Lexington, Ky. – Up-and-coming youth athletes will demonstrate their skills at the 2020 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – West held from September 19-20 at Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. Blenheim Equisports International Jumping Festival will host the prestigious national championship where riders will display their equitation during four phases of competition.

The phases will be split over two days, with the first day of competition hosting Phases I and II. For Phase I, judges will look for the rider’s ability to effectively demonstrate several flatwork exercises and may request advanced flatwork, such as shoulder-in, shoulder-out, haunches-in, and haunches-out. During Phase II, riders will apply the skills from the flat to a gymnastics course. The second day of competition hosts Phases III and IV. In Phase III, the riders will compete over a 1.15m jumper-style course with an open water jump, followed by Phase IV, the ride-off, in which the top four riders compete over a course first with their own horses and then with each of their competitors’ horses.

Each of the 2020 Finals participants earned their spot by competing in a Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search qualifying class. The U.S. Jumping Talent Search Program has showcased several of the sport’s top athletes, including Olympians Lauren Hough, Beezie Madden, and McLain Ward, as well as other NetJets® U.S. Jumping Team athletes, Lillie Keenan, Richard Spooner, and Jessica Springsteen, playing a role in the development of their careers.

Mandy Porter (Encinitas, Calif.) and Julie Winkel (Reno, Nev.) will serve as the judges and course designers, in consultation with the USEF Talent Search Technical Delegate Anthony D’Ambrosio, for the West Coast edition of the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals. Once the competition has concluded, the West Coast champion will receive the Denali Memorial Perpetual Trophy, the champion’s trainer will be given the Leading Trainer Award, and the best horse will earn the Gulliver Trophy.

The USEF Network will live stream all four phases of the Finals.

Find out more information about the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals.

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