by Patti Schooley
Welcome to 2025! With the new year comes those troublesome resolutions; I’m going to lose weight, workout every day, eat healthily, and for most equestrians I’m going to ride more, accomplish XY&Z in my training sessions, and compete at a higher level. Oh, and let’s not forget, look fabulous in the latest and greatest new riding apparel.
Yes, these goals are achievable with lots of commitment and hard work but let’s not forget about last year’s accomplishments! Hopefully, you relished the experience of attending one show or ten, winning, placing or just competing in a class for the joy, excitement, and fun of it. We all go into a class hoping to win, but there are many levels of success and reward, and we should embrace those too.
Year Endings
Enough about new year’s resolutions. I want to highlight several successful IEHJA programs and events from the last half of 2024 and look to 2025’s new beginnings. As many readers know, USHJA sponsors an affiliate association program that allows for the nomination of riders to attend their Championship Show in Las Vegas. This program provides an option for nominated riders to attend the Championship show without competing in the USHJA Region shows. USHJA allows each local association to establish criteria for nominating riders. IEHJA has established a formal application program including a set of questions regarding a rider’s participation in IEHJA sanctioned shows, riding goals, examples of sportsmanship, and why this applicant should be selected. In addition, the rider’s trainer must submit a letter of recommendation. This year, IEHJA also required an uploaded video of the applicant riding either a hunter or jumper course.
The IEHJA board of directors reviews each applicant’s submittals and then ranks each rider per age group per division. USHJA typically accepts all number one rankings for each division; second and third ranked riders are accepted based upon space availability. The IEHJA application process is detailed and time-consuming and it may take several attempts to capture your best course on video. If you are considering applying for the 2025 USHJA Las Vegas Championship show you might start putting together your data soon. Enjoy some photos of IEHJA members at the USHJA Championship Show:
The other 2024 highlighted event is the IEHJA Fall Festival Year End Show. Held November 8-10 at Galway Downs this show attracted IEHJA members and non-members alike. This year’s two-day format featured the 2024 IEHJA Medals Finals, USHJA Medals, Fall Festival Hunter Derby,1.0m Mini Prix, 0.80m JR/AM Mini Prix, $100 Stirrup Hunter Classic, $100 Green Rider Hunter Classic, and Musical Buckets. Of course, a full complement of Hunter/Jumper Division classes were offered and the IEHJA Hi-point Thoroughbred was determined at this competition.
Kaitlyn Williams. Anastasia Milron and Audrey De Tavis.
The following highlights our champions, reserve champions and medal winners:
• Wonderful Walk Trot – Ch Biscotti/ Chloe Warren and Res Ch Roger That/Skylar Ochoa
• Low Children’s/AA Jumpers .070- Ch London Fog/ Alessa Miller and Res Ch Fly Me to the Moon Luna/Cambria Dierks
• Cross Rail Open- Ch Stand By Me/Buffy Lake and Res Ch Native Crusader/ Taylor Schoessow
• Low Children’s/AA Jumpers 0.80 – Ch Wrecking Havoc/Kaitlyn Wiliams and Res Ch Viareggio/Lily Freesmeier
• Green Rider- Ch Biscotti/ Chloe Warren and Res Ch Partner in Crime/Rachel Tolber-White
• Short Stirrup- Ch Huey Lewis/Kaitlyn McCullough and Res Ch Lighting McQueen/Mollie Ringrose
• Long Stirrup- Ch Timeless Tradition/Olivia Stepien and Res Ch Monarch PF/Taylor Harden
• Low Children’s/ AA –Ch Sir Rocco Brinley Wehrili and Res Ch Canela/Liat Shademon
• Low Schooling Jumpers- Ch London Fog/Alessa Miller and Res Ch Fly Me to the Moon Luna/Cambria Dierks
• Pre-Training Jumpers- Ch Wrecking Havoc/Kaitlyn Williams and Res Ch Primrose/Anastasia Miron
• Baby Greens- Ch Timeless Tradition/Jessica Clark and Res Ch Partner in Crime/ Rachel Tolber-White
• Cross-Rail- Ch Native Crusader/Taylor Schoessow and Lady Mae/Sadie Arenas
IEHJA Medal Finals and Specialty Class Results include the following:
• Flat Medal- First place sash awarded to Olive Nielson riding Bandito and second place sash to Chloe Warren riding Biscotti
• 2’3” Medal first place sash awarded to Olive Nielson riding Bandito and second place sash to Chloe Warren On Biscotti
Specialty Class results are as follows:
• Fall Festival Hunter Derby 2’6” to 3.0 -first place Timeless Tradition/Jessica Clark and second place to Distinguished Gentlemen/Jessica Clar.
