US to Create New Young Horse Championships of Five Disciplines
11 years ago StraightArrow Comments Off on US to Create New Young Horse Championships of Five Disciplines
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Sept. 27–A new young horse championship and festival was announced by the United States Equestrian Federation Friday but dressage is not expected to join driving, eventing, hunter and jumper disciplines in the inaugural event in 2014.
Plans were well underway for the USEF Young Horse Championships and Festival to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in the fall of 2014.
Dressage, however, is already committed to hold the long-established Young Horse Chamionships in Wayne, Illinois in 2014 but could join the other disciplines at the newly announced festival a later. The existing U.S. dressage young horse program is the most developed of all the disciplines and in addtion to the American championships provides a pathway to the World Young Horse Championships that have been held in Verden, Germany for the past several years.
The USEF said in a statement the new championship “promises to be a unique event providing a multi-discipline showcase for the equine stars of the future.”
The USEF said the festival is intended to showcase and identify the best young horses in the United States as well promote American-bred horses while creating an incentive to buy, own, and show young horses.
The championship will be for horses aged four through seven years with an in-hand evaluation by a panel of experts for yearlings to three-year-olds.
A USEF Young Horse Championship Symposium will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park Nov. 8-10 for U.S. team coaches and representatives from dressage, driving, eventing, hunter, and jumping to develop competition criteria for each discipline.
