We know many of our members are looking forward to returning to the show ring, and some have already begun to show as we begin the re-opening of the sport. Horse show organizers have been working diligently with USEF, USHJA, as well as city, county, and state officials to ensure summer horse shows can get underway while keeping our competitors safe. Please be sure to follow all social distancing guidelines and be respectful and kind to each other as we navigate this new normal.
In the next few months, you’ll be getting to know your Zone 10 Committee members in this newsletter. We hope you enjoy learning a little bit about who is representing Zone 10. As always, we appreciate member feedback – please don’t hesitate to contact one of us if you have any sport related questions or concerns. We are here to help so we can all keep riding safely. If you missed it, be sure to watch the
USHJA and USEF Joint Town Hall with Mary Babick and Bill Moroney, which provides a comprehensive overview of the current competition landscape and USHJA and USEF current policies and procedures. Thank you to all of our members for your patience, and we hope everyone continues to stay safe and well.
Kathy Hobstetter and Ned Glynn.
Co-Chairs of the Zone 10 Committee
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Updates and Information about COVID-19
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Many areas in the country are beginning to slowly reopen and in some areas horse showing is underway again. Click below for resources and information about COVID-19:
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Apply for the Second Round of Feed Aid by July 13
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The USHJA has opened another round of Feed Aid applications to assist horses in need during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Applications close July 13.
Feed Aid provides aid in purchasing feed for lesson horses as short-term relief for the businesses in the hunter/jumper community who provide lessons to non-boarders and may be suffering financially due to the impact of COVID-19.
Through partnership with various national and regional feed companies, USHJA members may receive relief through discounted and fully supplemented feed purchases.
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The Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge is Open!
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The USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge is open until July 15. That means it's time to gather your barnmates and put your horsemanship knowledge to the test for a chance to win great prizes!
How to participate:
- Go to the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Practice Quiz page by clicking here.
- Fill out your information and be sure to include your trainer’s name for your points to count.
- Complete the practice quiz.
- You’re done! Come back and take the quiz as often as you’d like to improve your score.
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USHJA Educational Webinars Coming Up
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HQC Study Hall Part II
June 30, 2 p.m.
Back by popular demand! Terri Young, chair of the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge (HQC) Committee, returns for another Study Hall.
Discover the Benefits of Equine Chiropractics
July 13, 7 p.m.
Discover the benefits of equine chiropractic care with USHJA sponsor Rood and Riddle.
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Equitation: An Overview
July 27, 7 p.m.
Join top industry professionals Robin Rost Brown, Frank Madden, and Jim Hagman for an informative webinar about the significance of the Equitation division.
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Learn More About Your Zone 10 Committee Members
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We will be featuring Q&As with USHJA Zone 10 Committee Members over the next few months. This month, we start with Kay Altheuser – Regional Show Director, Trainer and Coach at Elvenstar, President of Los Angeles Hunter Jumper Association, and USEF “R” Hunter and Equitation Judge.
Q: What is your main area of interest/job in the sport?
A: I have taught and coached since my late teens and learned by having to do my own horse care, so I love the educational and horsemanship part of the sport. To be a good coach, one must understand all aspects of the horse industry and teach more than just riding. I have always been very focused on the regional level of showing and how we can better impart our knowledge to the young riders. So much of riding is basic horsemanship and general knowledge of the horse regarding its care and well-being. These basics are the foundation of all top riders. The importance of knowing how the horse feels, how its legs are supposed to look, how the stable and tack is to be kept, etc. is first and foremost to becoming a real horseman, and that is the area that I like to focus on.
Q: What do you see as one or two key issues for our industry, especially in Zone 10?
I believe there are three layers to our sport: bottom, middle, and top. The top is the elite and not necessarily easy to get to, so I think the majority of the sport is around the bottom and middle layers. Where I believe we need to focus is the bottom layer which consists of riding schools and local and regional level horse shows. These are the feeder programs for the next levels up. With the cost of owning and showing horses rather high and the number of one day shows dwindling, I believe we may be losing some of the participants at this foundational level. It is important to focus on finding ways to make the sport more affordable and accessible. More schooling type shows could be one answer, as well as limiting the number of lower level classes that are held at the upper level shows. By leaving those classes at the local and regional levels, we could bring back more single day shows thus allowing a wider range of competitors.