• Stirrup $100 2’ Hunter Classic- first place Lightning McQueen with Mollie Ringrose aboard and second place to Huey Lewis with Kaitlyn McCullough in the saddle
• Green Rider $100 2’3” Hunter Classic-first place to Biscotti ridden by Chloe Warren and second place to Partner in Crime with Rachel Tolber-Whit on board
• Musical Buckets- coming in first was Shadow ridden by Avery Bombers followed by Frauline D”Orsay and Grace Vargas in the saddle.
• 0.80m Mini Prix – won by Wreaking Havoc and Kaitlyn Williams and second place belongs to Viareggio and Lily Freesmeier.
Congratulations to all winners and kudos to all the competitors that participated in the 2024 Fall Festival year end show. I hope you all had fun and enjoyed the horse show . Mark your calendar for the 2025 Fall Festival, usually the second weekend in November. More information to come. Check out the IEHJA website at www.iehja.com.
New Beginnings
IEHJA’s new year always begins with the Annual Awards Banquet to be held February 16th at Santa Anita Park. This event celebrates IEHJA member’s accomplishments for the previous show season. It’s also a time for members, their family and friends to mingle with competitors from other barns while enjoying a catered lunch and watching the beautiful Thoroughbreds warm up and race on the track. More importantly, it’s a time for riders to cheer for each other as they proudly accept their awards. Division Champions and Reserve Champions received a leather belt in addition to an engraved plaque and embroidered backpack respectively. IEHJA Medal Finalist received their sashes at the year-end horse show but will be recognized again in the banquets program. Hi-point medal riders are awarded an embroidered saddle pad while the hi-point trainer receives an embroidered riding shirt. The IEHJA Hi-point Thoroughbred award, sponsored by Santa Anita Park, will be presented with a fancy embroidered cooler and the rider is awarded a jacket. As of this printing date the banquet is sold out!
Speaking of Santa Anita Park, IEHJA is proud to announce the renewal of its agreement between both organizations to promoted Off the track Thoroughbreds (OTTB) in second careers. This special partnership provides IEHJA to promote OTTB’s versatility , especially in the hunter/jumper arena, at its horse shows, in promotional and media material, and on its social media platforms. “Thoroughbreds can do it all” is not just a slogan but a reality as many IEHJA members use their OTTBs for parades, barrel racing, ranch sorting, gymkhanas, and competitive and family trail riding. Santa Anita’s racehorse owners and trainers financially support the re-housing of retired or non-raced Thoroughbreds with a percentage of race purses dedicated to organizations that provide this service. The retraining and re-homing to a forever home is also part of this program.
IEHJA proposed taking this one step further: Via horse shows and other events and through its media and online content IEHJA actively promotes horse buyers to consider OTTB for their first, second, or next horse to move up the competitive ladder. “Why not a Thoroughbred” is the new 2025 standard promoted by IEHJA. As many riders are priced out of the European horse market and, for the majority , will never compete at the national or international level, the OTTB provides the best opportunities. A Thoroughbred’s athleticism, attitude, and adaptability cannot be beat which is why you find their bloodlines in most of today’s sport horses. So, if you’re looking for that new horse try an off the track Thoroughbred. CARMA is a local Southern California organization that can connect you with an approved list of re-homing facilities. CARMA can be reached at lucinda@carma4horses.org.
Please find IEHJA’s 2025 calendar of 2025 sanctioned events on its website.
Photos courtesy of Tina Finch photography, Andrew Ryback photography and Sandy Olsen. Artwork ellenmaze@aol.com.