NCEA Junior Hunt Seat Medal Finals

WHERE:
EAST
- Culpeper Finals 
Commonwealth Park
Culpeper, Virginia
WHEN:
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Grand Prix Ring
     
WEST - National Sunshine II
HITS Desert Horse Park
Thermal, California
Saturday, November 12, 2016
Grand Prix Ring
 


HITS will host the East & West Coast Finals of the inaugural season of the NCEA’s Junior Hunt Seat Medal competition, a new national 3’3” equitation class approved by the USEF and initiated by the NCEA to increase exposure for collegiate equestrian scholarships.  Riders at the finals will be exposed for the first time to the Bracket-style competition similar to what they would find at the NCEA college competitions. Under the Bracket format, the four riders with the highest combined scores from the jumping and flat phases will compete head-to-head over the same course on the same horse.

ELIGIBILITY: The top 50 riders from the East Coast NCEA ranking list will be invited to compete in the East Coast Finals.  Riders accumulate points for placing first though sixth in NCEA Medal classes offered at recognized USEF and Equine Canada licensed competitions. NCEA medal classes are open to all Junior members of the USEF or Equine Canada.  Riders need not be members of the NCEA Medal to compete in the class, but only riders who possess a current NCEA Medal membership number will accrue points for the NCEA Medal ranking list.  Riders will compete in the NCEA Medal ranking list (East or West Coast) based on their address submitted to the NCEA membership office, unless at the time of membership they elect to compete in the other coast finals. 

QUALIFYING PERIOD: All points won in NCEA classes held at shows starting on February 1, 2016 through August 20, 2016 will count towards the East Coast Finals for the inaugural 2016 year. After year one, the qualifying period will run from August 21 of the prior year to August 20 of the current year.  

FINALS SPECIFICATIONS: The Finals will consist of three-phases: Over Fences phase, Flat phase, Bracket phase.

  • The Over Fences portion will be held over a course of at least 10 fences at 3’3” including a double and a triple combination.  The course must include at least two changes of direction.  Hunter-style and jumper-style fences are allowed, or a combination of the two. Water obstacles and liverpools are not permitted.  An open numerical system of scoring will be used for the jumping phase.  Order-of-go for the jumping phase will be drawn the day before the competition.
  • The top 20% or top ten scoring riders, whichever is greater, will return for the Flat phase.  An open numerical system of scoring will be used.  Riders will be asked to perform any of the USEF Tests 1-19 as well as 2 out of 3 movements of shoulder in, haunches in or leg yield in both directions of the ring.
  • The top four riders, as determined by the combined scores of the jumping and flat phases (each counting equally), will return for the Bracket phase.  The First and Fourth place riders will compete over a course of at least 8 fences on the same horse.  The Second and Third place riders will compete over a course of at least 8 fences on the same horse.  The winners of each head-to-head will compete for the Championship and Reserve and the other two riders will compete head-to-head for third and fourth place.  Fifth through tenth place will be awarded based on a rider’s combined scores from the jumping and flat phases.

ENTRIES:  East:  Complete a Culpeper Finals Entry Blank with class number 609
                  West: Complete a National Sunshine II Entry Blank with class number 609

ENTRY FEE: $100.00