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*Riders must declare their school on the stabling form with their entry. Teams must submit a roster to Leslie Threlkeld at leslie.a.threlkeld@gmail.com by May 17*
Entries are officially open for the Second Annual USEA Intercollegiate Championship at Virginia Horse Trials (VHT)! The competition will be held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va. May 25-28, 2017 and will include divisions for Beginner Novice through Intermediate, CCI* and CIC2* riders.
“After the success of the inaugural Intercollegiate Eventing Championship in 2016, we expect the 2017 Championship to be bigger and better! We are aware of teams preparing and fundraising to attend from all over the country,” said USEA CEO Rob Burk.
“Intercollegiate eventing in the United States continues to show strong growth and we are beginning to see a number of colleges and universities take this competition seriously. Being competitive at the Championships is an enormous point of pride for the students, the schools and the communities of our Collegiate members,” Burk added.
All college competitors will once be stabled together in “College Town” which will be located in a large stabling complex with an indoor arena. Each participating school will be given a designated area to set up gazebos and tents to promote their school and equestrian programs. There will also be a dedicated scoreboard to keep up with the college team standings and championship announcements.
The Spirit Award, sponsored by VHT, is up for grabs again, rewarding refunds on entries to the winning team. UGA set the bar high for school pride last year with matching saddle pads and outfits, painted faces and impressive team camaraderie. Will another school be able to bring more spirit?
New this year, VHT will host an evening meet and greet so the teams may get to know each other and hear important announcements about the competition. All teams are encouraged to attend a special unmounted ceremony at the conclusion of the event to recognize the top placed teams and Spirit Award winner and to distribute team ribbons and prizes.
“We’re looking forward to another fantastic Championship this year,” said VHT organizer Andy Bowles. “Last year the students set a high standard for the level of competition, and we witnessed a truly impressive display of team camaraderie and school pride. We are honored to host the Intercollegiate Championship once again, and we hope to welcome more schools and teams at the event.”
The USEA encourages all schools to send as many competitors as possible to the Championship. Schools may send multiple teams, and each team may consist of riders competing at different levels. Each team in the Championship will consist of three or four members from Beginner Novice through Intermediate as well as CCI* and CIC2*. Entries close May 9, 2017.
Riders must declare their school or team name on their stabling form when they complete an entry. This is to ensure teams are stabled together. Each team will get one tack stall. Teams must submit a team roster to Leslie Threlkeld at leslie.a.threlkelkd@gmail.com by May 17.
Scoring and Team Dynamics
To account for differences in level difficulty, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Only the best three individual scores will count towards the team score, so teams of four will have one “drop” score.
The coefficient system that will be applied at the Championship is as follows:
Beginner Novice: 1.1
Novice: 1
Training: 0.9
Preliminary: 0.85
Intermediate: 0.75
CCI*: 0.75
CIC2*: .70
For FEI divisions: To account for level difficulty, scores from FEI competitors should be calculated before the 1.5x FEI coefficient is applied. For example, if a CCI* competitor earned a 50 on the leaderboard, their raw score would have been 33.33 (50/1.5). To calculate their collegiate score, 33.33 x .75 = 24.99.
The team with the lowest score at the end of all three phases will be named the 2017 Intercollegiate Champion. Team ribbons and prizes will be awarded through sixth place, thanks to the generous USEA sponsors.
To participate in the Championship, schools must be affiliated with the USEA. For more information, contact Kate Lokey at klokey@useventing.com or (703) 779-9897.
The May 25-28 Virginia Horse Trials CCI/CIC and Horse Trials opens on March 28 for the FEI divisions and April 11 for the horse trials divisions. Click here to view the complete Omnibus listing. All riders should list their school on the stabling form to ensure they are stabled together.
About the USEA Intercollegiate Program
In 2014, the USEA Board of Governors approved the creation of the Intercollegiate Eventing Program as an official program of the USEA. Originally proposed with input from the Intercollegiate Eventing League, the program was established to provide a framework on which Eventing teams and individual competition could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. Click here to see if your school is an University Affiliate.
Don’t forget if you have not yet renewed your membership with the USEA – Collegiate members get a $25 discount! Log onto your Online Services Account to renew, and a $25 refund will be issued after the USEA has received proof of enrollment.
About the Virginia Horse Trials
The Virginia Horse Trials has been a premier Eventing destination for over 25 years. Situated on 600 acres, the Virginia Horse Center is a first-class venue. Brian and Penny Ross founded the Virginia Horse Trials in 1989, and organized the Event through its 25th Anniversary in 2014. Andy Bowles took over the organization of the Virginia Horse Trials in 2015 and looks forward to maintaining it as a destination for east coast eventers in the years to come.
