2023 Adult Riders Update

Donna Bottner, Area II Adult Rider Coordinator:

We are kicking off five adult team challenges this year, spread over the entire area from NJ to NC.

The AEC’s will be capping Areas to 35 riders, which gives us approximately 2 teams at each level, This year, a letter of intent will be necessary for riders to file ahead of time to help the AEC organizers with scheduling.

Adult Riders are also planning to again have a tailgate at the Maryland 5 star (Fair Hill) in the fall and may do a joint meetup with Area I riders invited to attend.

Are you interested in helping this year to provide Adult Rider outreach at events? Please contact Donna if you would like to help.

A Landsafe clinic is planned for late May, but Donna is looking for a property with an indoor arena that would  fit the criteria of the Landsafe requirements - if anyone could help, please contact her.

The 2022 Area II Adult Rider of the Year was Katie Thornton, and 2022 Adult Rider Horse of the Year was Steddy Eddy, owned and ridden by Suzy Gehris. Many thanks to the beautiful D'yon cooler presented by Sagmae to Suzy at the Area II banquet in January. This year Sagmae and Alicia Daily Pottery will be sponsoring beautiful custom prizes to Adult Rider team competitions. Many thanks to our supporters! 

Young Riders from throughout the U.S. and Canada braved wet conditions at Plantation Field International event, Sept. 21-24, 2023, to compete on a full set of teams at the Area II-sponsored Young Rider Team Challenge. The challenge is a promotional competition held within a standing competition to encourage team comraderie and competition among Young Riders.

At the CCI-1* level, the scrambled Area 2/West Team of Lillian Kager/Game On (45.5), Scarlett Peinado/Shadow Inspector (49.7), Lizzie Hoff/HSH Kept Secret (51.4) and Eva Taylor/Irish Rose (85.9) won the FarmVet $25 gift certificates,The Engraver leather engraved keychains, and Maryland Saddlery merchandise for first place (team score 146.6). In second was the Canada/NE Team, (168.6) of Kimberley Begin/Victory Cents (41.9), Kimberley Begin/Ultimate Legacy (44.9), and Kate Servais/Cathedro (81.8). Placing third was the Area 2 Team (1089.2) of Rylie Nelson/Galway Sunrise (35.2), Jenna Levesque/Born Ready (54), Gianna Fernandez/Excel Star Vero Amore and Berkley Gardner/Aristocrat.

The CCI-2* competition was hotly contested over the soggy show jump course down to the last rider. Ending on the top was the Area 2 Team, (139.6), winning the $25 FarmVet gift certificates and C4 Belts from Maryland Saddlery, consisted of Noah Stanlaske/Chesterland (38.5), Carlin Keefe/Point Nemo (44.8), Paige Ramsey/MTF Cooley Classic (56.3), and Anna Fitzhugh/Shirsheen Deal Me In. Second place team (154.6) went to Canada/NE, of Lizzie Hoff/HSH LImited Edition (34.7), Audrey Littlefield/Mr. Pumpkin (55.2), Madison Haney/Chesterlands Sweet Charlotte (64.7), and Lucine Claudel/Tsantania (69.4). In third, the Area 2-3-8 Team (1096.4) of Carlin Keefe/Mr. Candyman (33.8), Maddie Hale/Fernhill Hotshot (62.6), Chloe Haddack/Hawthornestud Fortunate Love and Noah Stanlaske/DHI Showman.

Completing the team competition was the CCI-3* section. They finished on Saturday, with the winning team from Area 8, (1126.4) receiving the $25 Farm Vet and $25 Maryland Saddlery gift certificates,of Alexandra Baugh/Hubert des 3 Arbres (62.1), Maddie Hale/Cinzano 7 (64.3), and Alexandra Baugh/MHS Fernhill Finale. Second place team was Area 2, (1137.3) of Braden Speck/BSF Liam (49.2), Benjamin Noonan/Street Fighter (88.1),  Peyton Klein/Pleasant Humphrey, and Meg Pellegrini/Cooley Wish Upon A Star. In third was a scramble team of Canada/Area 1-7, (3000) with Lea Adams-Blackmore/Frostbite, Kimberley Begin/Ballingore Rock Quality, Olivia Miller/Cooley Starstruck, and Madison Tempkin/MVP Madbum.

In the CCI-4* competition, one Young Rider completed, Brooke Burchianti and Cooley Space Grey (87) who finished in fifth place. She was top placed U25 rider and received a FarmVet $25 gift certificate.

Individual Young Rider winners received Coat Defense prize packages, and The Overall Horsemanship winner was Canada Young Rider Kimberley Begin, riding three horses and placing two of them in both the CCI-1* and CCI-3* competitions. She received the Freely Forward Bodywork certificate sponsored by Maija Luttinger of Freely Forward Bodywork. The Local Grooms/Horse Care Award from Wawa Foundation went to Area 2's Carlin Keefe, riding two horses in the CCI-2* and completing with both. All Young Rider Team Challenge riders received Standlee Premium Western Forage treat bags for their horses.

LIST current as of 1/21/21

Sign up is required at the USEF by Jan. 29 to be considered for Area II teams this year. Below is the list of names from USEF of the riders wishing to be considered for the Youth  Team Challenges at the FEI *,**, and/or ***.   (Please note:  this is not the Interscholastic Eventing League.)
Some additional steps.

• If your name is missing and you want to be considered you must apply through your USEF Dashboard before 1/29... (Just 8 days away)  No athletes (rider names) will be added to this list after 1/29.  
• You do not need to be competing modified or above to apply.  If you think you MIGHT do a * or above in 2021 - you should consider signing-up.   
• If you are 21 or under - you must also have renewed your USEA young rider program membership as well before the 1/29 date.
• Your horse(s) will need a USEF Passport (National or International) in order to compete in the FEI divisions.  This can be done at any time before the events.  Please start that process early as it can take over a month to obtain.
• Yes, you can also be part of the Interscholastic Eventing League and the Youth Team Challenges at the same time.  If you are interested in learning more about IEL which is for all levels  - we will address it at our monthly "First Thursday" night calls.

Congratulations to the East Coast Eventers for winning the first IE challenge in Area II. If you are a high school student and not on a team, please reach out to Chris Donovan, so we can figure out how to get you on one. The National IEL leaderboard is updated at the end of each week. You can find the 2023 leaderboards on USeventing.com. For a link to the results: https://evententries.com/#TeamScoringCLwsQ8yECt$LGVBuh__PYQ== 

Please see the article 12/9 on the front page about Chris' report from the 2022 USEA Convention for IEL Teams.

2023 Team Application (pdf)

2023 Team Roster (pdf)