February Zone 7 Update
Thank you for being a Zone 7 member! Educational opportunities abound as the show season gets underway. Catch up on the latest sport news, and see what is coming up in our zone! 
NEW 1.40/1.45m Platinum Jumper Championships; Apply by June 10
Applications are now open for the inaugural USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships. The championships offer individual and team competitions for professional, junior, and amateur riders competing at the 1.40/1.45m level. In addition to the individual and team competitions, riders can qualify for the 2020 USHJA Platinum Masters Training Session with top national and international industry experts.
 
“The Platinum Jumper Championships are the culmination of the USHJA's Jumper footprint on our sport, and we're absolutely overjoyed to be able to start this program this year,” said Larry Langer, chair of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Rider Task Force.
 
USHJA Zones 7 & 8 Platinum Jumper Championships
Hipico Sante Fe
July 24 - 28, 2019
Santa Fe, NM

Qualifying: July 2, 2018-June 10, 2019
Apply by: June 10, 2019
Apply for team Hunter championships by July 5!
Applications are now open for the USHJA Children's and Adult Amateur Hunter Championships, presented by SmartPak!

The championships for Zone 7 will be September 4-8 at Lake St. Louis Indoor Preview in Lake St. Louis, Mo.

The qualifying period is April 29, 2018-July 5, 2019. Apply by July 5 to have your points count toward qualifying this year!

Apply today for the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program
Applications are now open for the Lindsay Maxwell Charitable Fund /USHJA Emerging Athletes Program, and we will have one available in our Zone again this year!
 
Great Southwest Equestrian Center will host a session with Clinician Cynthia Hankins and Stable Manager Nanci Snyder in Katy, Texas, June 10-14.

This session will include a 3-foot section that is open to ALL AGES!! This is the perfect way to get the EAP experience at the 3-foot fence height.

 
Get on the Pathway at the USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships!   
Applications are now open for the USHJA Zones 7 & 8 Jumper Team Championships!
 
The Championships will be held at Hipico Sante Fe, Santa Fe, NM, July 24-28, 2019 !
 
The qualifying period is July 2, 2018-June 10, 2019 . Apply by June 10 to have your points count toward qualifying this year!
 
Don't miss grant and scholarship deadlines !
Applications are open for the USHJA Foundation Gochman Grant for USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gates Farm and the $25,000 Hamel Family Scholarship for Further Education. Read more.
USHJA Zone 7 will be opening more grant and scholarship opportunities soon. As they open, you can find them here   
Are you up for the challenge? Over $22,000 in grants and prizes!
Registration for the 2019 USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge is open! The HQC is an online quiz that tests participants' knowledge about horse anatomy, horse care and health, riding theory, stable management, and more horsemanship topics. Open to USHJA members (at any paid membership level) 21 and younger as of Dec. 1, 2018, the quiz offers participants a chance to qualify for the in-person HQC Nationals, which offers $6,000 in grants and prizes, and is held alongside the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session.
 
The program is free and runs from February 1 to September 1. 
The USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge awards over $6,000 in grants and prizes with another $16,000 in prizes available through the 30-day HQC Stable Challenge! Don't miss your chance to put your horsemanship knowledge to the test!
Enroll in the Green Hunter Incentive and enjoy a Championship Experience Near Home!
Last year, USHJA launched a new benefit to the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Program: regional championships! While you may choose any one, there is one in our Zone again this year! 
 
The Central Championship will take place at Harvest in Katy, Texas, Oct. 30-Nov. 3, 2019.
 
In addition to the regional championship opportunity, horses enrolled in the USHJA Green Hunter Incentive can participate all year long in USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Stake Classes, and they can earn a spot at the Platinum Performance /USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, in August.
 
Horses must be enrolled to participate and recorded with the USEF and registered with the USHJA. Enrollment fee is $550 through June 1 and increases to $750 on June 2.
For more information visit ushja.org/greenincentive.
USHJA Zone 7 Handy Hunter Challenges Coming Up!
The USHJA Zone 7 Hunter Committee has created this program to provide Handy Hunter Challenges, which test skills riders and their horses might use during an enjoyable day of foxhunting combining the elements of flat and over-fences classes. 

The first Zone 7 Handy Hunter Challenge of the Year will be at the Blue Ribbon Summer Festival II in Waco, Texas, June 12-16! Save the date, and we hope to see you there! Check out the full calendar here.
Interested in being featured on USHJA Social Media?
Are you passionate about our zone and love social media? Tell us about a typical day in your life for a chance to be featured on our social media. 
Important dates and deadlines
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May:

June:
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Photos: Jump Media, Kaitlyn Karssen Photography, Rachel Sowinski, Captured Moment Photography, Tricia Booker, EqSol, USHJA Archives, Harvest, Louise Taylor
United States Hunter Jumper Association | (859) 225-6700 | ushja.org