Lexington, Ky. – The country’s top saddle seat equitation riders have arrived in Kansas City, Mo., for the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final this Saturday, November 10. Held at Hale Arena during the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA)/American Royal National Championship Horse Show, 18 horse-and-rider combinations will go head-to-head in pursuit of the title.
Open to junior members who have won a first- or second-place ribbon in a qualifying medal class, the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final competition begins with preliminary ride-offs, consisting of rail work in groups followed by an individual pattern test. The final round will be held later in the afternoon where the finalists will be called back for additional rail work and to perform a second individual pattern.
The winner will have their name engraved on the coveted and historic Adrian Van Sinderen Trophy, joining champions dating back to 1937. Five of the top 10-placed riders in the 2017 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final, Alayna Applegate (Ewing, Ky.), Lauren Beck (Omaha, Neb.), Ellie Grosspietsch (Cross Plains, Wisc.), Hallie Ricci (Allentown, N.J.), and Gabriella Snyder (St. Louis, Mo.), return in 2018 to take another shot at this prestigious honor.
Tune in to the USEF Network for live coverage of Saturday’s USEF Saddle Seat Medal preliminary round at 10:00 a.m. ET and the final round. The Final will be the last class of the afternoon session, beginning no earlier than 1:00 p.m. ET.
Learn more about saddle seat equitation and all of US Equestrian’s 29 recognized breeds and disciplines in this Learning Center video. Stay up to date on U.S. saddle seat by following USA Saddle Seat on Facebook and US Equestrian on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Use #USASaddleSeat and #JointheJoy.
Photo by: Howard Schatzberg