Lexington, Ky. - The best junior riders from across the country prepare to compete for top honors in the 2014 US Junior Hunter National Championships. The championships will take place on both the East and West Coasts, with the riders separated into 15 & Under and 16-17 divisions, as well as Small Junior Hunter and Large Junior Hunter. This year the new 3'3" Junior Hunters will also be offered as a combined division. The riders will compete in three phases: Classic Round, Under Saddle, and Handy Hunter. The Under Saddle phase counts for 20% of the rider's overall score, while both the Classic Round and Handy Hunter count for 40%. Ribbons will be awarded after each phase in the various divisions, and overall winners will be named at the end of the competition. Finally, a Grand Champion and Reserve Champion will be crowned for both coasts.

The festivities kick off with the US Junior Hunter National Championship East Coast in Devon, Pa., July 7-8. Riders will compete over courses designed by Skip Bailey (Wellington, Fla.) in front of judges Leo Conroy (Wellington, Fla.), Christina Schlusemeyer (Ocala, Fla.), and Bill Ellis (Ocala, Fla.). The 2014 USHJA/Essex Classics Hunterdon Equitation Cup Classic will also be held during the US Junior National Hunter Championship East Coast. The competition then moves west to the Del Mar Horsepark in Del Mar, Calif., July 21-22. Scott Hofstetter (Ocala, Fla.), John Roper (Frnklin, Tenn.), and Schlusemeyer will judge the West Coast's riders throughout the US Junior Hunter National Championship West Coast, with courses designed by Bailey.

USEF Network will be live streaming the US Junior Hunter National Championship East Coast July 7-8. Check out the schedule and watch live at
http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2014JrHunterChampsEast/.

To find out more information about the US Junior Hunter National Championships, visit https://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/allhunter/JuniorChampionships.aspx.