United States Eventing Association

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce the dates and locations for the 2016 Future Event Horse (FEH) and Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships on both the east and west coast.

The FEH West Coast Championships will be held Friday, September 23, 2016 at Twin Rivers (Paso Robles, Calif.), followed by the East Coast Championship at Loch Moy Farm (Adamstown, Md.) on Thursday, October 6, 2016.

New in 2016, horses must earn a minimum qualifying score of 70% at any qualifier to be eligible for the FEH Championships.

In addition to the regular form at of the FEH classes, in which each age group is judged in hand, three-year-olds in the FEH East and West Coast Championships will be asked to free jump through the jump chute in order to analyze the horse’s full potential for Eventing. Through the jump chute, the judges will be able to examine the horses’ canter movement, jumping technique, jumping ability and scope. This process was introduced to the East Coast in 2015 and will be mandatory in the three-year old divisions at both the East and West Coast Championships in 2016. Winner of the 2015 East Coast optional free jump competition, Rubichez, pictured above. USEA/Leslie Mintz Photo.

The jump chute will be set up in standard format with a placing pole, two verticals and an oxer. The three-year-olds will be allowed to jump through four times, slowly building height, but not to exceed 3’6” at the final oxer. Safety will be paramount, and the process will be fair and generous. For more information on the introduction to free jumping, go here.

Loch Moy Farm will also be offering an FEH competition on Wednesday, October 5th, which participants can use as a qualifier for the Championships the next day, as well as a jump chute clinic in practice for the following day’s three-year-old division. The USEA is also working on hosting multiple jump chute clinics on both the east and west coast to help safely prepare competitors for the Championships.

The 2016 YEH West Coast Championship will be held Friday, October 7, 2016 at Woodside International (Woodside, Calif.) followed by the East Coast Championship at Fair Hill International (Elkton, Md.) October 13-14, 2016.

Horses must earn a score of 70% or higher at two qualifiers or a score of 75% or higher at one qualifier to be eligible for the YEH Championships.

Fabulous prizes are returning for the YEH Championships, including the Holekamp/Turner YEH Le Lion d’Angers Grant, which will award the highest scored 5-year-old at the Championship with a cash prize that enables them to travel to the FEI World Young Horse Championships at Le Lion d’Angers in France for the 7-year old two-star Championships.

For more information on the FEH and YEH programs and Championships, contact Kate Lokey at [email protected] or (703-779-9897).

The USEA would like to thank its Young Event Horse (YEH) Sponsors: Fleeceworks, Priefert, Event Clinics, Standlee Hay, Merck Animal Health, SmartPak, and Professional’s Choice.

The USEA would also like to thank its Future Event Horse (FEH) Sponsors: SmartPak, Standlee Hay, Professional’s Choice, Merck Animal Health, and Presenting Sponsor Priefert.