Q: If you could accomplish one thing as a Z10 Committee Member, what would it be?
A: I would like to establish a better connection with the affiliate organizations and the local and regional shows. I think that the Zone can help offer that transition between the bottom and middle layers of the sport. I believe we desperately need to support and encourage the local, more affordable shows.
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Learn More About Hoof Health
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Amendments to Qualifications for USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm
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The USEF Pony Finals are scheduled for August 3-9 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, changes have been made to the qualification requirements for the finals. Entries close July 21 and all entries must be received prior to the deadline. A maximum of 670 hunter entries and 200 Medal entries will be accepted to compete, however, USEF reserves the right to adjust this number to ensure fair and consistent point qualification standards and a safe competition environment.
For more information on qualification amendments for specific divisions and special classes like the Marshall & Sterling/USEF Pony Medal Final or the USEF Pony Jumper National Championships,
click here. You can also contact
ponyfinals@usef.org for questions regarding the hunter and equitation divisions, or Erin Keating at
ekeating@usef.org for questions regarding the USEF Pony Jumper National Championships.
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New Qualifying Criteria Announced for 2020 USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic - West
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For 2020 only, the USHJA Gladstone Cup - West qualifying criteria has been modified to allow all Active USHJA junior members to participate in the Classic. Previous criteria required riders to have won a USEF Medal, ASPCA Maclay, USEF Show Jumping Talent Search or Overall WIHS Equitation Classic during the qualifying period from June 1, 2019 to May 31, 2020. The West Coast event will be held at the Sonoma Horse Park in Petaluma, California, on Friday, July 17 in conjunction with the 2020 Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships – West Coast.
Read more.
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It's Time to Nominate Someone for USHJA Vice President or Director at Large
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The member nomination period is open for USHJA Vice President and four Director at Large positions (individuals meeting the following criteria: Competition Management; Amateur competitor status; and individuals with non-equestrian business related experience).
The deadline to nominate someone is August 14. Senior Active or Senior Associate member in good standing are eligible to participate in the nomination process.
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Congratulations Graduates!
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Congratulations to all of our Zone 10 graduates! While graduation may have been a little different this year, we still want to celebrate your accomplishments. Contact Jenny Seto, LEG Up News Correspondent, at
jenniferLseto@gmail.com
by July 22 with your information (Name, hometown, and the school you’re graduating from) and we’ll include you in next month’s graduation roll call.
If you have a special academic achievement, let us know and we’ll highlight that as well! We want to give a special shout out to the hard-working riders who have maintained academic excellence while showing regularly, such as Zone 10 rider Trent McGee (Brookway Stables, trainer), who was valedictorian of his class. We look forward to hearing from and highlighting additional Zone 10 graduates in next month’s issue.
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USHJA Affiliate Member Organization News
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Shows may be starting back up at the local level in your area. Check with your local Affiliates about show schedules and what changes they may have made as a result of COVID-19.
Current Affiliates in Zone 10:
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Sport History: Fun Facts from the USHJA Wheeler Museum
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Studying for the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge?
Here’s a fun look at learning horse anatomy (and about your own body to be a more balanced rider) from The Horse by D. J. Kays, a 1969 college textbook for a “horse production” class on “judging, breeding, feeding, managing, and selling horses.”
Check out how horse and human bones work in movement: the hock is like a human ankle, and a horse’s knee is the counterpart of a human wrist. The tuber calcis, the short bone at the “point" of the hock, is like the human heel acting as a lever to lift the body up and forward.
Photo: Horse and human skeletons courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History in The Horse.
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Know Your Zone 10 Committee Members
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- Kathy Hobstetter, Co-Chair
- Ned Glynn, Co-Chair
- Denise Finch
- Kay Altheuser
- Michael Curtis
- Ellen Gates
- Sally Hudson
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- Melissa Kalember
- Robert Leckie
- Stephanie Lightner
- Gry McFarlane
- Lynn Mullins
- James Waldman
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Special thanks to these members who serve our zone! For more information about the committee and contact information,
click here.
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Upcoming Events and Deadlines
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Check the Calendar for Upcoming Outreach Competitions
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USHJA Sponsors & Partners
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Photos by: EQ Media, Tori Bilas, Tricia Booker, Kaitlyn Karssen, Jump Media
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United States Hunter Jumper Association | (859) 225-6700 | ushja.org
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