The future of events at two of America\’s most important competition sites—and the funding needed for them—dominated the U.S. Eventing Association annual meeting in Charlotte, N.C., on Dec. 1-4.

Janie Atkinson, director of the Rolex Kentucky CCI****, announced that the Equestrian Events Inc. Board of Directors had approved her initiative to offer a World Event Horse Championship there in odd-numbered years, beginning in 2007—if they can secure the planned $250,000 prize money. Atkinson said they would certainly seek additional corporate support for the prize money, but since she\’s doing this to preserve the last vestige of the classic-format three-day event, she also asked the USEA membership to contribute. After all, she noted, thousands have already indicated how important the three-day event is to them. “It\’s up to us [the members] to come up with the money,” said Atkinson.

The championship won\’t be an FEI-sanctioned championship, as the stated FEI policy is that all championships through 2009 are short format.

Atkinson—and many others—were also keeping their fingers crossed that the Federation Equestre Internationale\’s Bureau would vote at their meeting this week in favor of he Kentucky Horse Park bid to host the 2010 World Equestrian Games and give them a chance to host the World Eventing Championship in the classic format. The FEI decision is expected tomorrow (Tuesday, Dec. 6).

And on Sunday, the USA Board of Directors voted unanimously to move forward with plans to take over administration of the Morven Park Equestrian Institute in Leesburg, Va., which borders the USEA office and is the site of two annual advanced horse trials and the Morven Park CCI*. The Westmoreland Davis Foundation, which owns the 1,050-acre property, is no longer financially able to administer the equestrian facilities, and its leaders have asked the USEA\’s leaders if they\’d lease the 350-acre equestrian facilities.

“This is an opportunity we must look at in every possible way, and I promise that not a single rock will be left unturned. But this is simply a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that we cannot ignore,” Kyra Stuart, the USEA\’s president, told the USEA Board of Directors as they began discussion of the conditions they\’d present to the Westmoreland Davis Foundation.

Since both of these far-sighted initiatives will require a serious financial commitment, fund-raising was a part of almost every discussion in Charlotte. And even though the 354 members who registered for the meeting were the fewest since the 1996 meeting in Reston, Va., they dug impressively deep into their pockets. The generosity began at Thursday afternoon\’s open forum, when someone asked if it was true that the 2006 budget didn\’t include $18,000 for the course advisors\’ program, under which for 13 years Capt. Mark Phillips and Derek di Grazia have inspected advanced and intermediate cross-country courses. Chief executive officer Jo Whitehouse said the line item had been removed for a year as the Finance Committee attempted to balance the red-tinged budget.

But the organizers and riders quickly made it clear how important this program was to them. Half a dozen organizers ponied up $15,000, and advanced-level riders threw in $3,000 more, and in just a few minutes they\’d reached the $18,000 needed to keep the program going.

To support the Kentucky championship, members of the Save The Classic Format Task Force voted immediately to earmark the $2,000 budgeted to them for the prize money, as other members joined in. And to kick off the USEA\’s brand-new fund-raising campaign (for which the goal is $175,000 in 2006), an anonymous donor offered a $10,000 matching grant if other members donated that amount by noon Sunday. As the final board meeting began Sunday morning, they were still $2,200 short, but half a dozen board members pushed the total about $600 past the mark.

As always, Malcolm Hook, chairman of the Rules Subcommittee of the USEF Eventing Committee, handled a presentation of rules-change proposals for the coming year. The potentially most controversial—establishing an amateur rule—caused little dissension, unlike the discussion at the 2003 meting in Boston. The committee will put forward a rule change establishing the USEF amateur definition as eventing\’s definition, adding only that an individual can earn income of less than $2,500 per year from teaching, training and other horse activities and still be an amateur.

The packed room\’ consensus was also to scuttle the proposal put forward by the Eventing Committee (primarily Phillips) to allow organizers to set one-third of preliminary show jumping courses at 3\’9″, 2 inches above the current maximum height.

Phillip Dutton won the Rider of the Year title for the seventh time, scoring a record 1,250 points. And he rode Annie Jones\’ The Foreman to the Horse of the Year title. “I\’d like to say a very personal thank you to all the organizers who don\’t have a limit on how many horses you can ride,” quipped the busy Australian.

Kim Severson was once again the Lady Rider of the Year. Rebecca Broussard, owner of Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Mont., and organizer of the advanced horse trial there, received the Wofford Cup as the non-rider who\’s done the most for the sport.

Governor\’s Cups, which also honor volunteers, went to Jennifer Akers, Tom Angle, Margaret Good, Robert Hewlett III, Heather Jan and J.J. Johnson.