enough to qualify him for the national YEH Championships to be held during the Fair Hill CCI in October. Winner of the four-year-old section was a Hanoverian mare, Galiba, owned by Julia Bitler, and ridden by Maren Foster. Full results are posted here.
Four-year-old Young Event Horse winner Galiba competing with Maren Foster and owned by Julia Bitler. The jumping phase, designed by Leslie Law, started with half a dozen show jumps followed immediately by going into the cross-country portion with another half dozen efforts that included water and a bank. They then went on to a short gallop to demonstrate that ability as well. Overall, the course was very much up to the standards that the YEH program is attempting to achieve. At first glance, the courses looked a bit large and challenging for young horses, but it rode very well giving the youngsters a positive experience. Obviously, Leslie knew exactly what would create forward riding fences to get horses in a rhythm and jumping well.
Adirmo shows off his gallop for Debbie Adams in the jumping section.
Officials Jo Dimmick from Germany (in the US judging Red Hills and Rocking Horse) and Mike Huber (who assisted as second jumping judge) were excellent with their comments. We were fortunate to have Jo Dimmick, as he is a top judge in Germany for Young Horse competitions, and judged the National YEH Championships at Fair Hill International in 2009. At the end of the day, when the awards were presented, they explained the scoring, which is still a mystery to many. They then did a wrap-up to tell the participants their rationale for the placings, giving an overall view of what they “saw,” and then they spoke to each competitor. It’s really fascinating to get their immediate feed back on your horse; what is good, what is weak, and how you could improve the horse’s abilities to help them become successful. This commentary on the young horses was of great interest to all watching. Of course, you received your written score sheets from all three phases as well and there was the opportunity to discuss them with the officials.
Galiba shows off her gaits during the conformation phase.
Also offered were “open classes” which were at Novice or Training where you could participate with other horses (any age) doing a similar format to the YEH. Hopefully, the Holekamps and others will keep offering the extra classes as it is such a great low pressure and affordable way for the horses to get mileage. What a great chance to give the horses an outing in a proper dressage arena and then go jumping.
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.
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