The final event in the two-leg Dutta Corp. USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championships will kick off tomorrow at Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California. The Dutta. Corp USEA YEH West Coast Championships will be held on Friday, Oct. 27 and Saturday, Oct. 28, and today, competitors have one more chance to earn their spot in the Championships at Twin River’s Last Chance Qualifier.
The Field
Of the 34 entries in The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships, two 4-year-olds and six 5-year-olds must receive a qualifying score of 70% or higher at the Last Chance Qualifier today in order to compete in the Championships.
While the 2022 4-Year-Old Champion and Reserve Champion will not be returning to defend their titles this year, there are six horses that competed in the 4-Year-Old Championship last year that will return to contest the 5-Year-Old Championship:
The highest placed horse from 2022, the third-place finisher, and winner of the best gallop award, entered is Wynnville (Lakersville x Tebowing), the Thoroughbred gelding bred by David Chase and Nancy Probert, who is owned and ridden by Ella Garcia,
Monbeg Salt Fever (Womanizer x Eden Breeze), the Irish Sport Horse gelding that was bred by Jacinta O’Donoghue and is owned and ridden by Ashley Horowitz,
Cellar Farm Corp’s New Gaillard AJK (Gaillard De La Pomme x Pikolina), the Dutch Warmblood gelding who was bred by A.J. Kin and will be ridden by Amber Birtcil,
Tammy Karplus’ MRF Nonchalant (Metropole x Cavalier Carnival Rose), the Irish Sport Horse mare bred by Mike Comerford, who will be ridden by Catie Cejka,
MBF Kingsriver Romeo (Womanizer x Soraja), the Irish Sport Horse gelding bred by Carmel Welsh who is owned and ridden by Michlynn Sterling,
and Estrella Equestrian’s The Big Easy (Mr Lincoln B x PLS Hippo Q), the Irish Sport Horse gelding bred by William McDonnell Jr. who will be ridden by Andrea Baxter.
The Lucky Group LLC’s Sportsfield Supernatural (Caricello x Copacabana), an Irish Sport Horse gelding that was bred by Noell Collins, received the highest qualifying score in the nation for the 4-year-olds. Sportsfield Supernatural received an 87.30 at the Fall Spokane Sport Horses H.T. with Erin Grandia in the irons, who will also present the horse at the Championship this week.
Jordan Linstedt’s 5-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Comte, LS Crown Royal, received the overall highest YEH qualifying score of the West Coast entrants with an 88.60 at the Spokane Sport Horse Spring H.T. in May.
Geldings reign supreme again this year, making up more than 85% of the entries.
Cellar Farm Corp. will be the busiest owner of the week with eight horses competing across both divisions:
4-Year-Old Championship Entries
Odyssee (Gerardus x Carita), a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by G.A. Post and ridden by Bec Braitling,
Olalandra (Falaise De Muze x Gilandra), a Dutch Warmblood mare bred by Y. Vaartjes-Westerbeek and ridden by Bec Braitling,
Oriental Star (Comme Prevu x Heaven Angel), a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by S.A.M. Egbergen and ridden by Amber Birtcil,
Orpheus (Gerardus x Hiewitta), a Dutch Warmblood gelding also bred by G.A. Post and ridden by Amber Birtcil,
Oxford K (Grand Slam VDL x Walzing Patty), a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by P. Kamphof and ridden by Amber Birtcil,
and Smarter World (Smart Bid x Circle the World), a Thoroughbred gelding bred by Linda Madsen and ridden by Amber Birtcil
5-Year-Old Championship Entries
Nevada (II Est Balou x Onile W), a Dutch Warmblood gelding bred by M.G.J Jansman and ridden by Amber Birtcil
New Gaillard AJK
Amber Birtcil is set to be the busiest rider at the Championships with six entries across both age groups. Andrea Baxter is not far behind in second place in the "busiest rider" category with four entries across both divisions.
This year, the most popular breed is a close race between the Irish Sport Horse, which has 10 entries across the divisions, and the Dutch Warmblood, which has 9 entries across the divisions.
Three entries, all of which are Thoroughbred geldings, were bred in the United States:
Cellar Farm Corp’s Smarter World,
Andrea Pfeiffer and Tommy Greengard’s Check The Boxes (Box Score x Multiplying TheHeat), who will be ridden by Greengard and was bred by Linda Madsen,
and Ella Garcia’s Wynnville.
The Facts:
The Dutta. Corp USEA YEH West Coast 4- and 5-Year-Old Championships will be judged by Marilyn Payne (USA) and Christian Schacht (GER).
Each horse had to score a 70% or higher at a YEH qualifying event throughout the 2023 season to earn the right to compete at The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships.
Horses in the 4-year-old and 5-year-old Championships will participate in three phases of competition: Dressage (20%), Conformation and Type (10%), and a Jumping/Gallop Test (70%), which combines five show jumps and ten cross-country jumps for a derby-style course.
The Holekamp/Turner Young Event Horse Le Lion d'Angers Grant and The Dutta Corp. prize of a round trip flight to Mondial du Lion will be up for grabs for the highest-scoring horse from the YEH 5-year-old Championships (both East and West) that is qualified and willing to compete at the FEI WBFSH Eventing World Breeding Championships in Le Lion d'Angers, France in their 7-year-old year. The 5-year-old horses competing in this year’s championship will be eligible for the grant in 2025, based on their scores this week.
The Schedule:
Thursday, October 26
10:00 - 11:15 a.m. – YEH LCQ Dressage (Ring 2)
12:30 - 1:45 p.m. – YEH LCQ Jumping (Chain Ring)
10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. – The Dutta Corp. USEA YEH West Coast Championships Dressage Familiarization (Flag Ring)
4:30 p.m. – YEH Championships Competitor Briefing (Hay Pole Barn)
The Young Event Horse (YEH) Program was first established in 2004 as an eventing talent search. Much like similar programs in Europe, the YEH program was designed to identify young horses aged four and five, that possess the talent and disposition to, with proper training, excel at the uppermost levels of the sport. The ultimate goal of the program is to distinguish horses with the potential to compete at the four- and five-star levels, but many fine horses that excel at the lower levels are also showcased by the program.
The YEH program provides an opportunity for breeders and owners to exhibit the potential of their young horses while encouraging the breeding and development of top event horses for the future. The program rewards horses who are educated and prepared in a correct and progressive manner. At qualifying events, youngsters complete a dressage test and a jumping/galloping/general impression phase. At Championships, young horses are also evaluated on their conformation in addition to the dressage test and jumping/galloping/general impression phase. Click here to learn more about the Young Event Horse Program.
Founded in 2015 by Timothy and Cheryl Holekamp of New Spring Farm and Christine and T.J. Turner of Indian Creek Farm, the Holekamp/Turner Grant provides a USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Championship competitor with the opportunity to represent the United States at the FEI Eventing World Breeding Championships in the 7-year-old CCIYH3*-L Championship at Mondial du Lion in Le Lion d’Angers, France. With the sole purpose of paving a clear pathway for U.S. team horses to progress in the sport of eventing, recipients who are North American-bred will be awarded the full cash grant of $17,500, while imported horses are awarded $8,000. Additionally, The Dutta Corp. offers a prize to the Holekamp/Turner Grant recipient, consisting of a round trip flight from the Eastern United States to Europe.
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