It’s hard to believe that we’re only in the second month of the 2024 eventing season here in Area 1. Things are rapidly increasing behind the scenes in preparation for making this year even greater than the previous and February hit the ground running. We began with the Annual Meeting on Thursday, February 1st. The entirety of the Area 1 council did a fantastic job turning a full-day event into a few-hour evening meeting after being greeted with an unexpected snowstorm which claimed the original date in January. During the meeting YR coordinator, Melanie Loschiavo gave a brief overview of all things 2023 while giving a glimpse into the upcoming year so be sure to check out the recording if you missed it!
For our southern-based members, their weekend included a Young Rider meet-up hosted by Area IV at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala, Florida. If you’re based in Ocala and weren’t able to attend, reach out to Sylvia Byars @s_byars_eventing on Instagram to find out about possible future Young Rider gatherings. About an hour south of WEC, Sarah Newman and Hang Time took home the win in their first event in 2024 at Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch in the Open Modified. Kate Servais and Life Story competed in the Open Modified at Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch as well. Further up the coast, in Aiken South Carolina was Sporting Days February Horse Trials where four Area 1 Young Riders left the startbox. Eliza Quigley had two rides both coming in third place with Carlsberg in the Open Preliminary and Kwisbus at the Training level. Both at the Novice level were Dorothy Greenshields with Jag and Madison Blodgett and Nevertheless.
After the weekend events wrapped up, the USEA announced that applications for the Emerging Athlete U21 Program were open for 2024. The USEA writes, “The purpose of the USEA Emerging Athletes U21 Program (EA21) is to identify and provide consistent quality instruction to the next generation of elite event riders. The aim is to create a pipeline for potential team riders by identifying and developing young talent, improving horsemanship and riding skills, and training and improving skills and consistency.” Five clinics run from June to August across the United States, with two catering to the East Coast. The 2022 and 2023 locations remain for 2024 with the East Coast I clinic at Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, Virginia coached by Shannon Lilley and East Coast II held at Stable View in Aiken, South Carolina coached by Emily Beshear. Applications are open until March 15th and be sure to check out the top tips for applying by Young Rider National Chair and Area 1 Selector, John Bourgoin.
At the beginning of the meeting, an overview of the Area 1 Website was given which acts as the “hub” of all things Area 1 Young Riders. The latest news, podcasts, and educational opportunities such as clinics and mentorships can all be found under the “Young Rider” page heading. Keep a close eye on this page as regular updates are being made. The meeting then shifted to a panel of four professionals within the equine industry: Lauren Mair, who owns Ascutney Equine Services LLC and has worked as an FEI groom and barn manager for multiple 5* event riders, 5* international event rider, Ariel Grald, and Anna Loschiavo an international 4* event rider, and current Area 1 Young Rider, Lea Adams-Blackmore, an international 4* event rider, and assistant trainer for Sharon White. All panelists shared both their experiences within the Area 1 Young Rider program and how it has helped influence their present-day careers. The second group of panelists consisted of athletes who were selected for the USEA Emerging Athlete U21 Program. These panelists included Carly Stiller and Annabelle Sprague. Both Carly and Annabelle discussed their experiences both at the East Coast clinics and Annabelle shared her experience at the National Camp out in Temecula, California where she was fortunate to catch ride one of Tamie Smith’s horses. The full meeting can be viewed by clicking here. Later in the week, the Young Rider Committee launched its first Winter Webisode. In this series, the Young Rider committee members will be sharing their tips, tricks, and how-to’s to help prepare for the eventing season. In case you missed it, you can check it out here.
The following weekend the events continued for those down south with Rocking Horse Winter II Horse Trials. Three Area 1 Young Rider Committee members competed at Rocking Horse. Ava Applebaum with FE City Boy came in 2nd and Victoria McCallum and Maurice came in 9th in the Junior Training division. Lea Adams-Blackmore and Frostbite tackled their second Advanced. That same weekend Madison Blodgett and Northern Quest Lady’s Man made their 2024 pair debut in the Open Modified at Pine Top Intermediate Horse Trials.
Over the week, the Area 1 Young Rider Committee met to review and discuss the applicants for the two available seats on the committee. Applications opened on January 12th and we received eight applications. It was a tough call with so many exciting candidates that we decided to add an additional seat, accepting three new individuals (in no particular order): Sydney Gallien, Max van der Schoot, and Grace Melanson. Later that week on Saturday, the 17th, the USEF announced the location for the USEF Eventing Young Rider Championship. For both 2024 and 2025, the championship will take place in Area II at The Maryland International and Horse Trials, July 5th through the 7th. This competition invites teams from all 10 of the USEA areas to compete for the Young Rider National Championship for the 1*, 2*, and 3* levels. The USEF writes that “Athletes interested in participating in the Championships must complete a USEF Area Declaration by May 1, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. ET. The Area Declaration is located in an Athlete’s USEF Athlete Dashboard under Online Applications.” If you are interested in either learning more or applying to be on a championship team, please reach out to Melanie ASAP as we have an immense amount of planning to do.
In the same weekend as the announcement for the Championships, seven Young Riders competed at the Ocala I Horse Trials down in Florida. Ava Applebaum with FE City Boy, Bridget O’Rourke, and Something To Talk About along with Lyman Ordway and Exces de Folie all ran the Junior Training Division. Lyman and Exces de Folie came home with 2nd place in the division while Lea Adams-Blackmore and Nike ran the Novice. Three riders also competed at the Preliminary level: Audrey Littlefield with Mr. Pumpkin, Kate Servais with Life Story, and Emma Armstrong kicked off her 2024 season with Newman.
Pine Top ran their Advanced Horse Trial during the final weekend of the month which four Young Riders attended. Jack Curtis and Luska Candy Clover had a successful start to their 2024 season in the Open Intermediate coming in 2nd, adding just a few points for time on their dressage score. Madison Blodgett and Northern Quest Lady’s Man made their second round of the month bumping up to Preliminary. Madison also piloted around DK Fenrir in the Open Novice. Dorothy Greenshields and Jag also made their second round in the Open Novice to bring home 5th.
Closing in on the final event of the month was Lea Adams-Blackmore with Nike running their second novice for the year and Tori McCallum and Maurice bringing home 5th in the Training Rider division. Later during the week, was the fifth Young Rider podcast hosted by Rory Cashman. This month Rory sat down with Jane Hamlin to discuss dressage and test riding. All episodes including the most recent can be accessed on our Podcast page along with YouTube and Spotify.
Although it is the shortest month of the year, our Young Rider program only continued to get busier and we can’t wait to see what March brings. Spoiler alert: the opening date for the Area 1 season! Make sure to have those calendars marked for the University of New Hampshire’s Spring HT and as a reminder, ALL Young Rider Program memberships MUST be manually renewed through your USEA dashboard. They do not automatically renew nor are you automatically joined to the program just for being under 25. If you’re unsure how to join or renew your membership check out this tutorial and if you have any questions let us know. See you all in March!
February Winner’s Circle
modified
Sarah Newman & Hang Time – Three Lakes Winter I H.T. at Caudle Ranch
