Competition Changes Explained T
Young Event Horse By Amber Heintzberger
he USEA Young Event Horse Series is designed to showcase up-and-coming talent in eventing, offer breeders a chance to show off their young stock and
identify potential upper-level event horses. In 2018, there are significant changes to the format of these competi- tions. Changes include the removal of the conformation section at qualifying competitions and more emphasis on the jumping and cross country phase of both qualifying and championship events. Even though the conformation section is removed
going forward at qualifying competitions, champion- ships will still include conformation, along with the dres- sage and the jumping/galloping tests. The jumping/galloping test will now count for 70 percent of the final score at both quali- fiers and championships, as opposed to 50 percent in the past. At qualifiers, 30 percent of the score is the dressage test. Olympic dressage judge and co-chair
of the YEH committee, Marilyn Payne of Oldwick, New Jersey both judges YEH competitions and hosts one at her Apple- wood Farm, which she combines with a small unrecognized schooling event to make the day economically feasible. “We took out conformation in qualifiers because it takes a lot more time and it’s harder for the organiz- ers. We’d like to have more qualifiers and this will make it easier,” she explains. The conformation section remains at the championship level because soundness is an impor- tant attribute of a successful event horse and a key factor in future soundness. The dressage score will now earn 20 percent and conformation 10 percent, with jumping/ galloping/general impression at 70 percent.
beautiful horse,” Christine says. “She had no problem with the dressage, as she is a Trakehner and is patient. Her jumping skills were pretty much right on—not too high over the cross country or show jumps, but quick and effi- cient. She ended up being third on the east coast and fourth overall.” “As I watched this past year, my impressions are that
Warmbloods like Tupelo had a bit more patience with the longer dressage test. Other horses like Thoroughbreds, which in general mature quicker, probably have a bit harder time—however, put them on a race track at three and they will win hands-down. I think since we all look for that extra ‘blood’ that the Thoroughbred gives to help the horses have the endurance for the cross country, the dressage was a bit long,” she muses. Marilyn says the leg yield has been
removed from the five-year-old test because this movement reflects the training more than the quality of the horse. The qualifying tests for both age groups follow the same pattern, with some changes to the move- ments—for example the four-year-olds do working trot across the diagonal, while the five-year-olds lengthen the trot.
Marilyn Payne
OBJECTIVE SCORING Last year Booli Selmayr of Millbrook, New York placed seventeenth out of 35 entries at the YEH East Coast Championship for 5-year-olds
SHORTER DRESSAGE With the new format, the dressage tests have been shortened, which the riders requested because they felt the tests were too long for the young horses. A shorter dressage test also makes running YEH competitions easier on organizers, and spectators will likely prefer the shorter test. Several years ago Christine Turner, who breeds
Trakehners at her Indian Hill Farm in Texas, had a five- year-old Trakehner mare named Tupelo competing in the Young Event Horse Championship. “Tupelo is a very
44 March/April 2018
at Fair Hill (Maryland) riding the Irish Sport Horse Kildare’s MHS Tampa. “I’m interested to see what the changes ulti- mately do for the sport further down the line,” she says. “Event horses are the ultimate athletes, and it is important to keep breeding horses for longevity. I think any changes we see should be aimed at breeding and producing top triathletes that have self-preservation, grit and soundness, both mentally and physically.” Under the new scoring system the jumping course
will consist of exactly five show jump efforts and exactly ten cross-country efforts, and the judges will now score each fence. Each jumping effort in the jumping phase will receive a score of 0.0–3.0. In combination fences, at qualifying competitions each fence will be numbered separately and will receive its own score. At champi- onships, “A-B” elements will be scored together as one jumping effort.
marilynpayne.com
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