Kansas City, Mo. – The country’s top saddle seat equitation riders have arrived in Kansas City, Mo., for the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final this Saturday, November 14. Held in Hale Arena during the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA)/American Royal National Championship Horse Show, the class features 23 horse-and-rider combinations who will go head-to-head in pursuit of the title.
The USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET with preliminary ride-offs, consisting of group rail work and an individual pattern test. The final round will be held later in the afternoon when the finalists will be called back for additional rail work and to perform a second individual pattern. The winner’s name will be engraved on the coveted and historic Adrian Van Sinderen Trophy, joining champions dating back to 1937.
After finishing in the top five last year, Alayna Applegate (Ewing, Ky.), Finn Cooper (Denver Colo.), Isabella Privitera (Mission Hills, Kan.), and Sophie Yih (Alamo, Calif.) all return to the Medal Final for a shot at the top placing. Three of this year’s entries were selected to compete at the 2020 Saddle Seat World Cup in South Africa before it was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Read more about Applegate, Ella Hampton (Sheridan, Ind.), Alayna LoCascio (Dayton, Ohio), and the rest of the U.S. Saddle Seat Team here.
US Equestrian extends a special thank you to Platinum Donor Elisabeth Goth for her generosity and continued support of USEF’s saddle seat equitation programs.
How to Watch
Tune in to the USEF Network on November 14 for live coverage of the USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final's preliminary round at 10:00 a.m. ET. The final round for the Medal Final will be the last class of the afternoon session the same day, beginning no earlier than 12:30 p.m. ET.
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Learn more about saddle seat equitation and all of US Equestrian’s 29 recognized breeds and disciplines in this Learning Center video.
Photo by Howard Schatzberg