Tag Archives: saddle seat

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, More/Other, USEF

US Riders Ready to Compete at Saddle Seat World Cup

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The U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup team in South Africa (R. Millin)

Parys, South Africa – Ten riders and four coaches will represent the U.S. at the Saddle Seat World Cup in Parys, South Africa on December 5-8. The team, made up of two sections, Three-Gaited and Five-Gaited, will compete against four other countries as they vie for top honors in saddle seat equitation.

The Three-Gaited section is made up of team members Brooke Boyer (Johnston, IA), Emily Chapman (Tucson, AZ), Brooke Jacobs (Georgetown, KY), Alexandra Lawson (North Salem, IN), and team captain Abigail Muturx (St. Louis, MO). Jacobs is a five-time member of the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup team and was the 2011 UPHA Adult Challenge Cup Grand Champion. Mutrux, the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final Reserve Champion, was a member of the 2010 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Three-Gaited section. Lawson was the 2011 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final Champion while Boyer and Chapman have had several top ten placings at major competitions. The traveling alternate for the Three-Gaited section, Kristen Smith (Crestwood, KY), was the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final Champion. This experienced group is coached by Kristen Cater (Dunbarton, NH) and Cindy Mugnier (Belchertown, MA).

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, More/Other, USEF

Hunter Chancellor Claims USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final Title

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Hunter Chancellor, winner of the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final, riding Imagine My Surprise. (Howard Schatzberg)

Kansas City, MO – In an extremely competitive USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final at the United Professional Horsemen’s Association (UPHA) American Royal National Championship, Hunter Chancellor (Evansville, IN) demonstrated precise equitation skills in her rail and pattern work on Steven Chancellor’s Imagine My Surprise to take the Championship title. After earning Reserve Champion honors in 2011, Chancellor received the Gold medal from the judging panel comprised of Michael Craghead (Fresno, CA), Marilyn Mac Farlane (Simpsonville, KY), and Nancy Troutman (Salem, VA).

For taking top honors, Chancellor’s name will be engraved on the Adrian Van Sinderen Trophy and the Helen K. Crabtree Perpetual Bronze. She also received a USEF custom leather travel bag, USEF medal, rose bundle, Triple Crown Custom/Horseware Ireland cooler, and an engraved stable halter for her mount.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, More/Other, USEF

USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final Set to Begin at UPHA American Royal National Championship

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Alexandra Lawson, winner of the 2011 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final, aboard Imagine My Surprise (Howard Schatzberg)

Kansas City, MO – The USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final will be held Saturday, November 17, at the United Professional Horsemen’s Association’s American Royal National Championship in Kansas City, MO. This medal final brings together the best saddle seat equitation riders from across the country who will perform for a judging panel comprised of Michael Craghead (Fresno, CA), Marilyn MacFarlane (Simpsonville, KY), and Nancy Troutman (Salem, VA).

Four of the riders competing in the medal final are members of the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team, which will compete next month in Parys, South Africa. Those members are Brooke Boyer (Johnston, IA), Hunter Chancellor (Evansville, IN), Emily Chapman (Tucson, AZ), and Abigail Mutrux (St. Louis, MO).

To qualify for the competition, competitors must be 17 years or under and have placed first or second in qualifying classes during the qualification period. The USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final is held in two phases beginning with a preliminary round where all entries complete rail work in groups of 15 or less and perform an individual pattern. The judging panel will select finalists who will then compete in the closing round which is comprised of additional rail work and a second individual pattern. The preliminary rail work, preliminary workout, final rail work, and final workout each count equally toward the outcome of the class.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, More/Other, USEF

Kristen Smith Takes Top Honors at the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final

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Kristen Smith, the winner of the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final, riding Who Needs Mama (Howard Schatzberg)

Lexington, KY – Kristen Smith of Smithfield, KY rode Stephens College’s Who Needs Mama through heavy downpours to the championship win in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final, under the tutelage of Zubrod Stables. The Final took place Friday the 13th as part of the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show at the historic Red Mile Race Track in Lexington, KY.

“It was very wet, but definitely worth it in the end,” said Smith, a member of 2012 U. S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team heading to Parys, South Africa in December. She added, “It was really important to me to do well in the class. I felt very rewarded after the hard work I put in to receive such a high honor.”

A very talented group of riders from across the country performed on the rail as a group and completed an individual pattern created by the judges. The judging panel was Lisa Waller from Heiskell, Tennessee, Bill Waller from Heiskell, Tennessee, and Paul Boone from Concord, North Carolina.

