USEA New Event Horse Program Provides YEH Alternative

Tamie Smith riding Bonner Carpenter’s Summerbridge Parc, winner of the 2017 YEH 5-year-old West Coast Championships. Photo by Shelby Allen.

Do you have a horse new to eventing that is too old to compete in the USEA Young Event Horse program? Do you wish a similar program existed to assess suitability for the sport for older horses, or perhaps those not suited to the YEH program?

Good news — there is! The USEA introduced the New Event Horse program in 2011 as a YEH alternative, and there are currently eight NEH competitions offered for the 2018 competition season. With venues like Loch Moy Farm and Stone Gate Farm adding NEH classes this year, the USEA hopes the program will continue to gain support from members.

“In YEH, the judges are looking for potential as three-star and four-star horses, whereas in NEH the judges are trying to identify a horse that would be suitable for an amateur or junior at a lower level,” USEA Director of Programs and Marketing Kate Lokey said.

“Temperament and general impression are weighed more heavily in NEH than in YEH. NEH could identify a horse with potential to compete at the four-star level, but that is not the goal of the program.”

To be eligible for the NEH program, horses must be 4 or older to with either no competition experience or limited experience at Beginner Novice or Novice level. Click here to view the full judging guidelines for the NEH program.

Organizers of NEH competitions can divide the classes into categories by age, such as 4-year-old, 5-year-old and older horse classes; by age of rider, such as Junior New Event Horse and Senior New Event Horse; by experience, such as First Year New Event Horse and Second Year New Event Horse; or by breed such as OTTB New Event Horse and Non-TB New Event Horse.

NEH classes include a dressage test, which counts for 30% of the score, and the jumping test/gallop/general impression section, which counts for 70% of the score. The new score sheet introduced in 2018 can be viewed at this link.

NEH uses the YEH 4-year-old qualifying test for dressage. Whereas YEH competitions have set guidelines for the height of fences, NEH only gives recommendations for organizers. The USEA recommends that fences be set at 2’3″ to 2’7″ and should not exceed Beginner Novice height and difficulty, but organizers can offer competitions with lower fences and even poles on the ground.

“The NEH program is designed to help introduce not only amateur event riders to the sport, but also young horses,” Kate said. “It’s really great for off-track Thoroughbreds. You may pull a horse off the track at 6 that is too old for YEH. NEH adds a division for those horses.”

The NEH guidelines explain “judges are guided to look for horses with aptitude for dressage and jumping, and the temperament and suitability for eventing. Priority should be given for the horse the judge views as likely to become a capable and sensible partner at the Preliminary level and below.

“While athleticism, scope, and elastic gaits are a necessary component of a successful event horse, a horse that may not be a viable 4-star prospect should not be unnecessarily penalized in this competition due to an apparent lack of scope. A sensible weighing of athletic ability with necessary temperament, cattiness, and mindset should be performed.

“In short, the winning horse should be the one that would most likely be a fun, safe, and successful partner at Preliminary and Training level, with the structural soundness to predict it will be able to compete at that level comfortably.”

Four venues in Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio and North Carolina are offering NEH competitions in 2018. The Maryland Horse Trials at Loch Moy Farm in Adamstown, Maryland is hosting four NEH competitions, and Gena Cindric said MDHT is placing a larger emphasis on promoting the program this year. “This is a great way to introduce OTTBs, especially ones older than 5, to eventing, Gena said.

At the request of owners and breeders, Jackie Smith of Stone Gate Farm in Hanoverton, Ohio decided to add YEH and NEH classes to their horse trials in August.

“Since we are running the YEH classes, we thought we would also offer the New Event Horse classes,” Jackie Smith said. “Hopefully riders who are prepping for the Retired Racehorse Project Thoroughbred Makeover will find the NEH classes a good prep for their OTTBs.”

The 2018 schedule of NEH competitions is as follows, and there is currently no year-end championship for the series:

April 14, 2018 – The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm – Adamstown, Maryland

May 26, 2018 – The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm – Adamstown, Maryland

July 5, 2018 – The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm – Adamstown, Maryland

Aug. 24-26, 2018 – Town Hill Farm H.T. – Lakeville, Connecticut

Aug. 24-26, 2018 – Stone Gate Farm H.T. – Hanoverton, Ohio

Sept. 1, 2018 – The Maryland H.T. at Loch Moy Farm – Adamstown, Maryland

Sept. 8, 2018 – Five Points H.T. – Raeford, North Carolina

Click here for more information on the USEA New Event Horse program. Organizers interested in adding NEH competitions can do so by filling out this form.

Have you ever competed in an NEH competitions? Are you planning to in 2018? Let us know in the comments below. Go Eventing.