A New Dawn for the Classic Format
by President and Chairman of the Board, Kevin Baumgardner

Anyone who knows me well is painfully aware that at the drop of a hat I can drone on at great length about the virtues of the classic (that is, with-steeplechase) three-day event—and can be particularly long-winded about the one-star version of the classic. Some of my most cherished memories in Eventing come from competing in—and volunteering at—such events from coast to coast, and I have little doubt that on more than one occasion I have brought a lively after-dinner conversation to a standstill with dewy-eyed reminiscences of one of my horses’ steeplechase performances or, worse yet, with one of my patented rants about the unfathomable hostility toward the long-format exhibited on a consistent basis by certain folks in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Well, here goes again, but this time I promise to be brief and to avoid even mentioning the FE–er, those nice folks in Switzerland. In fact, no need to do so, because this is a feel-good story created right here in the USA: The classic three-day event is undergoing an exciting rebirth! As detailed within the pages of the up-coming Issue of Eventing USA (see page ten), a stalwart group of five event organizers across the country is joining forces with the USEA to revamp the classic one-star and create a whole new “full-phase” experience that combines the best of the past with the cutting edge knowledge and horsemanship of the present. And best of all, this new take on the classic format targets those fast-growing segments of our membership who are clamoring for a Preliminary level “destination” goal that is geared toward those of us who compete purely for the love of the sport, namely, the dedicated adult amateur rider and the up-and-coming young rider. When combined with the already hugely successful SmartPak Equine USEA Training Three-Day Event, this exciting fresh start at the Preliminary level promises to create a logical full-format progression for education of horse and rider alike, as well as a whole lot of fun….

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Date: 4-02-2009
By: http://useventing.com