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Fresh off a top 15 finish in the CCI3*-L at the Maryland 5 Star, Cosby Green is back in Lexington attending class at the University of Kentucky (UK). The 21-year-old is an undergraduate student, a team member and the social chair of the UK eventing team, has two upper-level event horses, Copper Beach and Highly Suspicious, and a young horse, McCreary, who she rode on the winning team of the 2021 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships.
So, how does she balance it all? “I swear by scheduling!” said Green. “Anyone who knows me knows that I plan my days out by the minute every single day. I spend countless hours scheduling my weeks and weekly goals, and people think I am crazy for it. I preach constantly that with proper scheduling and the dedication to achieve what’s on the schedule, that anything is possible. Each semester I add more responsibilities than the last, and before every semester I can’t fathom how I will be able to achieve everything. However, my meticulous scheduling always helps me break it down. I also have had to make many sacrifices to succeed in all my involvements. It has been difficult for me to figure out what my priorities are, but they are essential to know when trying to manage so many different things.”
In her third year at the University of Kentucky, Green has had an impressive 2021 season. Her name has been on the leaderboard at many of the big events including Jersey Fresh International where she won the CCI3-S with Copper Beach, the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships at VHT International where she was a member of the winning team and won the Training Horse division on McCreary, Great Meadow International where she competed in the CCI3*-S with Copper Beach and the CCI4*-S with Highly Suspicious, the USEA American Eventing Championships presented by Nutrena Feeds where she competed in the Training Horse division with McCreary, Plantation Field H.T. where she competed in the CCI4*-S with Copper Beach, and Morven Park where she competed in the CCI4*-S with Highly Suspicious.
Green has debunked the myth of young riders having to choose between higher education and pursuing the upper levels in eventing. “It is completely possible with dedication,” emphasized Green on doing both. “I was beyond reluctant to go to school because I wanted to continue to ride at the caliber I was doing in high school and thought college would slow me down. Little did I know that my career would only get better and better in college. However, I do believe that there are many factors that contributed to this. With being at the University of Kentucky, all my professors have surprisingly been very supportive of me going away for horse shows because I communicate with them so far in advance. I also am extremely lucky to have an academic advisor I work closely with to help create a schedule that works around my competition schedule. The UK Eventing Team having my back is a huge factor as well. With dedication, organization, and a supportive community around you, it is more than possible.”
Green wakes up every day before sunrise, has more self-discipline than most adults, and is meticulous in her time management. Her daily schedule looks similar to what’s featured below.
Green is not the only upper-level event rider coming from the UK eventing team. Graduates of the team include the CCI4* eventers Kimmy Cecere, Alexa Ehlers, Jackie LeMastus, and Macy Clark. Current teammates of Green’s who also compete at the highest levels of eventing include Colin Gaffney, Ivie Cullen-Dean, Ryan Keefe, and Olivia Dutton.
“I might be biased, but our team is the most supportive one out there. I have met some of my best friends on the team and that alone is a huge factor in having a real college experience. I feel so lucky to be surrounded by many people that are all living fairly similar lifestyles of balancing eventing and school. It feels like we are all in it together and we are all so understanding of each other’s crazy schedules. Having friends and a support group that understands why I must spend so much time training and traveling is everything to me. When I am out of town at a show, I know I can ask members on the team to keep my other horses at home ticking along without questions asked. We all are there to support one another and at the local horse shows we all do our best to help one another out whether it is trailering horses or cheering members on. The team is something that constantly adds fun and supportiveness in my life. It keeps me sane to know I am a part of something so special when the days get long,” said Green.
Interested in joining the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program? Click here for more information and here to see which colleges currently offer a USEA affiliated Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
Don’t forget the 2022 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championships take place on May 21-22, 2022 at Chattahoochee Hills H.T. in Fairburn, Georgia.
Every school must renew its affiliate registration with the USEA for 2022. Click here to renew.
About the USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program
The USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Program was established in 2014 to provide a framework within which eventing teams and individual competitors could flourish at universities and colleges across the country. The USEA offers a discount of $25 on annual USEA memberships for current students of universities and colleges registered as Affiliates with the USEA. Many events across the country now offer Intercollegiate Team Challenges where collegiate eventers can compete individually as well as on teams with their fellow students. In Intercollegiate Team Challenges, each rider’s score is multiplied by a coefficient appropriate for their level to account for differences in level difficulty, and then the individual scores are added together to determine the team score. Click here to learn more about the Intercollegiate Eventing Program.
