The Zone 7 Equitation Championship, which was scheduled to be held September 2-6 at

Lake St. Louis Indoor Preview, has been canceled.

USHJA has been closely monitoring the various events and Championships set to be held at indoor venues. The biggest concern with the National Equestrian Center is the lack of ventilation in the stabling area and the difficulty with social distancing in this area.

We do apologize for the late notice to members, but the decision was made with the health and safety of our members in mind.

The USHJA continues to plan educational webinars for members! Mark your calendar:

Harvest

Oct. 28–Nov. 1

Katy, Texas

Nov. 4-8

Lake St. Louis Hunter Jumper Show

Lake St. Louis, Mo.

September 1 is the deadline to participate in the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge!

Participants take two levels of online horsemanship quizzes to be eligible for selection to the HQC Nationals. Click here to register and participate before the deadline.

HQC Nationals will be virtual this year. Stay tuned for more information. Click here to learn more about HQC.

The deadline to nominate a member for the USHJA Youth Leadership Award, the USEF Youth Sportsman's Award and the Vital Horse Show Staff Award is September 1!

If you know someone who is dedicated to the sport, is a positive role model for their peers and exhibits positive sportsmanship, nominate them for a youth award today!

If you know someone who works behind the scenes and whose role is essential for the success of horse shows nominate them for the Vital Horse Show Staff Award.

Written by: Johanna Jessen

Recently, pony riders across the nation were felt the effects of Covid-19 when their beloved summertime horseshow, Pony Finals, was canceled with the intention of protecting all exhibitors. Although this was a heartbreaking change of plans, not all hope was lost for Sayer Townsend and her riders, who were on hour nine of 15 traveling from Edgebrook Equestrian Center in Montgomery, Texas, upon hearing of the cancellation.

Sayer had two ponies in tow – Emily Kacher’s Wee Farms L No Gotta Go and Addison Russel’s Brillwood Cotton Candy. Townsend and her girls were in “disbelief”, as they had been regularly showing at Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, Texas, a facility which she commends for their accommodations throughout COVID. Although devastated the kids would not be able to show off their ponies, Sayer stuck to her firm belief that “God is ultimately in control,” and though they “struggled with wanting to be mad,” she knew there “must [have been] a perfect reason for Pony Finals being canceled.” Click here to read more.

The show season continues to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. While showing has resumed in many ares, horse shows also continue to be canceled or relocated.

The USHJA announced the cancellation of the AON/USHJA National Championships earlier this month. Read more about the announcement.

Find the most up-to-date information relate to COVID-19:

This year has been far from typical when it comes to horse showing and accomplishing goals, but we know our members have still celebrated milestones and earned achievements outside of the competition ring.

Did you know that Green Hunter classes, like many traditions in the hunter division, were originally related to foxhunting experience?

The 1941 rule book of the American Horse Shows Association (now US Equestrian) stated Green Hunter classes were “open to horses which have not been hunted with a recognized pack of hounds for more than one season, and which have not won a first ribbon at a recognized show in the Hunter Division prior to January 1st of the current year, except in classes requiring either no jumping or performance over jumps not to exceed three feet six inches” or in classes for “teams, pairs, local, junior, breeding or three-year-olds.”

Green Hunter Championships at this time were also super competitive, so quite an honor to win: They were awarded on the basis of ribbons won in “Maiden, Novice, Limit, Suitable, Green, classes for four-years-olds and under, Breeding classes for young horses and Handicap classes in which a horse jumps three feet six inches.”

Photo: “Jumping over an outside course in a green hunter class,” from Vladimir S. Littauer, Schooling Your Horse, 1951.