Kansas City, Mo. - The competition season for saddle seat equitation athletes comes to its exciting conclusion each year at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show in Kansas City. The historic show hosts the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals for both adult amateur and junior riders.
The adult amateur final takes place on Friday, Nov. 14, as the final class of the morning session. All riders will complete railwork as a group followed by individual patterns, after which the champion will be crowned.
The medal final for juniors takes place in two phases on Saturday, Nov. 15. The preliminary phase begins at 9:00 a.m. CT, where all entries will complete railwork and individual patterns. The top scoring athletes from the first phase will return for the USEF Saddle Seat Medal National Final at the end of the Saturday afternoon session. The final phase includes railwork and a new pattern, after which the top ten receive ribbons and the top three receive medals. The winning athlete’s name will be engraved on the historic Van Sinderen Trophy.
USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals Broadcast
The 2025 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals will be available for on-demand viewing on USEF Network. USEF fans, subscribers, and members can watch for free. Not a member? Sign up for a free fan account or join today!
About the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals
The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) equitation medal was established in 1937 by the fourth President of the AHSA, Adrian Van Sinderen. The original Van Sinderen trophy was awarded to the Junior Equitation rider who accumulated the most points in AHSA Medal classes in a given competition year. At that time, Saddle Seat, Hunt Seat and Stock Seat riders were all vying for one trophy. In 1948, the classes were divided into the individual riding disciplines. In 1950, the Medal Final was fashioned into the prestigious competition format we now know, with qualifying classes and a Final to determine the overall winner. In 2001, the tradition of the medal program was extended to the adult amateur exhibitor by offering the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final.
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