Cassie Sanger Has Entered Her Twenties as One of the USA's Elite Young Eventers

Eventing has long been a sport where experience is king, but a handful of young American riders have proven age is just a number when it comes to delivering top performances at the highest level. Across all recorded competition data, only five sub-40 finishing scores have been achieved by US teens at the four-star level — a rare and remarkable feat.

The list includes some of the today's brightest names in US eventing:

Among these elite performances, Cassie Sanger stands out — not only as the sole US teenager to achieve two sub-40 finishes, but also as the only rider to record one at age 18. This underscores her consistency and ability to compete at the highest levels across multiple seasons.

America’s Most Experienced Teenage Event Riders

Sanger’s achievements don’t stop at her finishing scores — she is also among the most prolific teenage riders at top level competition. Below is a look at the young athletes who have racked up the most four- or five-star international starts in their teenage years:

This list includes current Olympic and championship competitors, showing how crucial a strong start as a teenager can be in setting up an elite career. Alex Hua Tian, for example, is now a multiple-time Olympian, Cathal Daniels has won multiple championship medals for Ireland, and Caroline Pamukcu represented Team USA at the 2024 Olympics off the back of becoming the 2023 Pan-American gold medallist.

Great Britain’s Emily King is not only leading the way as the most experienced teen rider to come through the sport since 2008, but she is also the only teenager to achieve a top 5 finish at five-star which she did aboard Brookleigh at Pau in 2015 when finishing fourth.

With US rising star Sanger racking up competitive starts and elite-level finishing scores, she is firmly on a path that could see her as one of the future leaders of US eventing.

Cassie Sanger & Fernhill Zoro in the 2024 Bramham CCI4*-L U25 class. Photo by Tilly Berendt.

The Future Starts Now: US Equestrian Open 2025

With the US Equestrian Open underway, these bright young stars will have a new stage to showcase their talent. The series is set to revolutionize the sport in the US, bringing top-level eventing into the spotlight like never before.

Given their track records, expect to see names like Sanger, Pamukcu, Farley, and Duda featuring heavily in the new competition format. Their early results prove they are more than just future stars — they are already among the best young eventers in the world. The next generation of US eventing has arrived, and 2025 is just the beginning.

What’s Next in the Open?

Having kicked off in 2024, the US Equestrian Open qualifiers will pick back up in March when the leaderboard battle continues at Bouckaert.

For the most up-to-date series calendar and latest standings, visit the official US Equestrian Open Series hub at usequestrianopen.org.

Series Standings at the End of 2024:

See the full series standings, updated after each qualifier, here.

Stay Connected

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For Sport Department questions, please contact Christy Hawkins at USEquestrianOpen@usef.org.

For media inquiries about the US Equestrian Open Series, please contact Carly Weilminster at cweilminster@usef.org. 

For sponsorship opportunities, contact Layson Griffin at lgriffin@usef.org.