United States Eventing Association

2025 marked another incredible year of growth for ShowConnect, the innovative event management system for equestrian events powered by the United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA). The USEA IT Department dedicated countless hours to not only hosting 36 events throughout the year, but also making cutting edge enhancements and updates to the user experience. Here are a few statistics showcasing the highlights of ShowConnect this season:

By The Numbers

The ShowConnect platform hosted 36 events during the 2025 season. Across these competitions, there were 6,474 total entries comprising 2,227 unique riders and 2,727 unique horses. Competitors represented 36 U.S. states and Canadian provinces.

Washington and California hosted nearly two-thirds of the season's event. All host states for 2025 are listed below:

State (Code)	# of Events
Washington (WA)	12
California (CA)	10
Colorado (CO)	4
Ohio (OH)	3
Arizona (AZ)	2
Oregon (OR)	2
Utah (UT)	2
Montana (MT)	1

Rider Demographics

On average, about 148 riders participated in each event. The smallest competition had 17 riders and the largest had 557. In terms of age groups, Junior and Young Rider participants made up more than one-third of all competitors at ShowConnect events.

Age Group	# of Riders	# of Entries
Under 10	16	26
10-17	556	1,371
18-21	212	585
22-30	240	753
31-40	372	1,319
41-50	300	1,112
51-60	197	607
61-70	123	345
Over 70	25	57

Equine Demographics

The most common age group among horses entered in events this year was 6 to 12 years old.

Age Group	# of Horses	# of Entries
3 years old	3	3
4-5 years old	163	433
6-8 years old	688	1,943
9-12 years old	705	1,793
13-16 years old	536	1,199
17-20 years old	227	478
21-25 years old	74	147
Over 25 years old	310	450

Thoroughbreds were the most common breed with about a quarter of the horses that used ShowConnect. The table below lists some of the top breeds.

Breed	# of Horses	# of Entries	Overall % of Horses
Thoroughbred	716	1,572	26.3%
Irish Sport Horse	244	690	8.9%
Dutch Warmblood	173	589	6.3%
Holsteiner	101	302	3.7%
Hanoverian	97	308	3.6%
Oldenberg	92	274	3.4%
Quarter Horse	72	140	2.6%

For gender, geldings made up more than 60% of the field of horses. Of the remaining group, 30% were mares, and only 10 horses were registered as stallions. The rest did not provide a gender designation with their entries.

Competition Information

This year, ShowConnect handled a wide range of levels from Starter through Advanced, plus Young Event Horse (YEH) divisions, Classic Series divisions, and FEI-recognized levels from the CCI1* to the CCI4*. Many events offered Beginner Novice and Novice levels, while only six events included Advanced divisions.

Of the competitions hosted on ShowConnect, 26 were USEA Recognized Horse Trials, six were unrecognized events, and two were unrecognized mini trials. 17 of those competitions offered combined test options, five hosted the YEH Program, and three had Classic Three-Day Event divisions.

This year, ShowConnect events included several special programs beyond standard divisions as well. These programs increase participation by offering team competitions and specialized formats.

Program Type	Hosts	Total Participants
Team Competitions (Intercollegiate, IEL, Adult Riders, Young Riders, etc.)	13 events	175 teams 602 horse and rider combinations
FEI Divisions	122 divisions	1,227 horse and rider combinations
Young Event Horse (YEH) Divisions	5 events 12 divisions	78 horse and rider combinations
Classic Three-Day Divisions	3 events 12 divisions	152 horse and rider combinations

ShowConnect Updates in 2025

During 2025 the ShowConnect development team delivered several significant upgrades. These improvements not only enhanced the user experience but also provided new tools for managing complex equestrian events.

• Smarter reporting tools (March 2025) – The spring release added a new “Scratched Fees” report and expanded filtering options for financial and entry reports. Reports were simplified by removing unnecessary columns and reorganizing layouts.
• Waitlist and entry control – A comprehensive Waitlist Module was introduced, allowing organizers to set manual or automatic rules, draw and rank entries, bulk accept or waitlist competitors, and maintain auto‑updating ranks.
• Public view enhancements – The public‑facing scoring pages were made easier to read, with sorted ride times and dates, division acronyms and owner names displayed for clarity, and scratched entries shown in grey. A link to CrossCountry App maps was added to help spectators follow courses.
• Faster navigation and registration improvements – Platform tabs were reorganized, a loading indicator was added, and registration now supports searching by USEA, USEF, and FEI numbers. Additional breeds were added to the registration system.
• May/June 2025 improvements – Early bird fees can now be imported from Xentry, and specialized divisions (Opportunity Event Horse) import more smoothly. Facility and stable maps can be displayed on the public calendar to help competitors navigate venues. Dangerous riding scores are fully integrated, ride orders and score sorting were improved, and non‑compete divisions are hidden from public scoring. Scheduling tools improved conflict checking and rider filtering, while course setup and obstacle management were streamlined. Billing navigation, age calculations in reports, and other under‑the‑hood optimizations make the system faster and more reliable.
• New support number (May 26, 2025) – The team launched a unified support phone line, +1 (571) 601‑1620, for calls or text messages. The new number is available 24/7 and routes urgent issues to the appropriate staff. The change is part of a trial to improve response times, with email and online knowledgebase support still available.

These updates demonstrate ShowConnect’s commitment to delivering a modern, user‑friendly platform for equestrian event organizers.

Did you participate in an event hosted by ShowConnect this year? Tell us about your experience by completing the end of year survey linked here.

About ShowConnect

ShowConnect has been designed with the future in mind. The system provides the critical features event organizers need to register, schedule, and score an event, but also provides many additional features to all sized events that would not be cost-effective by any other means. It’s designed to allow the flow of information, and in the future, transactions securely in real-time to and from the people and organizations who interact with your event.

ShowConnect facilitates the management of event entries by accepting manual entries and imports from Xentry, the USEA’s online entry system. Additionally, import options into ShowConnect are set to expand, enhancing its flexibility and ease of use.

ShowConnect provides one location with everything needed to run an event, state-of-the-art technology, enhanced scoring systems, real-time updates, easy accessibility, and support for organizers and secretaries when you need it most. Click here to learn more about ShowConnect.