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Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

USEF to Host U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Gala

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that it will host the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Gala on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at 6:00 p.m. at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, KY. The event will showcase the Saddle Seat World Cup effort with proceeds supporting the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team.

This special evening includes an introduction of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team members followed by the announcement of the U.S. Saddle Seat Team Captains.

Three-Gaited Section:

Brooke Boyer/15/ Johnston, IA

Brooke Jacobs/31/ Georgetown, KY

Alexandra Lawson/18/ North Salem, IN

Abigail Mutrux/16/ Saint Louis, MO

Emily Chapman/17/ Tucson, AZ

Kristen Smith/18/ Smithfield, KY

Coaches:  Cindy Mugnier and Kristen Cater

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More/Other, USEF

The US Saddle Seat Team Holds First Practice in New Orleans

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The 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat Team (USEF Archive)

New Orleans, LA – In preparation for the 2012 Saddle Seat World Cup Competition in South Africa, the U.S. Saddle Seat Team attended their first practice, May 18-19 at Cascade Stables in New Orleans, Louisiana.

This first practice session afforded riders the opportunity to prepare for World Cup competition. Team members had the opportunity to ride multiple horses unfamiliar to them, just as they will in South Africa. Additionally, this was the first time the riders and coaches could all come together to work and train as a team.

The training session got underway Friday with a trail ride allowing riders to gain knowledge about the horses they would ride throughout the weekend. The remainder of the day was used for team members to get to know one another and build a team dynamic. Team practice was in full swing early Saturday morning with both five-gaited and three-gaited sections doing rail and pattern work along with other drills on multiple horses.

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Hunter/Equitation, More/Other, Phelps Media Group, Western/Reining

Phelps Media Group to Sponsor Interscholastic Equestrian Association

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Wellington, FL – April 16, 2012 – Phelps Media Group International is pleased to announce its sponsorship of the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA). Phelps Media Group looks forward to working with the IEA to expand their reach to the mainstream equestrian audience, provide access to leaders in equestrian education and act as a provider of current industry information.

Roxane Lawrence, IEA co-founder and executive director, stated, “Phelps Media does such a great job advocating for the equestrian industry.  We are thrilled to be working with them to help promote the IEA and the future of equestrian athletics.”

“We are very proud to be associated with IEA and look forward to doing what we can to help this wonderful organization fulfill its vision,” shared Mason Phelps Jr., President of Phelps Media Group International.

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Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

USEF Names 2012 US Saddle Seat World Cup Team

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The 2012 US Saddle Seat World Cup Team (Laura Elcock Photography)

Fulton, MO – The US Saddle Seat World Cup Selections Trials saw 32 of the strongest saddle seat competitors in the US vie for an opportunity to represent their country at the 2012 Saddle Seat World Cup Competition. Hosted Saturday, March 31 at William Woods University, 20 three-gaited and 12 five-gaited riders proved their mettle in front of a packed audience.

Held in two phases, each consisting of one rail ride and one pattern, riders were tested on two unfamiliar horses, a format mimicking how they will compete in Parys, South Africa in December. At the end of competition, the lowest ordinal scoring riders were named to the inaugural USA Saddle Seat team under the direction of USEF.

The following riders and alternates have been named to the US Saddle Seat World Cup Team. These riders were selected based on the criteria outlined in the Selection Procedures for the 2012 US Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup Team.  The Selection Procedures can be found here.

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Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials Are Less Than a Week Away

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Lexington, KY – The nation’s top saddle seat riders will compete in the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials held at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri this Saturday, March 31, 2012 in hopes of earning a spot on the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. The Saddle Seat World Cup consists of a three-gaited and a five-gaited competition. At these Trials five team members and one alternate will be selected for each team. Athletes selected will represent the United States in December’s International Saddle Seat World Cup competition in South Africa.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a bi-annual international competition that originated in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa. Teams from as many as five nations now compete for coveted World Cup titles.

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Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

US Saddle Seat World Cup Trial Participants Announced

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Lexington, KY – The nation’s top saddle seat riders will compete in the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials held at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri on March 31, 2012 in hopes of earning a spot on the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. The Saddle Seat World Cup consists of a three-gaited and a five-gaited competition. At these Trials five team members and one alternate will be selected for each team. Athletes selected will represent the United States in December’s International Saddle Seat World Cup competition in South Africa.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a bi-annual international competition that originated in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa. Teams from as many as five nations now compete for coveted World Cup titles.

Continue reading US Saddle Seat World Cup Trial Participants Announced →