Lexington, Ky. - April 13, 2016 - In just one week, the largest Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) National Finals to date kicks off at the Kentucky Horse Park. The judges for this year's Hunt Seat and   

Presiding over the Western classes will be Kail and Carter.  Kail has been a judge for more 30 years, holding cards for AQHA, NRHA, NSBA, NRCHA and WCHA. He has judged countless competitions across the country and has won multiple world championships as well as training both world and Quarter Horse Congress champions. Kail specializes in halter, western pleasure and all around classes.

Carter, the second judge for the Western portion of this year's IEA National Finals, holds judge's cards for AQHA, APHA, PHBA, NRHA, POA, ApHC, PtHC, NASMA and NSBA, and she has experience judging all over the world, including previous IHSA and IEA National Finals. Carter and her husband currently operate Carter Show Horses in Goodlettsville, Tennessee.

Judging each of the team and individual Hunt Seat classes will be Duncan and Hofstetter.  Duncan began her career as a junior rider training under  Carl Bessette, competing on the "A" circuit as a junior jumper, pony and junior hunter and a Maclay/Medal/USET rider. Duncan graduated from Princeton in 1980 and spent a brief stint in finance in New York City before her focus shifted back to her passion. She started her own training business, and she  now owns and manages the Middlesex County Horse Shows in New Jersey, manages the Monmouth Horse Shows and sits on the USHJA Zone 2 jumper committee.

Hofstetter will join Duncan as the second Hunt Seat judge with a wealth of experience. Among numerous winning titles throughout his career as a rider, trainer, clinician and judge, Hofstetter won the Maclay Finals at Madison Square Garden and the Leading Hunter Rider title at the Devon Horse Show, Capital Challenge, the Washington International Horse Show, the Canadian Royal and the National Horse Show. Hofstetter hosts clinics across the country and sits on the USHJA judges' committee.

Founded in 2002, the IEA has more than 12,500 middle and high school student-riders across the United States.  The IEA was organized to promote and improve the quality of equestrian competition and instruction available to middle and secondary school students and is open to 
public and private schools and barn teams. There is no need for a rider to own a horse because the IEA supplies a mount and tack to each equestrian for competitions.  Its purpose is to set minimum standards 

More than 600 estimated, qualified riders will compete, both as teams and as individuals, for national championship titles in over fences, under saddle, horsemanship and reining classes throughout the four days at the Kentucky Horse Park.

To learn more about the IEA and the 2016 IEA National Finals, please visit www.rideiea.org.