Kansas City, Mo. – The final jewel in the triple crown of saddle seat equitation will take place this weekend as the 2024 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals take place at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show. The USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final will take place on Friday, Nov. 15, and the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final for junior riders will take place on Saturday, Nov. 16.
2024 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final
The medal final for adult amateurs consists of one class, which is scheduled as the final class of the Friday daytime session. Five dedicated amateur equestrians aged 18 and older are slated to compete in the final, which they qualified for by competing in a USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal qualifying class in the 2024 competition season or placing in the top four at specified Arabian and Morgan equitation classes as outlined in the qualifying criteria.
At the final, the competitors will complete rail work as a group followed by individual testing. The scores from the rail work and the patterns are weighted equally in determining placings. Adult amateur competitors can win the final twice before they are no longer eligible to compete in the medal, but this year’s field includes no past winners, and it’s sure to be an exciting class as the competitors ride for gold.
Watch for Katie Rich and Sir Fabulous, winner of The Good Hands Adult Finals earlier this fall. Maggie Keith earned the champion title earlier this week in the UPHA Adult Challenge Cup Final riding CH CH-EQ Reedann’s Heir to Glory.
2024 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final
A group of 18 of the country’s best equitation riders aged 17 and under will take to the ring on Saturday for a two-phase competition. The first phase is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. CT and will see all entries compete on the rail and in individual testing. The judges will then select the finalists to return for the final phase at the end of the Saturday daytime session. These athletes will then complete another round of rail work followed by individual testing with a new pattern.
Among the athletes to watch are Brie Keeton, who won the first jewel of saddle seat equitation’s triple crown at The Good Hands Final last month, riding her own Snowpine’s Cuervo-tini. Reserve Champion in the Good Hands was Grace Biron, who also secured the UPHA Senior Challenge Cup National Championship earlier this week riding TSV The Mystery Continues. Jacqueline Schatzberg will compete in the medal finals fresh off wins in the UPHA Morgan Senior Challenge Cup Finals and the Saddle Seat Equitation 14-15, and a reserve championship in the AMHA Saddle Seat Gold Medal Finals with Ledyard’s Rare Soul GCH at last month’s Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show.
The USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final for junior riders dates back to 1937 when the organization’s then-president, Adrian Van Sinderen, established the American Horse Shows Association Equitation Medal, which was awarded to the junior equitation rider who accrued the most points in medal classes in the competition year. In 1950, the Saddle Seat Medal program transitioned to the format used today, with qualifying classes throughout the season and a final to determine the overall champion. Learn more about the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals here.
Competition Information
The 2024 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals will take place November 15 & 16 at the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show in Kansas City, Mo.
USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals Livestream
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