Virginia Horse Trials to Host First Intercollegiate Team Championship

The Clemson Intercollegiate Eventing Team with Buck Davidson. Photo by Olga Mohr Photography.

Go Collegiate Eventing! Here’s the Clemson Intercollegiate Eventing Team with Buck Davidson at a recent clinic. Photo by Olga Mohr Photography.

Exciting news for collegiate eventers! The inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship will take place at the Virginia Horse Trials on May 26-29, 2016.

Thirty-one colleges and universities with eventing teams or clubs have joined the USEA Intercollegiate Program since it started last year, with many of the schools fielding teams at Collegiate Team Challenges across the country.

Virginia Horse Trials hosted the first ever Collegiate Team Challenge in the U.S., with Chattahoochee Hills, Twin Rivers, ESDCTA New Jersey Horse Trials, University of New Hampshire Horse Trials, Poplar Place Farm and FENCE also hosting Collegiate Team Challenges.

“The Virginia Horse Trials have hosted challenges that include colleges and universities for a number of years.  First under the leadership of Brian and Penny Ross, and now under Andy Bowles,” USEA CEO Rob Burk said.

“As the birthplace of Intercollegiate Eventing Team Competition it only seemed fitting to award the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship to this top class facility and Event.”

The May event at Virginia Horse Trials will offer Beginner Novice through Advanced/Intermediate, as well as CCI* and CIC2* divisions. All affiliated schools are encouraged to attend and compete for the title of Intercollegiate Champion.

“I am very honored to have been chosen as the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship,” Andy Bowles, Virginia Horse Trials organizer, said. “As part of our ongoing commitment to team competitions, we will be adding a dedicated member of staff during the event to assist in the smooth running, from entries to results and the overall experience of the teams.”

Teams will be made up of three or four members, with four-rider teams having one drop score. Schools can send multiple teams, and teams can be made up of riders competing at different levels. A coefficient system will be used to account for differences in level difficulty.

Click here for the omnibus listing for the event. Collegiate eventers can click here to see if their school is a USEA University Affiliate. USEA collegiate leaderboards for all levels can be viewed at this link.

Are you a collegiate eventer and planning to compete in the inaugural USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Team Championship? Let us know in the comments below. Go Collegiate Eventing!

[Inaugural Intercollegiate Championship to be Hosted at Virginia Horse Trials in 2016]