Athletes are eligible as Young Riders from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 16 until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 21.

Athletes are eligible as Juniors from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 14 until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 18.

Athletes are eligible as Children from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 12 until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 14.

Application Dates and Information

Application due dates and fees are as follows:

• Applications and fees submitted online on or prior to March 11, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged $50 per application.
• Applications and fees submitted online between March 12, 2025 and April 22, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged $100 per application.
• Applications and fees submitted online between April 23, 2025 and May 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged an application fee of $300 per application.
• No applications will be accepted after May 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET

• Additional horses may be added to an already received application at no additional fee through April 22, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET
• Between April 23, 2025, and May 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, the rider will be required to submit a $50 fee for each added horse.
• No additional horses may be added to the application after May 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET

Membership requirements are detailed in the Selection Procedures. If membership and passport requirements are not met, this will jeopardize your opportunity to move forward in the selection process. NO EXCEPTIONS.

If you are 18 years of age or older and selected by the USEF to compete on a team or as an individual at a designated team event, as of January 1, 2020, you are required to comply with the updated USEF Background Check Policy, which adopts the USOPC minimum requirement. This means you must have successfully completed the background check prior to participating in the competition.

• USEF encourages you to complete your background check as soon as possible.
• The background check is valid for two years.
• The process takes approximately 1-2 minutes to complete. You can complete your consent to the background check using your mobile devise by signing into your myUSEF account at www.usef.org and clicking on the tile titled “Background Check”.
• There are NO EXCEPTIONS to this requirement.

• Every rider, or parent/guardian if the rider is a minor, shall complete and submit a Certificate of Domicile with their Application. If a rider, or legal guardian if the rider is a minor, is found to have submitted inaccurate or misinformation or failed to submit the Certificate of Domicile within five (5) business days of submitting their Application, the rider may be subject to disqualification from participating in the Event.
• You may submit your Certificate of Domicile by scanning and emailing it to USDF at nayc@usdf.org by fax to (859) 971-7722, or by mail to:

ATTN: Youth Coordinator
United States Dressage Federation
4051 Iron Works Pkwy
Lexington, KY 40511

• The Region of each athlete/horse combination is determined by where the athlete is domiciled in the U.S. beginning January 1, 2025, regardless of multiple temporary residences. If a rider’s domicile changes between January 1, 2025 and April 1, 2025, the rider may submit a request to change his Region, which must be received by the USEF, with a copy sent to USDF no later than 5:00 p.m. ET on April 1, 2025. USEF will issue a decision on the change in Region within a reasonable time of the submission of the request. No requests for changes in Region will be accepted after April 1, 2025.
• What is a domicile? A rider may have only one domicile, which is where the rider has his permanent home and where, whenever he is absent, intends to return. A minor’s domicile follows that of the parent or guardian who has lawful custody of the minor (unless the minor is emancipated from their parent/guardian). For purposes of these selection procedures, a minor is any rider that has not yet reached his 18th birthday as of January 1, 2025.

The athlete shall certify by electronically signing this NAYC application that has been received by the athlete, that the athlete has read and assumes responsibility for meeting all requirements of the Selection Procedures for the Event. In addition, the athlete must read and understand the SafeSport Policy and agree to be bound by them.