Isabel Finemore and Rutherglen, winners of 2018 USEF JR/YR CCI2* Eventing National Championship. Photo by Brant Gamma Photography.
Virginia Horse Trials International (VHT) is pleased to announce that it will host the first CCI1*-L in the United States at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington Oct. 31-Nov. 3, 2019. The CCI1*-L is the Modified (3’5”) level run under the international long format rules, with show jumping being the final phase run in reverse order of standing. VHT is currently the only event in the country to offer the CCI1*-L.
“We are excited to be adding the CCI1*-L to our international offerings at Virginia,” VHT Organizer Andy Bowles said. “It’s a great introduction to FEI competition at the Modified height, and it fits perfectly with our mission at Virginia to provide competitors with positive growth opportunities. We ran two large national Modified divisions at both the November 2018 and May 2019 competitions, so we’re hopeful that the interest in the CCI1*-L will be positive.”
VHT will also host the USEF CCI2* Eventing National Championship for the second consecutive year. Both adult and junior/young rider (21 and under) titles will be awarded. The Championship will run concurrently with the CCI2*-L division, and the Championship titles will be given to the highest placed American rider in each age group.
Back by popular demand is the Intercollegiate and Alumni Team Challenge. Whether currently in school, recently graduated, or graduated any number of years ago, riders are invited to don their school colors, chant fight songs, and enjoy a healthy dose of school rivalry.
“The intercollegiate team challenges have always been one of our favorite components of VHT,” Bowles said. “We realized that recent grads were wanting to stay involved and alumni wanted to get in on the fun, so we are happy to host a team challenge with a mix of current and former students.”
Teams may be made up of alumni only, current students only, or a mix of both. Teams of mixed levels will have coefficients applied to account for the level of difficulty. Scramble teams may be formed with multiple schools. Send your team roster and any questions to the team coordinator, Leslie Threlkeld, at [email protected].
In addition to the CCI1*-L and CCI2*-L, VHT’s fall edition offers CCI3*-L, CCI3*-S, and the CCI2*-S, which was offered for the first time at the May event. National competitors have a broad choice of Beginner Novice through Advanced/Intermediate, including national Modified, and a Starter level for newcomers to the sport. Bowles, Carsten Meyer, and David Taylor will design the tracks on two separate cross-country courses, and Chris Barnard returns as the show jumping course designer.
Come for the competition, stay for the extras. Prize money is once again on the table for the FEI competitors, as well as special awards for Best Conditioned horse and Best Turned Out rider, ribbons through tenth place, and additional gifts and prizes. The top three finishers of every national horse trials division receive discount coupons for future entries. Finally, everyone is invited to a complimentary supper at the Saturday night competitor party.
Entries for the VHT International open Sept. 17, 2019. Find entry information at vahorsetrials.com or the USEA Omnibus listing.
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