Thank you for your interest in the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP). Below is an outline of the program and the requirements you must complete prior to attending an assessment for ECP certification as a Coach, Young Horse Instructor, and/or a Young Event Horse Professional Horse Trainer.
To obtain ECP certification through the Eventing Coaches Program, you will need to:
- Become an ECP registered candidate by completing the ECP candidate application form and paying the $75 registration fee, which includes the digital ECP Workbook and the digital ECP Standards Booklet.
- Obtain a written sign-off from an experienced eventing professional for your participation at the ECP level you choose. The sign-off page is the last page of the ECP candidate application form.
- Student verification: at the highest level at which you will be seeking certification, three of your current students, or students you have taught in the past, must complete and sign the ECP student verification form and return it via email, fax, or U.S. Post.
To obtain ECP YEH Certification through the Eventing Coaches Program you will need to:
- Become an ECP registered candidate by completing the ECP YEH candidate application form and paying the $75 registration fee, which includes the ECP Workbook and theECP Standards Booklet
- Obtain a written sign-off from an experienced eventing professional for your participation at the ECP YEH certification you choose. The sign-off page is the last page of the ECP YEH candidate application forms.
- If you are interested in the YEH Instructor certificate, you need to have three of your current and/or past amateur and/or professional student riders/trainers of young event horses (4-/5-year-olds) complete and sign the attached student verification form (please make copies for your own records). Return the forms via email, fax, or U.S. Post.
- You must obtain the recommendation of an experienced eventing professional on your ECP YEH candidate application form.
The levels of ECP certification are:
- Level I
– Up to Novice riding/training/competing and horse care
- Level II
–Up to Modified/1* riding/training/competing and horse care
- Level III
– Up to Preliminary/2* level riding/training/competing and horse care
- Level IV – Up to Intermediate/3* level riding/training/competing and horse care
- Level V – Up to Advanced, 4*/5* level riding/training/competing and horse care
- Young Event Horse Instructor - Instructors of amateur and/or professional riders riding/training/competing young event horses, including horse care
- Young Event Horse Professional Horse Trainer - Professional trainers of young event horses, including riding/training/competing and horse care
For Certification at Levels I/II/III you:
- Must attend a Teaching of Dressage Workshop
- Must attend a Teaching of Jumping Workshop.
- Cost of each Level I/II/III Workshop is $400. ($800 total to attend both workshops at Level I/II/III)
- It is acceptable to attend one workshop and then the other at another time during the year (ideally the Teaching of Dressage Workshop before the Teaching of Jumping Workshop).
- Candidate Instructors must contact the workshop host to obtain a registration form and schedule.
- ECP workshops and assessments can be found at on the USEA website.
For Certification at Levels IV/V you:
- Must attend a three-day Levels IV/V Workshop.
- Cost of Level IV/V Workshop is $500.
- Candidate instructors must contact the workshop host to obtain a registration form and schedule.
- ECP workshops and assessments can be found at on the USEA website.
For Certification as an ECP YEH Instructor you:
- Must attend a 3-day ICP YEH Workshop.
- Cost of ECP YEH Workshop: $400. ($800 if you are seeking both YEH certifications)
- Already ECP certified instructors pay a reduced fee for a second spot.
- Candidate instructors must contact the workshop host to obtain a registration form and schedule.
- ECP workshops and assessments can be found at on the USEA website.
Workshop Attendance:
- You may attend workshops before you complete the ECP candidate application form and register as an ECP candidate instructor.
- If you are not seeking ECP certification, you may attend any ECP workshop as an auditor at a cost of $50/day, payable to the workshop host. We have many workshop participants who attend workshops for the educational value they provide.
- Auditing does not fulfill the workshop attendance requirements for ECP certification.
ECP YEH Workshop and Assessment:
ECP YEH Workshops are conducted over three days.
- The first day focuses upon flat/dressage riding/training of young event horses.
- The second day focuses upon show jump riding/training of young event horses.
- The third day focuses upon cross-country riding/training of young event horses.
- Candidates at all ECP workshops must instruct each day at the workshop. The one exception to that is the individual going for the YEH Professional Horse Trainer certificate, who must attend the YEH workshop and ride in that workshop each day but does not instruct at that workshop.
- Candidates for the YEH Professional Horse Trainer certificate must ride twice each day at a YEH workshop, once for the ICP faculty person and once without instruction each afternoon, both times on a YEH. For the second ride each day, he or she rides a YEH in the way he or she determines that particular horse should be ridden in a developmentally positive way in that particular phase on that particular day. The trainer shares their thoughts during and after the ride with faculty and other workshop participants why and how he or she is choosing to do what on that horse. All horses instructed and ridden at YEH workshops are 4-/5-year-olds or green older horses.
