Out west you are lucky to school cross country within a 2 hour 1 way drive
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Just announced: The AECs will be at Galway Downs in CA in 2025!
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Yay for the West Coast. I hope that there is a big turn out from the WC peeps for all the grumbling thatâs been done.
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I canât imagine anyone skipping it if they qualified and itâs within range. For me itâll be a 10-11hr drive and you bet Iâm going if I qualify.
But why so salty?
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Yes, yay for us for finally having the AECs on the actual west coast. I donât see the problem with it alternating every so often so that the west coast is constantly isolated.
I know this is shocking to some, but there ARE eventers on west coast.
If I qualify again, which is a huge if, Iâll definitely go. Galway is about a 12 hour haul for me but it would be well worth the trip.
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Yes- I said yay for the WC. Donât infer tone from the written word. (Thatâs called projection).
Well aware WC eventers. I merely commented hopefully they will put up a good showing since it has been discussed ad nauseam.
Oh sorry - it didnât read like genuine happiness at all, what with â⊠for all the grumbling thatâs been done.â on the end 
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I was so sad to see the AEC sparsly attended at Rebecca. I dont want to compete against just some of the bestâŠId rather compete against a big field with a fantastic course. Personally, I wouldnt ever recommend it held on the West, despite the ease for me. Id rather go to Kentucky and compete against everyone. Im used to driving⊠so I will drive. For me, that is better than competing against the same people that I see every other weekend in Area VII and VI
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I donât think thereâs any offense intended to the west coast, just that it is a numbers game. Yes there are top eventers getting it done in Cali/OR/WA. There just are way, way more eventers/events in easy driving distance to KY, NC, VA, etc than to anywhere on the west coast.
Galway is a great facility, but itâs not a destination like some of the other prior locations. Itâs not particularly scenic. Outside of wineries, thereâs not a ton to do/see. Itâs one heck of a drive for the WA/OR folks. Itâs significantly further than KY for the folks living in the population centers of Texas. Itâs about equidistant, if not a little closer for Denver folks, but the drive is all through mountain passes. So unfortunately, itâs hard for me to see a bunch of people on the east coast packing up and schlepping across country to go to Galway.
Sorry west coasters, I used to be one of you and I feel for you, but unfortunately donât see this one being highly attended from other regions.
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Itâs worth noting that many other locations had not much more than 3-400 competitors over the years. And itâs not âeveryone â if the West coast isnât represented fully.
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A lot of good points in here from both sides. As another WC eventer who is about 10-11hrs from Galway, it IS a destination event for me. Itâs a beautiful venue but I would never make that drive for anything other than the AECs. Realistically, Iâll never have the funds or time off of school and work to haul a horse all the way to KY for a single event, no matter how high on my bucket list it is. Having the AECs on the west coast is the only way Iâll ever be able to attend.
There are a lot more eventers on the west coast than people seem to think. Galway wonât draw many people from the east coast (which is unfortunate, and I do wish that in a perfect world a venue existed where we could all be equally represented), but it will still be well attended. I know people from ID, AZ, CO, WA, TX, etc. who haul all the way to Paso Robles just for a regular HT. They will come for the AECs.
Again, in a perfect world, all areas could be equally represented at the AECs. It just wonât happen. The US is too big. Alternating regions is a good solution. Itâs only fair to represent WC eventers and let them check off this bucket list item when east coast riders are so frequently prioritized for the AECs (and yes, for good reason, as others have pointed out!). I get that the haul isnât possible for most riders on the opposite coast. Imagine how we feel year after year. One year on the west coast wonât be the end of the world.
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Iâll be honest⊠I WOULD absolutely consider going to Aecâs if I qualified. I evented for almost 3 years in area 6 when I lived in Los Angeles, and it was by far, the best time eventing of almost everywhere. TONS of great people with more of a community spirit and way more fun. Less âred coatsâ who were always on the same teams and more cheering for one another. I also placed a lot more and better. Funny how when youâre enjoying yourself and doing things you love it all comes together better.
I ran Novice at the first ever event at Galway and the whole Kellerhouse/Galway team are really some of the best people out there. Would it cost a lot to go? Sure. Would it be worth it to show the west coasters that some of us get it and respect what theyâve done to come east for things and represent as part of that whole of the US eventers, definitely!!!
I havenât even evented full time in years, but I might with Chad this year, just to try for a shot.
Emily
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YAY! I propose a Barn Party for the East Coasters representing at AEC '25! 
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Amen. Had same exact experience in the bay area. Just a bunch of great, supportive people all having fun.
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I just saw that USEA has eased the placing requirement for the 2025 AECs only, from 1st/2nd place to 1st-5th: https://useventing.com/news-media/news/usea-executive-committee-approves-qualification-criteria-update-for-2025-aec-at-galway-downs. The press release says itâs because âwe recognized that there have been limited qualification opportunities, especially in the western U.S., for a variety of reasons.â Iâm wondering if theyâre trying to avoid the low entries that Rebecca Farm unfortunately but not surprisingly received a few years ago. (I qualified and considered going from MD for about 5 minutes, went so far as to get a quote for shipping so my horse could travel in greater comfort, and decided it would be nuts.) Iâm curious what people think of this change. Good idea? Dumbing down?
And an unrelated questionâŠwhy are AECs in August? Itâs just such an unpleasant time of year to event in much of the country.
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As someone also from MD, I donât know anyone whoâs considering going. Itâs just too far. If they need to tweak it a little bit to make it work I think thatâs fine.
In the western US (anything west of the Mississippi - yes, there is an entire expanse of eventers not on the east coast), there are very few competitions where folks can have both access and time to get qualified.
Out east of California and west of St. Louis, you average 8-10 hour drives between events at preliminary and above, 4 hours for lower levels. Just in area IX we only have 3 preliminary courses that would work. Area X has 2. So we compete in any other area possible. I do a lot in Area VI and VII. Area V used to have a lot but that is pretty much down to 2 or 3 nowadays.
There is a reason my truck has 550,000 miles on it.
So, yes, the only way to actually get almost 1/2 of the eventers in the US qualified is to drop the requirement placings. Has anybody ever wondered why lots of folks from out west donât go the AECs when itâs in the east?
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Good idea. Itâs a sport and the events are run to make money, so donât force them to run at a loss or they will stop running them.
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Reality is that the US is just too big a country to hold one national championship. Have an an east and a west. Or, if you are set on having one, have it around chicago or St Louis.
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But is it only ârunning at a lossâ because itâs on the West coast? If the only way to get enough competitors on the West coast is to drop the qualifications.
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