Long Live the Three-Day! Waredaca and HOTC Add P3D Divisions

Novice Three-Day competitors Emma Keahon and Wil’Ya Love Me on course at the 2015 Waredaca Classic Event. Photo by Kate Samuels.

The USEA Classic Series is growing! Both Waredaca and Heart of the Carolinas recently announced that they have both added Preliminary Three-Day divisions to their seasonal events. Joining the ranks of the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day, these are the only three events to host this challenging competition at the Preliminary level. 

The Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event, hosted at Southern 8ths Farm in Chesterfield, South Carolina, is the only venue in the country to offer Beginner Novice through Preliminary long format divisions through the USEA Classic Series. USEA President Carol Kozlowski, Holly Hepp Hudspeth and Kim Keeton, DVM, have been named as 2018 clinicians.  

The Waredaca Classic Three-Day Event & H.T., October 25-28, 2018 in Layonsville, Maryland, offers Novice – Preliminary long format divisions alongside their horse trials.

While we could carry on all day about the benefits of a three-day, I think Waredaca said it best in a Facebook status: 

“It’ll leave you with goosebumps on your arms, sweat running down your body and elation in your heart. It will push you to your limits, at times scare the bejeezus out of you, but at the end of the three days, it’ll leave you and your horse bonded in a way you haven’t felt before.”

There’s a lot of talk about the value of the long format event…about how “back in the day,” that–that was real eventing; when cross country/endurance day was at the heart of the sport; when riders had to practice a different kind of horsemanship. Ask anyone who’s contested the Classic and they’ll tell you there’s truth to these claims. No event, championship or otherwise, can come close to the experience of completing a long format event.”

With the adoption of the short format, many missed their chance at experiencing the blood, sweat and tears of training for a three-day, but, thankfully, the USEA stands as the long format’s biggest advocate, and remains the only national association to continue offering the traditional format.

Go eventing.