United States Eventing Association

For many of us, 2025 was a wild ride. So, after taking a collective sigh of relief, let’s plan for 2026! And while no one wants to kick off this year pondering all the ways our horses could rack up high dollar vet bills, or find themselves in a life-threatening situation, if the last several ...

There is a moment many people in this sport know well. You are prepared. The plan is clear. The training is there. And yet, as pressure enters the picture, something shifts. Breathing becomes shallow. Focus narrows. Communication tightens. What should feel fluid suddenly feels strained....

Twelve talented young riders headed to Ocala, Florida, from Dec. 30-Jan. 3 for the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) National Camp. The riders were selected by the EA21 Task Force after the completion of the five EA21 Regional Camps that took place in summer 2025.

In our last article together with Bates Saddles, the Official Saddle of the United States Eventing Association, we showed you how to correctly position your saddle within the optimal saddle platform behind the shoulder blade and in front of the last rib. But even with your saddle in the right pla...

The USEA Emerging Athletes U21 (EA21) 2025-2026 National Camp concluded five days of theory-intensive lectures and riding instruction with a finale cross-country day. “I'm thinking it'll probably take a day or two to process all the information!” Hannah Willford, National Camp participant, said wit...

The premise of Day 4 of the USEA Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp was simple. After a quick morning lecture, head down to the show jumping ring and warm up as if at a show with one of the EA21 coaches. Ride one show jumping course without any input or instruction then ride it a sec...

The motto of day 3 of the USEA Emerging Athletes Under 21 (EA21) National Camp was simple. “You can be bad or you can be great,” EA21 Director of Coaching David O’Connor told participants. “Make mistakes; we can fix that. Do well, and we’ll be happy. But whatever you do, don’t be average.”

There are three phases before reaching the level of mastery. The first is technique, or the how. The second is theory, or the why. The third is instinct, or the do. When all three come together, the boundaries of what is possible are limited only by the imagination.

Many of us may remember from our school days the saying: “define your terms.” In math class, in science class, and maybe even in English class, we were told to introduce the definition of the technical language we were using, never assuming it was too obvious or basic. But in our riding lessons, ...