Youth Development Committee
Ok USAWE we want to hear from you! What do you think is the most difficult aspect of the Working Equitation competition for youth?
- Length of the Pole
- Weight of the pole
- Going off course
- The gate
- Number of shows in my area
- Competition fees
- Disqualification
Please send us an email to: Youth@usawe.org and tell us what you think! Other items other than the ones above are also welcome!
By: Alex Tyson, Youth Development Committee Chair
Rules Committee
The big news from the Rules committee is that the dressage tests are being completely rewritten for the next competition year that starts on January 1, 2023. Our team of S Judges has been working diligently on this project for many weeks now, and they expect to be completed by the end of February. Of course, the tests won’t be released until the next scheduled Rulebook revision is ready for rollout (no later than November 1 of this year — earlier if at all possible) so you’re going to have to wait. But I can tell you the tests are very interesting and challenging. I predict you’re going to love them!
By: Jeanne Bond, Rules Committee Chair
Awards Committee
Welcome to the 2022 season! With three shows under our belt and an exciting season already planned out, we are incredibly excited to continue celebrating our riders and their equine partners this year. A few things to note as we head into this season!
- Results for 2021 are now officially closed! Keep an eye on your inboxes and the website for the final standings and results for our national leaderboards, regional leaderboards, and breed awards.
- Erin will no longer be the only one on the inboxes! We are pleased to be bringing on several new committee members. Don’t be surprised if you get a response and it isn’t from our Chair, Erin. Many thanks to the lovely team of people who have stepped up to volunteer and help keep our awards rolling.
- How leaderboards are calculated has changed! Below is a guide to how the leaderboards are calculated for the 2022 season. This change was made to ensure better equity across all of our regions, as well as promote excellence within our sport.
Final 2021 Stats
For those of you interested, here are some fun statistics on how the 2021 season shook out:
- 1935 rides
- 492 unique riders
- 605 unique horses
- 839 L1 rides
- 589 L2 rides
- 228 L3 rides
- 148 L4 rides
- 99 L5 rides
- 27 L6 rides
- 5 L7 rides
- Region 2 was our busiest region with nearly 650 rides!
Guide to the New Leaderboards:
- Score to point conversions remain the same as the 2021 season, and are listed on this page of the website
- The sum of the horse & rider pair’s 4 highest scores will be used
- Those scores must come from a minimum of two judges
- NOTE: You will not show up on the leaderboards until you have met the two judge requirement. If a show’s results are in the historic records sheet, located at the bottom of this page, then those scores are included in the leaderboard calculations.
Congratulations to everyone on a great 2021 season, we can’t wait to see how everyone does in 2022!
Central Zone Planning Committee
We are proud to announce the 2022 USAWE Central Zone Championship!
Start planning your trip to Kansas!
Show Dates: October 21-22-23, 2022
Location: Kansas State Fairgrounds, 2000 N Poplar St, Hutchinson Kansas
Wednesday October 19th – Early Bird Arrival: stalls available after 12noon CST
Thursday October 20th – Official Show Check-In: 9am CST
Thursday October 20th – Veterinary Inspection: 1pm – 6pm
Warm Up Arenas: Available Friday – Saturday – Sunday
Friday October 21st – Dressage Trial & Friday Barn Crawl
Saturday October 22nd – EOH Trial, L1 Awards Ceremony & Barn Party BBQ
Sunday October 23rd – Speed, Cattle Trial, L2-L7 Awards Ceremony
Monday October 24th – After Show Departure: by 12noon CST
Central Zone Championship Highlights:
ALL Performance Levels (L1-L7)
ALL Divisions (Youth, Amateur, Open)
Three separate shows: Zone Championship, Rated Show, Cattle Trial
Championship show will offer $7,500 in prize money to be split amongst the divisions!
Cash prizes for 1st through 3rd placing, each performance level (combining Amateur and Open; Overall Top Youth) Money split 50/30/20. A division MUST have 3 entries to pay out.
L1-L7 Youth- $200
L1 Intro- $500
L2 Novice A- $750
L3 Novice B- $750
L4 Intermediate A -$1000
L5 Intermediate B- $1000
L6 Advanced – $1500
L7 Masters- $1800
How does a horse-rider pair qualify to compete in a zone championship show?
