2020 USEA FEH & YEH Championships Details Announced

Babies … they grow up so fast! 2 A.M., a now 8-year-old Dutch gelding (Sheraton x Regina K, by Ahorn), won the USEA YEH East Coast Championship as a 4-year-old with Matt Flynn before finishing second the following year on a score of 72.08 in the West Coast Championship with Charlotte Babbitt. Charlotte and 2 A.M. went on to win team gold at the NAYC CCIJ2*-L in 2019 (pictured above) and now compete at the three-star level. View past YEH Championships results here. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Big news this week for baby event horses! A wealth of details regarding the USEA Future Event Horse (FEH) and Young Event Horse (YEH) programs for 2020 have been released. Click here for the USEA’s full story  — we’ve included an at-a-glance version below.

2020 USEA FEH Championships

Description: In-hand classes for yearlings, 2-year-olds, and 3-year-olds to be judged on conformation and movement, and additionally, the 3-year-olds compete in a free-jump class. The FEH Championships also offer a 4-year-old class in which the horses are judged on conformation, gaits, and movement under saddle, and then an additional free-jump class as well.

Championships:

  • FEH East Coast Championships – Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27 at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, MD
  • FEH Central Championships: Thursday, Sept. 24 at Haras Hacienda in Magnolia, TX
  • FEH West Coast Championships – Friday, Oct. 23 at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, CA, to run concurrently with the Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships

All three Championship venues will offer a last-minute qualifier and a jump chute clinic the day(s) before their respective Championships.

Qualification: Horses must earn a 72% or higher at any FEH qualifier and may only compete in one Championship.

Judges: Susan Graham White and Robin Walker. The pair will also be teaching a judge seminar on Oct. 21-22, just before the West Coast Championships.

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2020 USEA Dutta Corp. FEH Championships

Description: The Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse Championships offer classes for 4-year-old and 5-year-old horses under saddle with a dressage test, a conformation test, and a jumping and galloping test. The jumping courses are designed based on the YEH jump course guidelines.

Championships:

  • YEH East Coast Championships – Thursday and Friday, Oct. 15-16 (5-y/o) and Thursday, Oct. 15 (4-y/o) at Fair Hill in Elkton, MD, concurrently with the new Maryland Five-Star
  • YEH West Coast Championships – Friday and Saturday, Oct. 23-24 (5-y/o and 4-y/o) at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, CA, concurrently with the FEH West Coast Championships

Judges:

  • YEH East Coast Championships – Debbie Adams and Chris Ryan (5-y/o); Linda Zang, Susan Graham White, Peter Gray and Phyllis Dawson (5-y/o)
  • YEH West Coast Championships – Debbie Adams and Chris Ryan (4-y/o and 5-y/o)

Qualification: Horses must earn a 75% or higher at any YEH qualifier to be eligible for the East Coast Championships, while horses must earn a 70% or higher at any YEH qualifier to be eligible for the West Coast Championships. Fair Hill has also committed to accept more YEH horses at this year’s Championships, offering space to 40 4-year-olds and 50 5-year-olds.

What’s at Stake: The Holekamp/Turner YEH Lion d’Angers Prize and Grant is awarded to the highest placed horse from the USEA YEH 5-year-old Championships, who two years later, is qualified and willing to compete in the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships at Le Mondial du Lion d’Angers in France. North American bred winners will be awarded $17,500 in aid; imported winners will be awarded $8,000. New for 2020, title sponsor The Dutta Corp. is offering a round trip flight to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient to travel to Mondial du Lion.

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