USEA Convention Program

30 convention speakers the Preliminar y level, Sue now shows in dressage rings, so far through fourth level. (Funny how dressage becomes more appealing as the years pass…) Karen O'Connor and Sue started the USEA Instructors' Certification Program (ICP) in 2000, together with the equally committed event competitors/instructors who ser ve on the USEA's ICP Committee, which includes all of ICP's faculty/ assessors. In 2017, ICP added to its program the education/certification process for two new ICP certificates, each focused upon the development of 4- and 5-year-old young event horses (YEHs): the YEH Instructor Certificate and the YEH Professional Trainer Certificate. ICP's on going purpose is to provide the U.S. event world with a professional development program to confirm and enhance the knowledge and skills of event instructors at all event competition levels as well as of young event horse professional trainers. NICOLAS HINZE Nicolas is the developer of the USEA's Volunteer Incentive Program's website EventingVolunteers. com. This portal centralizes all volunteer management and signup for coordinators and volunteers. Nicolas is also the developer of the CourseWalk App. The app allows riders, designers and organizers to record cross-countr y maps using their smart phone. Maps can then be shared to www.MyCourseWalk.com and printed on paper for the event. He is also an amateur rider in Area II currently attempting to move up to Preliminar y with his horse Dakota Blues. DR. NICK HUGGONS, DVM, DACVS Dr. Huggons attended the University of Alberta for his undergraduate studies, subsequently graduating from the Western College of Veterinar y Medicine at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatchewan, Canada. He went on to complete an equine specialty internship at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital, followed by an intense three year Equine Surgical Residency at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Huggons is board certified and obtained Diplomate status under the American College of Veterinar y Surgeons. After practicing as the head surgeon at a large equine referral hospital in Edmonton, Alberta, he took the challenge of working as a clinical instructor and emergency surgeon in the Equine Surger y & ICU department at Washington State University, before starting his career as a practice owner at San Luis Rey Equine Hospital. Dr. Huggons research publications include topics such as tendon injur y biomarkers, advanced imaging modalities and cer vical vertebral malformation. He has presented at multiple conferences on these topics, as well as subjects involving joint disease and current joint therapies, synovial structures of the equine distal limb and management of septic synovial structures. Dr. Huggons interests include orthopedic, air way, laparoscopic and soft tissue surgeries, as well as advanced lameness diagnostics and imaging, especially computed tomography. KATE LOKEY Kate Lokey is the Director of Programs and Marketing at the USEA, and handles all the sponsorship for the Association and its programs as well. Kate has been with the USEA for four years now, but she got her start in the eventing world as a working student for Sharon White when she was in grade school. She continued to ride and work for Sharon for several years before going off to the University of Mar y Washington, when she then began riding under Emily Beshear. Kate managed to successfully juggle her college education with her eventing career, and spent countless hours in the saddle learning from Sharon and Emily, and then eventually became part of the O'Connor Event Team (OCET), riding and working for Karen and

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