Tamie Smith riding Bonner Carpenter’s Summerbridge Parc, winner of the 2017 USEA Young Event Horse 5-year-old West Coast Championships. Photo by Shelby Allen.
Following an extensive review of feedback on the USEA Young Event Horse program, significant changes are rolling out for 2018. From shorter dressage tests to the elimination of the conformation portion at qualifiers, read on for everything you need to know about the new look for the YEH program.
New, Shorter Dressage Tests
The YEH dressage tests have been shortened following competitor and judge feedback. Most notably, horses are no longer asked to halt at the end of the tests at qualifying events and instead are scored on the walk as they exit the arena.
Links to the new tests:
- 4-year-old YEH qualifier dressage test
- 5-year-old YEH qualifier dressage test
- 4-year-old YEH championship dressage test
- 5-year-old YEH championship dressage test
No Conformation at Qualifiers
Conformation will now only be scored at championships and will no longer be included as part of the overall score at YEH qualifying events. Qualifiers will now include only dressage and jumping/galloping.
Click here to view the new score sheets for YEH qualifiers. Click here to view the new score sheets for YEH championships.
In addition, the jumping/galloping test will now count for a more significant 70% of the final score at both qualifiers and championships, as opposed to 50% of the score in the past. Click here to review a full breakdown of changes to the YEH classes.
No Bye Year for Mares
The YEH Committee has officially eliminated the bye year for mares. The bye year previously allowed a mare with a full-term foal to compete in an age group below her biological age. All horses must now compete in their age groups. All YEH horses and riders must also be current USEA members.
New Scoring System
YEH jumping courses will now include exactly five show jumping efforts and exactly 10 cross country efforts. Judges will score each fence with a mark ranging from 0.0 to 3.0. At qualifiers, fences in combinations will each receive an individual score, while at championships only one score will be awarded for the entire combination.
The new scoresheets for qualifiers and championships provide further detail on how jumps will now be scored.
To learn the new scoring system, all YEH judges are being asked to attend the YEH day on Feb. 21 at the Young Horse Educational Symposium in Ocala, Florida. Judges unable to attend can contact Marilyn Payne to review the scoresheets before judging YEH competitions.
Judge seminars will also be held at both the 2018 YEH East and West Coast Championships this fall for those who wish to continue judging in 2019.
You can find more information on the YEH program on the USEA website.
What do you think of the changes to the YEH program, EN? Are you planning to participate in YEH competitions in the 2018 season? Let us know in the comments below.
[Significant Changes Coming to the Young Event Horse Program in 2018]
