Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing 25 Program continued to identify and educate top up-and-coming riders in 2014. The comprehensive program incorporated all aspects of horsemanship in intensive winter training sessions, and continues education with Team Coach David O’Connor throughout the competition season helped riders reach new heights in the competition arena.
Meghan O’Donoghue (Carbondale, Ill.) has excelled in the Eventing 25 program since the program’s inception in 2013. Over the past two years she has seen her partnership with her own Pirate flourish. In April of 2014, the pair made their second CCI4* start at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover, cruising to a 17th-place finish. The pair was then named as Traveling Reserves for the Squad for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and spent the end of the summer training in Europe. They contested the 2014 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, producing their best dressage result at the CCI4* level to date.
Snow (Southern Pines, N.C.) and Kathryn Rosson and Diane Snow’s Coal Creek produced top finishes throughout North America this year. In June they jumped to a third-place finish at the Bromont CCI3*and finished their season with a fourth-place finish at Galway Downs CCI3* in November.
“Being a part of the Eventing 25 program the last two years has helped me tremendously at events. At Galway this weekend David was able to help me in the warm-ups and walk courses with me," said Snow. Thanks to the program I have been able to work with David quite a bit through the past two years. That was a key part of my weekend since we were building and refreshing things we have previously worked on.”
Applications for the 2015 Eventing 25 Program are DUE on Friday, November 7, 2014. The application and information is available here: https://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alleventing/hpeventing.aspx