Lexington, Ky. – Some of the country’s top adult equitation riders will vie for championship honors this week at the 2022 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final. The final will take place at the 86th annual Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show in Rolex Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park and is the last class of the daytime session on Wednesday, July 13.
The judges for this year’s edition of the prestigious final are Fran Crumpler (Louisville, Ky.), William Greenwell (Warsaw, Mo.), and Sandy Sessink (South Lyon, Mich.).
The USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final is open to amateur saddle seat riders age 18 and older on any breed of horse. Competitors will be evaluated on the rail as a group and in individual patterns, which may include elements from the tests outlined in EQ120 of the USEF Rulebook such as circles, serpentines, and figure eights with changes of lead or diagonal. Rail work and pattern work each count for 50% of the rider’s score.
History of the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final
The American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) equitation medal was established in 1937 by the fourth President of the AHSA, Adrian Van Sinderen, as part of his strategy to connect horse people across the United States. 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, with saddle seat, hunt seat, and stock seat riders vying for the same trophy and often competing against each another in the same classes. In 1948, the classes were divided out so that riders were only competing against other riders in their chosen discipline.
The tradition of the medal program was extended to the adult amateur exhibitor with the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final. The Final was created for adult amateur riders to continue to participate in the discipline of equitation beyond their junior years. Since its inception in 2001, the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final has been held during the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show.
Watch Live
The 2022 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final will be streamed live on USEF Network. Click here to watch.
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