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.
Did you know that the USEA Foundation awards over 150 grants each year to deserving individuals who are involved in the sport of eventing? With grants that assist riders with accomplishing their competition goals, grants geared toward licensed officials, grants that are specific to continuing education for coaches, grants that assist competitions with obtaining frangible technology, and so much more, there really is a grant opportunity available to almost anyone!
With the start of the New Year just days away, now is the time to consider how your actions can have a positive impact on the sport of eventing in 2025. Each and every member of the eventing community has an important role to play in ensuring the sport continues to grow and thrive. From fostering educational opportunities to supporting grassroots initiatives and participating at all levels of the sport, there are so many ways to get involved.
Ride iQ’s popular “Ask An Expert” series features professional advice and tips from all areas of the horse industry. One of the most-downloaded episodes is an expert session with Peter Gray, an accomplished dressage judge and Olympic eventer. He has recently judged at events like the five-star at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, and he served on the ground jury at the 2022 FEI World Eventing Championships in Pratoni, Italy. His background as a competitor in the Olympic Games riding for Bermuda and as a coach and selector for the Canadian eventing team adds depth to his understanding of the sport.
With a total of 382 volunteer hours in 2024, Catherine “Cathy” Hale not only topped the USEA Area III VIP Volunteer leaderboard, but she also ranked fourth out of all eventing volunteers across the country. Hale (The Villages, Florida) has worked as a travel agent for over 30 years, a career that suits her love of travel nicely. At the time of being interviewed for this article, Hale was passing the equator on a cruise to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
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