United States Eventing Association

USEA Podcast #271: Thanksgiving Special

It's a Thanksgiving special on the USEA Podcast this week, listeners, and we are giving thanks for another year of eventing, as unorthodox as it may have been. It's been such a strange year with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and now, more than ever it seems, it's important to take stock of the things we have to be thankful for.

Nicole Brown is joined on the show this week by USEA CEO Rob Burk; Christine Turner, owner of the newly minted USEF CCI4*-L National Champion Tsetserleg; Jennie Brannigan, who finished three horses in the top 20 at Tryon last weekend; and Deonte Sewell, a working student of Phillip Dutton's.

• Turner speaks about the pride and satisfaction she feels watching a horse she's always believed in do so well, especially in a year where things have been so difficult.
• Brown asks Turner to share a bit about how she was drawn to the sport of eventing, who was a western pleasure rider before she got involved with the sport and didn't even know what eventing was 10 years ago.
• Brannigan had three horses competing in the CCI4*-L at the Tryon International Three-Day Event last weekend: Stella Artois was seventh, FE Lifestyle was 16th, and Twilightslastgleam was 20th. She talks a little about each horse's progress and what she sees in the future for them.
• Sewell tells the story of how he first became interested in horses as a kid and the journey that brought him to the eventing world and ultimately to a position with Phillip Dutton.
• Brown turns the conversation to the topic of "things that we are thankful for," and each of our guests on the show takes a turn sharing some of the things they have been grateful for this year.
• One thing that Brown mentioned being thankful for this year was the incredible support of the eventing community for the Frangible Technology Fund launched this spring, which to date has raised nearly $400,000 to help construct new frangible fences at events all over the country. If you are interested in donating to this important cause and helping us reach our goal of $500,000 raised by the end of the year, please visit the USEA Foundation website.

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