keeping it in the family

I remain personally skeptical of the general value of recognized vs unrecognized horse trials, honestly for a variety of reasons. This previous 2015 discussion post partly explains my thinking, but my thoughts have evolved further after getting more involved in this sport. 

holy cow intermediate jumps have a shit ton of surface area tho, omg

For instance, in Area II - my local eventing region - we are blessed with a jam-packed events calendar that includes a WIDE variety of both recognized and unrecognized events. Sure, some of the starter events are held at venues or on courses that might not necessarily meet the standard for USEA licensing. 

But... Many run at the exact same venues as recognized events -- utilizing the same jumps built by the same builders, and often identical courses designed by the same course designers. 

it's slow going, but using a paint roller helped. pro tip: reload the roller often

So it's entirely possible for a low level eventer in Area II to get out and about at all the best venues and compete through Modified at about half the cost of doing so at licensed recognized shows. Our area even boasts a long format unrecognized event too -- the Quarter Star 3 Day at Full Moon Farm (home to the Fultons). 

looking reasonably ok after one coat! probably shoulda done another, but i had 6 more to do.. sooo... yea, this works!

This local richness within the eventing community and calendar obviously plays a big role in my thought process when it comes to choosing what to enter. Like.... I could enter the recognized HT at Shawan Downs this weekend, OR, the starter HT at Shawan Downs next weekend. 

Same venue, same jumps, possibly slightly different courses but.... One is also 50% the cost of the other lol. And Charlie most certainly doesn't know the difference between them. Seems like kinda a no-brainer, right?

slightly brighter gray for the T steeplechase

There are other, newer, reasons why I'm questioning the value of recognized this year. Mostly... It's not at all clear to me that US Eventing really cares about my segment of their rider base. And by "my segment," I'm referring to the perennially low level adult amateurs who have about zero likelihood of ever being named to any sort of team or developing riders list. 

next victims awaiting their fate

For instance, the big $500K fundraising push** to get Kentucky running for what amounted to about ~160 entries, really left a sour taste for me. Not bc it's an unworthy cause, or whatever, but... bc there are needier causes. Like, can you imagine what local venues offering nationally recognized classes to the sport's base could do with even a portion of that money?  

(**And the subsequent deafening silence regarding the obscene number of horse falls (vs refusals) on what was unquestionably a punishing 5* course, from the sport that just "invested" so much in rider safety by building out all those frangible tables that may or may not actually be meaningfully safer than traditional tables.... Bc god forbid we tarnish the image of grassroots fundraising and the heroics of Mars Equestrian.....)

trying not to accidentally paint this pretty faux foliage. i got best results with getting right on top of (literally) this plank up against the brush first, then going back for the rest of the jump body next

At Morven, for instance, the volunteer coordinator told me they spent $3K on lunches and snacks for volunteers and officials over a two day weekend with ~300 entries this past spring. That's a shitload of money for just plain old food. 

It was very good food too -- but it kinda has to be, bc remember: Our community's dense events calendar means all these venues compete for access to a sufficient volunteer base to safely administer their shows. And as far as I can tell, US Eventing as a governing agency overseeing event licensing hasn't really addressed volunteer scarcity, or its ramifications on event safety.

ta da!! also... isn't Shawn Downs just the prettiest place?!

And of course. None of that says ANYTHING about all of the important conversations and dialogue last year about what it means to expand access to horses and horse sports. Sure, everyone posted their requisite 'black square' photos and lists of new accounts to follow on IG. And Eventing Nation ran that wildly ill-conceived essay contest inviting the community to solve the DEI issues in exchange for a laughably small pot of prize money. 

went back to add contrasting edge lines while i had the bright gray paint out. this little bit of contrast where the front face hits roughly a 45* slope is believed to help horses better read and make a good shape over the jump.

Sure, US Eventing amplified the voices and increased representation of POC within the community, plus held a number of webinars and committee meetings on the subject. And I believe there's a handful of new scholarship opportunities out there for the lucky chosen.

But... when push came to shove, the community at large rallied around a $500K fundraising effort dedicated to the Kentucky 5* -- the most elite and inaccessible event on the calendar. Bc at the end of the day, US Eventing is focused on developing team competitiveness on the international stage. That is its mission, full stop.

dear lord it was stressful transporting paint across xc fields in my brand-new-to-me car tho....

That's not my mission, tho. For me, my objectives in horses go in a few different directions. 

First and foremost, obviously I want to enjoy my horse to the absolute fullest -- do the best we can with what we have, and pursue any and every opportunity that looks fun or fulfilling to me. I want to test and challenge myself and grow as a horsewoman, while also fully enjoying every small quiet moment in between.  

moving on to the next set: barrels!

Secondly, tho, I really love sharing the joy that comes from horses and doing whatever small part I can to enable horsey experiences for those who otherwise fall well outside the umbrella of what US Eventing (or any other national organization) might consider "their base." 

For most of my horsey life, this meant working and volunteering at lesson barns -- where it was absolutely normal to not own one's own horse, and to work in exchange for saddle time, or even just to work for the sake of being around horses. 

had to break out the brush for this one, sadly. the brush is better for those hard-to-reach spots, but is slower and feels like it uses up more paint

Today, this mostly means volunteering at horse shows and for my local combined training association, the MCTA, which offers 1 recognized HT and 2-3 starters each year. PLUS their members are eligible for fun year end awards and recognition etc without necessitating USEA membership or any recognized competition experience. 

Like any other local association, the board is made up of overworked and underappreciated horse people who mostly do it out of passion for the community, all while operating on a shoestring budget. They're a critical part of the local community, tho, esp when it comes to creating opportunities with low costs of entry.

my last assigned fence: T barrels 

Basically, I've decided my time and resources are better spent on local venues and organizations, where they'll have a bigger impact on my community. For instance, unrecognized entry fees aren't subject to USEA-mandated surcharges or ancillary costs. So venues often use unrecognized events to subsidize budget items like prizes, volunteer incentives, grounds maintenance, new jumps, etc etc etc. Aka, those dollars get "reinvested." 

These same local venues and organizations are also likeliest to offer events with the lowest costs of entry -- everything from schooling dressage and jumper shows up to unrecognized HTs -- to offset the costs of their bigger nationally recognized or FEI licensed events (think venues like: Loch Moy, Fair Hill, Plantation, Morven, Waredaca, MCTA, etc).

base painting slightly complicated by the lack of weed-whacking...

So it's easier to see a direct link between my membership and entry fees and the aspects of community access that matter most to me. As opposed to fees paid to US Eventing, underwriting the latest high performance training camp or young rider championships. Ya know, so the professionals can prep for Tokyo or the kids who bought UL horses from those same pros can accomplish something "special." That's all well and good too -- don't get me wrong -- but that's not *my* passion haha. 

Ultimately, in years past I've always ended up renewing my USEA membership "just in case" -- and have entered and ridden in a (small) number of recognized events too. But... Eh, this year I think I'll skip it and keep my money local.  

Obviously this all acknowledges that Area II is somewhat unique in the eventing world, and not all areas offer equal access to lower cost (but still high quality) starter trials and schooling shows. But I'm curious -- do you have any similar feelings of skepticism toward the national governing agencies? Or maybe you feel very differently, for reasons I've completely missed? 

And obvi I'm always supportive of people living their horsey lifestyles exactly as they see fit -- so if competing recognized is important to you for reasons that are unimportant to me, there is exactly zero judgment here. I'm honestly just curious to see what (if anything?) people think about it?