Lexington, Ky. - With the conclusion of the 2020 competition year, US Equestrian and the United States Dressage Federation have announced the first USEF/USDF Young Horse Emerging Program member list.
Athletes selected for the program will meet with Christine Traurig, USEF Dressage Young Horse Coach, to discuss their goals for the coming year and receive one-on-one training and educational program opportunities to help assist them in achieving their goals.
“With the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles on the horizon, the Young Horse Program plays an integral role in identifying the talent and the potential in horses for future U.S. teams and to give them the foundation to achieve excellence,” said Traurig. “I am excited to work with these talented combinations and their personal support teams towards their future goals.”
Combinations are selected to the USEF/USDF Young Horse Emerging Program based on their performance during training & evaluations sessions, observation events, the FEI World Breeding Championships and results at USEF National Championships or CDIs. The USEF Dressage Young Horse Coach in consultation with the USEF Dressage Coaching Staff met to decide which combinations were currently eligible for program membership.
The USEF/USDF Young Horse Emerging Program list will be continually reviewed and may be updated to recognize additional athlete/horse combinations. The current membership list can be found here.
COVID-19 health and safety protocols will continue into the start of the 2021 competition season and will affect the way we approach in-person training. This program will utilize video and remote communication technology to be accessible to athletes throughout the country.
Training and educational opportunities may be offered throughout the year to additional athlete/horse combinations showing progress towards meeting the USEF/USDF Young Horse Emerging Program criteria. Additionally, evaluation sessions will be open to combinations seeking feedback and potential membership to the program. Learn more about the Young Horse Emerging Program here.