Fulton, Mo. – Thirty-two aspiring team riders from 17 states competed in the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials at William Woods University on Saturday, December 7. Twenty athletes competed in the three-gaited section and 12 riders competed in the five-gaited section. Each phase consisted of one rail ride and one pattern ride on an unfamiliar horse.

After impressive showings at the Selection Trials, 12 athletes were chosen to represent the United States at the 2020 Saddle Seat World Cup in Parys, South Africa, next July.

The following athletes have been selected to the 2020 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team (in alphabetical order):

Three-Gaited

Alayna Applegate (Ewing, Ky.)
Ella Hampton (Sheridan, Ind.)
Audra Lee (Binghamton, N.Y.)
Alayna Locascio (Dayton, Ohio)
Laney Simpson (Tampa, Fla.)
Victoria Walz (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.)

Five-Gaited

Haley Berget (Oconomowoc, Wis.)
Makayla James (Smithfield, Ky.)
Haily Miller (Nicholasville, Ky.)
Mia Provenzano (Elmhurst, Ill.)
Emma Tuleu (New Orleans, La.)
Ryan Visser (Lexington, Ky.)

The team was evaluated and selected by the four-judge panel of Dwayne Knowles (Kutztown, Pa.), Fay Lowry (Ashland, Mo.), Sandy Sessink (Elyria, Ohio), and Richard Wright (Fox Lake, Ill.).

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a bi-annual international competition that originated in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa. Teams from as many as seven nations now compete for the coveted World Cup titles.

The U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team is supported by a grant from the USA Equestrian Trust. Additional contribution opportunities can be found here. Select “U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup” in the dropdown menu.

For additional information or questions regarding the Saddle Seat World Cup, please contact Natalie Norwood, Championship Program Manager, by phone at (859) 225-6951 or via email at [email protected].

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