A new competition series with $1 million in prize money for dressage, show jumping and eventing is being launched by the U.S. Equestrian Federation, with an eye toward the 2028 Olympics in California.
The disciplines all will have qualifiers and a finals at three different venues that will name a U.S. Equestrian Open champion in each. The finals will be broadcast on ESPN.
“The launch of the U.S. Equestrian Open series has been a priority for us. There’s a purpose-driven need for equestrian sport to produce a more commercially significant and identifiable championship model within the United States, particularly focused around the Olympic disciplines,” said David O’Connor, the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s chief of sport.
“We’ve seen new and creative branded series introduced across other mainstream sports, such as golf and tennis, which have experienced tremendous success, both from an athlete and spectator perspective. As an organization, we felt strongly we needed 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.”
The eventing final at 4-star Long with $200,000 in prize money will be held at Morven Park in Virginia, where the first qualifier will be staged this year.
The dressage final, with $200,000 in prize money and a $50,000 high point series incentive across the qualifiers, will be at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, Calif. Athletes must complete a minimum of two Grand Prix Freestyles at designated US Open series qualifying CDIs during 2025.
The show jumping final, with $750,000 in prize money, will be held as part of the new Rolex series during the last week of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla.
“This series is a testament to the growing momentum and mainstream appeal of equestrian disciplines, and we are proud to play a pivotal role in its success,” says Michael Stone, president of Wellington International.
A dedicated microsite, live leaderboard tracking, publicly accessible and enhanced horse and rider information, as well as significant mainstream airtime on major sports broadcasting platform, ESPN, alongside live coverage via USEFNetwork powered by ClipMyHorseTV, will aim to generate increased media value and public recognition of athletes, horses, horse owners, and organizers.
