USEA AREA III
Participation Requirements
Starting 2026, a minimum of four volunteer hours at an Area III recognized event are required for Year End Award consideration. Volunteer hours must be logged on VIP (eventingvolunteerings.com). Riders are responsible for their own volunteer hours. Please make sure your hours are logged in Eventing Volunteers by October 16th.
Area 3 Year End Awards Rules – 2026
The Area 3 Year End Awards Program is a standalone program and is not affiliated with any other awards program, organization, or membership. All rules outlined below apply solely to the 2025 competition year, defined as December 1, 2025 through November 30, 2026, and do not apply retroactively to prior years.
1. Eligibility
1.1 Riders must be active, registered USEA members who reside in Area 3 per USEA records, or who are enrolled in the Area 3 Adult Rider or Young Rider programs.
1.2 Horses must be registered with the USEA and meet USEF registration requirements appropriate to the competition level.
1.3 Juniors and Young Riders must be eligible under current USEF and USEA definitions. Adult Amateurs must meet USEA eligibility requirements.
1.4 Qualifying competitions include USEA Recognized Events, Horse Trials, Classic Three-Day Events, FEI competitions, and other recognized tests as defined in the USEA Rulebook, held within Area 3.
2. Opt-In Requirements
2.1 Riders must opt in to the Area 3 Year End Awards Program via the form available on Area3.org.
2.2 Horse and rider must opt in as a combination.
Exception: Future Event Horse (FEH), New Event Horse (NEH), and Young Event Horse (YEH) awards are horse-only opt-ins.
2.3 Riders may opt in with multiple horses; a separate form is required for each horse.
2.4 No changes may be made after submission. If duplicate entries are submitted, the first entry will be retained and all others deleted. For registration errors or opt-out requests, riders should contact the Area 3 Awards Coordinator.
2.5 The opt-in deadline for the 2026 Year End Awards is October 16, 2026.
3. Volunteer Requirement
3.1 A minimum of four (4) volunteer hours is required at one or more USEA Recognized Area 3 events to be eligible for Year End Awards.
3.2 Volunteer hours must be completed by the rider and logged in EventingVolunteers.com. Riders are responsible for tracking and submitting their own hours.
3.3 Riders may opt in prior to completing their volunteer requirement; however, riders who do not complete the required four hours by the end of the competition year will be excluded from awards consideration unless the opt-out option in Section 7 is exercised.
4. Scoring Guidelines
4.1 Area 3 Year End Awards are calculated as follows:
4.1.1 A minimum of four eligible horse-and-rider combinations is required in a division for awards to be granted.
4.1.2 Scores are calculated using the sum of points from the best four placings earned by each horse-and-rider combination.
4.1.3 Ties are broken by the number of double-clear cross-country rounds in the counted placings. Any remaining ties will stand, with duplicate awards presented and trophies engraved with both names.
4.2 In split divisions (e.g., T/N), points are awarded based on the cross-country level competed.
4.3 Final placings are based on results published by USEA.
4.4 Scores include the entire competition year, regardless of when the rider opts in.
5. Award Divisions & Categories
5.1 Year End Awards are offered for USEA Recognized Divisions:
Starter, Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, Modified, Preliminary, Intermediate, and Advanced.
5.2 FEI divisions are integrated as follows:
1* = Modified
2* = Preliminary
3* = Intermediate
4* = Advanced
5.3 Divisions are further categorized as: Open, Junior, and Adult Amateur. Upgrade points will be applied to Junior and Amateur categories.
5.4 Additional award categories include:
FEH, NEH, YEH, Irish Event Horse, Thoroughbred, Arabian, and state-bred horses.
5.5 Riders are responsible for opting in to all divisions and categories for which they wish to be considered.
6. Administration
6.1 A list of opted-in riders will be published and updated periodically on Area3.org. Riders should promptly report any errors in their opt-in status.
6.2 Scores will be posted on Area3.org and Area 3 social media channels after the opt-in window closes. Riders are responsible for reviewing posted scores and reporting discrepancies.
6.3 Any discrepancies must be reported within 10 days of the posting of results from the final Area 3 event of the year.
6.4 Year End Trophies and Ribbons will be presented in a manner approved by the Area 3 Council.
6.5 If an annual meeting or awards gala is held, recipients must attend to receive their awards. Awards will not be mailed
7. Opt-Out Option
7.1 Riders who are unable to meet the required volunteer hours for Area 3 Year End Awards eligibility may elect to opt out of the volunteer requirement by paying an opt-out fee of $35.
7.2 The opt-out fee must be submitted by the published deadline in order for the rider to remain eligible for Year End Awards consideration.
7.3 Opt-out fees will be used to support Area 3 Year End Awards, Area 3 events, and other Area 3 initiatives that benefit the membership.
7.4 Opting out of the volunteer requirement does not waive any other eligibility, opt-in, or scoring requirements outlined in these rules.