To be eligible to compete, a horse-rider pair must earn a combined average of 58% or higher in Dressage and EOH (L1-L7) and successfully complete the Speed trial (L2-L7) at a minimum of two licensed shows. At least one of the scores must be earned during the current 2022 competition year. The qualifying period is December 1, 2020 of the previous 2021 competition year through the show entry deadline for the zone championship show in the current year. Horse-rider pair may compete in any or all zone championships, regardless of where the qualifying scores are achieved.
On behalf of USAWE, the Central Zone planning committee is excited to warmly welcome you to Kansas, the heart of the Midwest. The Central Zone Premium and Entry Forms will be available soon!
Competitions Committee
2022 LICENSED SHOWS Y-T-D (as of 1/13/22)
2 Zone Championships
- Central Zone Show (includes separate optional Cattle Trial)
- Western Zone Show (includes separate optional Cattle Trial)
- Eastern Zone Show pending proposal submission
80 Rated Shows
11 Cattle Trials
1 Canceled Show
94 Total License Reques
35 Manual Excel and 59 GIRA Show Results
A list of Licensed Competitions is located on the https://usawe.org/competitions/resources/.
The Competitions Manual, located here, has been updated as of 1/13/2022. Show Managers/Organizers, please review and download your copy as you prepare for your licensed shows and zone championships.
SHOW ENTRIES
In reviewing over 2,000 show results from the 2021 show season, there are a few lessons learned to provide a positive show experience for competitors and show organizers and ensure accurate show results are sent to the various USA Working Equitation (USAWE) award programs (e.g., National and Regional Leaderboards, Lifetime Rider Medals, Breed Performance Awards, etc.)
Please ensure your show entries have:
- Current (not expired) on-line registered and paid USAWE Ensure entry form includes the rider number as listed on the rider’s membership card. No transposed membership numbers. No blank membership number spaces, unless the competitor is a non-member with a paid non-member fee. If a One-Time Try It Voucher is being used, list ‘Voucher’.
- No missing horse recording numbers – all horses MUST have a USAWE recorded horse number.
- No nicknames for riders – use the full name as listed on the membership card.
- No barn names for horses – use the name as listed on the recorded horse application.
Inaccurate data for membership, recorded horse numbers and qualifying scores has a negative effect on the competitor’s show experience and creates extra work for Show Management, Membership, Competition, Results and Awards committee volunteers. These volunteers lose valuable time researching, resolving disputes and reposting show results, adjusting the National and Regional Leaderboard points and placings, updating Lifetime Medal Award qualified scores and adjusting Breed Performance Award points if results are impacted by mistakes.
On behalf of the Membership, Competitions, Results and Awards Committees, thank you for taking the time to ensure show entry accuracy.
By: Kris Blacklock, Jeanne Bond, Sue Watkins, Competitions Committee Members
Marketing & Communications Committee
The Communications for USAWE is rocking in 2022!
Kristine Strasburger is continuing to move the USAWE website forward with more information for the association added every week. She moved the website to a new host, and that will allow USAWE to have even more information on our site.
Jody Fontanetta creates our monthly E-News. She sends out the reminders, gathers content (it’s like herding cats), designs the E-News and sends it out in a blast to the membership. It has been a valuable tool the communication that keeps our membership notified of all the association’s news.
Recently, four dedicated individuals have taken on the task of managing USAWE’s social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and Twitter). The team has divided up the work load, by each person taking on one week a month. During that month, that person creates two posts. To keep things fresh and interesting, the team is creating posts that are a mix of Education, Humor, and Information. Since the Social Media team started their targeted approach in mid December, all of our Facebook page’s numbers have increased. The Post Reached category is up 122%, Post Engagements up 195% and New Page Likes up 182%. Wow! Tanks and keep up the great work!
If you haven’t already – please like USA Working Equitation on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and help our numbers rise even more.
I would like to say thank you to our wonderful, hardworking volunteers that makes all of the associations communication possible. USAWE would be in the dark without you.
If you would like to be involved or would just like to chat, please feel free to call me.
Kiki Pantaze
512-924-7566
By: Kiki Pantaze, Marketing & Communications Committee Chair
Membership Committee
Hello Everyone,
Here are the stats from the Membership Committee for this month’s newsletter:
Current members – 371
Junior members – 20
Members by Region –
- R1 – 87
- R2 – 73
- R3 – 33
- R4 – 40
- R5 – 51
- R6 – 57
- R7 – 26
- Int. – 4
Membership ID cards are sent out within 24-48 hours of receiving an application and fee. Horse recording ID cards are now sent out within 24-48 hours of receiving the recording and fee. The committee is busy, planning on onboarding new committee members! Thank you ladies for all your hard work!
