October 11, 2024 
This weekend, Morven Park will host its 10th International CCI4*-S Fall Horse Trials since 2008 in the rolling countryside of Leesburg, Virginia.
While the program’s Derek di Grazia-designed tracks and CCI4*-L division has always been an important fall competition for top eventing combinations seeking their Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER), the 2024 event (October 10-13) promises to be a training ground of a different kind.
This weekend, the 4*-S division will also serve as the first qualifier leg for the brand new, US Equestrian Open series.
Designed to better prepare American eventing, dressage, and show jumping riders for the championship demands of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games, this competition will be the first of as many as 20 qualifying eventing legs taking place across the country over the 2024/2025 season.
With $1.5 million in prize money on offer across all three disciplines, the US Equestrian Open Series hopes to elevate the level of American horse sports across the board. Riders will obtain points at each event competed throughout the 2024/2025 season, with the hope of qualifying for the series Finals: in show jumping (March 29, 2025), eventing (October 9-12, 2025), and dressage (date TBD).
“We’ve seen new and creative branded series introduced across other mainstream sports, such as golf and tennis, which have experienced tremendous success,” said US Equestrian’s Chief of Sport David O’Connor.
“As an organization, we felt strongly we needle to move the needle forward in our sport by providing access to significant prize money and standing behind a unique model for each discipline, which encourages participation at the highest levels.”
In show jumping, the series includes an additional $250,000 in prize money to establish the US Equestrian Open of Jumping Final, slated to take place during the Rolex Finale Week (Week 12) of the 2025 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.
But overall, all signs suggest that the US Equestrian Open Series is meant to move the needle on U.S. performance specifically in eventing and dressage.
Unlike top-level show jumping competition—which benefits from established international series’ including the Longines Global Champions Tour (LGCT) and Major League Show Jumping (MLSJ) in North America—no such equivalent currently exists for the other two Olympic disciplines. The US Equestrian Open Series schedules for dressage (kicking off at Desert International Horse Park on January 2), and eventing this weekend at Morven Park aim to fill that gap.
The Dressage Final, hosted sometime after Dressage II (November 13-16, 2025) at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, will offer $200,000 in prize money to participating combinations in addition to a $50,000 high point series incentive across the qualifiers. Athletes must complete a minimum of two Grand Prix Freestyles at designated US Equestrian Open series-qualifying CDIs in 2025 to be eligible for the Final.
The US Equestrian Open of Eventing Series will award $50,000 in prize money to the three-highest placed combinations following the conclusion of the qualifying period, with $200,000 distributed at the US Equestrian Open of Eventing CCI*4-L Final next fall at Morven Park. Eventing athletes can qualify for the Final by completing at least one series qualifier with an MER, or they can buy into the Series Final for $5,000 (entry proceeds will be added to the overall prize pot).
For more information, visit the US Equestrian Open homepage.
