United States Eventing Association

The Young Rider Advancement Program kicked off last weekend at the Sporting Days Horse Trials in Aiken, South Carolina. YRAP coordinator Chris Donovan wrote in about the first event of the season:

"The USEA Young Rider Advancement Program (YRAP) kicked off the season on the East Coast with a Cross Border Challenge at Sporting Days Horse Trials II in Aiken, South Carolina. Joannah Glass and her staff where fantastic hosts, making us all feel very welcome. There were over 80 young riders from all over North America competing on teams both days. The Preliminary/Training teams where pinned on Saturday night and the Novice/Beginner Novice teams where pinned on Sunday. There were riders from three quarters of the country and Canada. Only the West Coast Areas were not represented.

Aiken is a great town in which to spend the winter, with events held every weekend and any “nasty” weather clears quickly. The homeschoolers do their school work in the evenings, after spending their daylight hours riding horses and doing chores. There are numerous courses to school, jumper shows are held in the area, and there is even a facility the holds Wednesday events.

The YRAP is a sub-program of the existing U.S. Eventing Association’s Young Rider program. Within each Area, the existing Young Rider program has essentially been divided into two parts. The YRAP and NAYRC branches each function in cooperation with the other and operate under the facilitation of the Area Young Rider Coordinator. YRAP is intended to provide the average young rider with the vital steps of a developmental process from the earliest levels of competition. The YRAP encompass a variety of clinics, camps, and educational activities which provide the educational development necessary for a young rider's progression to accomplish whatever competitive goals they may have. The goal in organizing this program is to create a structure, which similarly parallels the structure of the NAYRC program and the NGB developmental programs, so that a rider is familiar with this format from the beginning. Consider joining the USEA Young Rider Program at: http://useventing.com/membership or contact your Area’s YR Coordinator."