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USAWE Awards Program
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USA Working Equitation proudly recognizes the dedication, skill, and achievements of our members through a comprehensive Awards Program.
Competitors can earn recognition through National and Regional placements, while special awards highlight the accomplishments of specific Horse Breeds, showcasing the diversity and talent within our sport. In addition, USAWE offers Lifetime Medals—prestigious honors that reflect a rider’s continued advancement through the levels over time.
Together, these awards not only celebrate excellence but also inspire growth and honor the unique partnerships between horse and rider that define Working Equitation.
USAWE Awards Program
USA Working Equitation proudly recognizes the dedication, skill, and achievements of our members through a comprehensive Awards Program.
Competitors can earn recognition through National and Regional placements, while special awards highlight the accomplishments of specific Horse Breeds, showcasing the diversity and talent within our sport. In addition, USAWE offers Lifetime Medals—prestigious honors that reflect a rider’s continued advancement through the levels over time.
Together, these awards not only celebrate excellence but also inspire growth and honor the unique partnerships between horse and rider that define Working Equitation.
Below you will find descriptions for:
- How National Horse/Rider (including Youth) Awards points are tallied for the Leaderboards.
- How Regional Horse/Rider (including Youth) Awards points are tallied for the Leaderboards.
- Breed Awards for the Leaderboards
- Lifetime Rider Medals
Leaderboards reward your season’s best performances. Lifetime Medals honor your career-long progress.
Questions? Contact the Awards Committee at awards@usawe.org
USAWE National & Regional Leaderboards
The Leaderboard Points System tracks horse/rider pairs’ performance at USAWE-licensed competitions held between January 1 and December 31 each year. Points are awarded to pairs with an active USAWE Individual Membership competing on an equine recorded with USAWE.
National Leaderboard – Includes points from any licensed USAWE competition, regardless of location.
Regional Leaderboard – Includes points from licensed competitions held within the specific region.
How Points Are Earned
Leaderboard points are calculated from:
- Dressage & Ease of Handling (EOH) – Average percentage, converted to points using the advancement points criteria.
- Speed Trial – Points earned from placings according to the chart below.
- Cattle Trial (optional for Levels 2–7) – Additional points per individual (not team) if successfully completed. An unsuccessful cattle trial does not affect points earned in Dressage, EOH, or Speed.
Ranking Criteria
To be ranked, a horse/rider pair must:
- Earn qualifying scores at a minimum of two different licensed competitions, judged by at least two different judges.
- Achieve a Dressage/EOH average of at least 57.5%.
- Avoid disqualification in Speed (Levels 2 and above).
If these requirements are not yet met, standings will display as “Not ranked yet.”
Leaderboard Standings
- Standings are based on the Top 4 show scores/points earned by each horse/rider pair in a season.
- Riders may compete in unlimited licensed shows, but only their best four results (from at least two different judges) are used for the Leaderboard.
- In case of a tie, results are broken by adding together the Dressage & EOH percentages from the shows used in the Leaderboard calculation.
National High Point Youth (7-17 years)
- National Leaderboard points earned at all licensed USAWE shows will count toward this award, regardless of whether points are earned in a class specifically set up for Youth (7-17 years), or are earned while riding against adults. All points earned during the show season (Jan. 1 – Dec. 31) count.
- The winner is the Youth (7-17 years) USAWE member who earns the most points in the competition year. Youth (7-17 years) can accumulate Leaderboard points toward the National High Point Youth (7-17 years) Award on multiple horses.
Year-End Awards & Breed Recognition Criteria
- Leaderboard points accumulate annually and determine National and Regional awards for the top 2 places in each.
- National High Point Breed Performance Awards are based on a horse’s total points from all licensed competitions during the season.
- To earn points toward awards, both the rider and horse must be properly recorded with USAWE before the competition is finalized (with a one-week grace period to resolve membership or recording issues).
- Only successfully completed trials count toward points (with the exception that an unsuccessful cattle trial does not affect other trial points)