- Discussion will follow every candidate instructor's workshop teaching or, in the case of a YEH workshop, also the candidate professional horse trainer’s riding, i.e. discussion by the faculty person, the YEH candidate instructor or candidate professional horse trainer, and all the other candidates at that workshop. This post-teaching or post-riding discussion is part of the learning process for everyone at that workshop, including the ICP faculty member.
- An individual seeking both YEH certificates (YEH Instructor and YEH Professional Horse Trainer) may participate in one YEH workshop in both roles. In that case, he or she would instruct at least once during each Workshop day and also ride twice each day, as described above.
- Young Event Horses are defined as 4- and 5-year-olds, although green older horses may be included at YEH workshops.
- After participating in the YEH workshop, a person wanting to earn both YEH certificates may go to just one assessment and sign up for two spots in it. He or she will teach each phase during that one-day assessment and ride a YEH in each phase during that same day. If desired by the candidate, he or she could be scheduled on two successive assessment days, rather than just one.
- At an assessment, the YEH candidate professional horse trainer will also have to demonstrate to the assessors his or her own “YEH product” by either riding a YEH in one phase’s time-slot whom s/he is currently developing OR, if that candidate lives too far from the assessment site to trailer a YEH to it, producing for the assessors a 25-30 minute video of him or her riding that horse at home on the flat, over show jumping fences, and over cross-country fences, with gallop included. In the latter case, at an assessment, he or she would ride other candidate’s YEHs in all three event phases, not in just two phases.
Recommendations for being mentored:
- At the end of a workshop you may receive recommendations from the ECP faculty to do some additional independent study before you are ready for assessment.
- Mentoring may be completed with already certified event instructors or other qualified professionals.
Eligibility for Assessment for ECP Certification:
- After attending the required workshop(s) for your ECP level or ECP YEH certification, and completing any mentoring requirements, you are eligible to register for an ECP assessment.
- Complete the ECP assessment registration form and submit it with payment to Nancy Knight at the USEA office.
- Please be advised that being registered for an assessment does not mean you will automatically be certified.
- Assessments are one day in length and cost $500.
To be assessed you must:
- Be at least 18 years old
- Be a current USEA member
You must also provide the following:
If you have completed any of these requirements through the USEF, USPC, USDF or any other entity that requires them, you may submit confirmation of completion; you do not have to complete them again.
- Proof of current CPR and First Aid Certification
- Proof of current Liability Insurance
- Proof of Safe Sport Training
- Proof of Concussion Protocol Training
- Signed Code of Conduct
- Nationwide Criminal Background Check to be submitted prior to assessment and then again at the end of every 4-year continuing education cycle.
You may obtain your CPR and First Aid Certification online from any of the sites listed below:
You may obtain a Nationwide Criminal Background Check online from either of the sites listed below:
Safe Sport Training: https://safesport.org/
Below is information on how to fulfill the Safe Sport Training requirement. Please forward your completion certificate to [email protected].
- Go to the USEF Website www.usef.org
- Click on “My USEF” in the top right-hand corner of the home page
- Look below the login prompts and click on “Create New Account”
- Tick “I Don’t Know” when asked if you have an existing ID
- Input your First and Last names in ID Search and hit return.
- If you do have an existing USEF ID # you will be prompted to log in or create a login.
- If you do not have an existing USEF ID # you will receive the following message: “No search results”. Select “No, I am new to USEF” - click on the button beside “No, I am new to USEF” above the login information on the same page. Continue creating a new ID #
Complete the Concussion Protocol Training module and send completion certificate to [email protected]:
Please download, sign, and return the ICP Professional Code of Conduct to [email protected]:
Insurance Binder (COI)
Submit a copy of the binder page of your liability insurance policy, which is the page that lists your name, the current effective dates, and the policy limits.
These items may be submitted after you have passed your assessment; however, you will not receive your official ICP certification until all the required paperwork is included in your permanent ICP file.
ECP Cindy Burge Grant for ECP Assessment for Certification:
- Contact your Area Adult Rider Coordinator for information about the ECP Cindy Burge Grant, which may be used to pay for assessment.
- Each Area has their own application, deadline, and guidelines for awarding the Grant.
ECP Continuing Education:
- There is a continuing education section included in the ECP Workbook which outlines the specifics of that program.
- Every eCP certified instructor, ECP YEH certified instructor, and/or ECP YEH professional horse trainer is expected to fulfill the continuing education credit requirements every four years.
Please contact Nancy Knight at [email protected] with any questions.
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