Membership Committee
- Current number of USAWE members: 624
- Current number of Youth members: 42
- Region 1 – 171
- Regions 2 – 160
- Region 3 – 39
- Region 4 – 40
- Region 5 – 77
- Region 6 – 84
- Region 7 – 46
- Int – 7
- Number of recorded horses: 2947
By: Olga Hendrickson, Membership Committee Chair
Competitions Committee
March 12, 2022
3 Zone Championships
- Central Zone Show (includes optional Cattle Trial) *
- Western Zone Show (includes optional Cattle Trial) *
- Eastern Zone Show (includes optional Cattle Trial) *
94 Licensed Shows (14 include Cattle Trial) *
6 Canceled Shows
117 Total License Requests
42 Manuel Excel & 75 GIRA Show Results
* There are four trials that make up a Working Equitation competition. The first three – Dressage (L1-L7), Ease of Handling (L1-L7), and Speed (L2-L7) are the mandatory trials required for a licensed Working Equitation competition. The fourth trial, Cattle (L2-L7), is optional and included when location and facilities allow. Although the Cattle trial is licensed separately, it is not considered a separate show; Horse-Rider pairs competing in the Cattle trial must successfully compete/complete Dressage, Ease of Handling and Speed before they can compete in the Cattle trial.
Click her HERE for the complete list of licensed shows. The shows are listed in date order and include show’s License# (or indicates Provisional if not fully licensed yet), Date(s), Location, Contact name, Contact email address, Region, Judge (with his/her accreditation) and Technical Delegate. This information is helpful for competitors working on scores towards Lifetime Rider Medals and/or judges, scores and points for the Regional/National Leaderboards.
What’s New?
- GIRA’s Dressage and Ease of Handling Overall Trial Results and Overall General Results reporting was enhanced to include collective scores if horse-rider pairs tied.
- GIRA’s Cow Trial Results place horse-rider pairs according to the United States Rules for Working Equitation
GIRA’s Overall Results now provide the Competitor, Technical Delegate and Judge with the reason for a Zero [Disqualification (DQ), Withdrawal (WD), Scratch (SCR) or Elimination (ELIM)] and horse-rider pairs are placed per 4.8 Scoring and Determining Final Placement of the United States Rules for Working Equitation.
By: Kris Blacklock, Jeanne Bond, Sue Watkins
Membership Notice
Proposal for a Bylaws Change
he USAWE Board of Directors has proposed to change the official USAWE membership period to run from January 1 through December 31. This change will require a slight alteration to the USAWE Bylaws, as the membership period is noted in the bylaws. The intention for making this change is to have the membership period correspond with the competition season, which was changed last year. All current USAWE members are welcome to submit comments and/or input to the board of directors.
The required 45-day waiting period for notification of any proposed bylaw changes began March 11, 2022 when an email detailing this proposal was sent to all current members. The motion is eligible to be taken up at a board meeting on or after April 25, 2022.
Working Equitation
Western Zone
Championships 2022
The Western Zone Championship (Regions 1 and 2) will be held at Westworld, Scottsdale, AZ on 9th-11th December 2022. The Arizona Working Equitation Club is excited to have the opportunity to welcome riders from the Western Zone (and any other Zone) to Arizona, to enjoy an exciting competition with wonderful prizes, approximately $10K in Sponsorships, as well as a beautiful venue, weather and amenities.
This event will include: Western Zone Championship, a Licensed Non Championship Show, and an optional Cattle trial. In addition, there will be Mini Clinics and Demonstrations throughout the three days of the show, culminating in an Awards Ceremony, including Procession of State Flags.
Our location has camping hookups open for up to two weeks, so this event presents a great opportunity to not only come and enjoy the Championships, but also explore this part of Arizona.
We will be monitoring and announcing qualifiers each month throughout the year, and look forward to qualifiers from States in our region joining us for the Championship.
Our new Facebook/Instagram accounts will keep every up to date with news from the Championship, along with our new website: westzonewechampionship.com, which will be THE place to keep up with news, Sponsors, qualifiers, prizes, Entry Forms, etc.
Coaches Network
Coaches in your region:
Region 1
Trisha Kiefer-Reed of Wolf Creek, MT
Region 2
Ashley Bowers of Cave Creek, AZ*
Polly Limond of San Diego, CA
Sue Watkins of Riverside, CA
Region 3
Chris Stanko of Niwot, CO
Region 5
Emily Kemp of Newton, WI
Michelle Lackey of Medina, OH
Erica Peet of Wonder Lake, IL
Region 6
Holly Linz of Woodbine, MD*
Stephanie Hayes of Johnson, VT
*Welcome to our newest recognized coaches!
To learn more about our coaches or how to become a coach visit:
Get to know a recognized USAWE Coach
Stephanie Hayes of Johnson, VT
“Helping a horse and rider gain the benefits of using good basic dressage work and obstacles to develop their horse, strengthen their relationship and see the enjoyment both of them receive.”
What is your favorite obstacle? Why?
“The Double Slalom -combines many elements of basic skills that every horse should know. It can show where the holes are in training and helps riders go back to basics to fill the holes.”
What is your best tip for competitors heading into the show ring?
“Memorize the rule book front to back, be attentive to details, don’t practice your mistakes and thank your horse every ride so he feels successful too.”
What is your favorite trick for remembering WE courses?
“I used to have panic attacks about remembering courses! I write the obstacles down in order, categorize in groups of 3, then say out loud 3 at a time, using the number of the obstacle first.”
Your all time favorite WE horse?
“My long time partner, El Moradito, the first horse I started WE with. I thought we would be showing together longer than we did. I honor him every day for all he taught me and put up with.”
What would your students say is your catchphrase?
“It’s just going to take time”, “soften your hands”, “slow things down”.
What non-equestrian activities do you love to do?
“I didn’t know other activities existed! Traveling with my husband and eating out, cooking, spending time with my two crazy goats and sitting on our porch looking at the mountains.”
Thanks for the great information, Stephanie! Learn more about Stephanie and all our coaches at:
Check back next month to learn about our next featured coach from our diverse network!
