Young equestrians shine at El Sueno Equestrian Center.

by Kimberly Rhodes

The Camino Real Region Pony Club Mega Rally was held April 21-22 at the prestigious El Sueno Equestrian Center in Ventura County’s Somis. The Pony Club members competed in their choice of dressage or jumper classes as teams of three or four riders and a stable manager.

Red Carpet awards event includes a day at the races at Santa Anita.

by Patti Schooley

The majestic San Gabriel Mountains provided the backdrop to the 2017 IEHJA Championship Awards Banquet held at Santa Anita Racetrack. This event, held Sunday, Feb. 18, included a spectacular awards presentation, a catered brunch and a day at the races. The banquet’s setting, located adjacent to the track’s finish line, offered up close race viewing. A dozen banquet tables accommodated IEHJA members, their families and friends. The awards tables ran the length of the banquet area and were layered with ribbons, jackets, trophies, silver cups, bridles, pads, picture frames and other prizes and forms of rider recognition.

Many advantages of membership.

The mission of IEHJA is to sanction horse shows and events that promote safe, affordable and competitive venues for hunter, jumper and equitation riders, owners and trainers. To accomplish this mission IEHJA has a Board of Directors and various committees that review horse show venues prior to sanctioning shows, create annual horse show calendar, tracks member show points, has an awesome website with photos, a meet the trainers section, sponsor acknowledgement, membership lists, an upcoming events section and of course by-laws and organizational rules. Members receive e-mail reminders of upcoming shows, changes in dates, can pose questions and queries, send in photos and generally keep up to date with IEHJA.

Meet Our Trainers - Part II

The Inland Empire Hunter Jumper Association (IEHJA) is supported by a number of professional trainers, barns and riding academies located throughout Southern California. Their programs range from beginners on lesson horses to riders new to the hunter/jumper show scene to dedicated show competitors chasing points at the county and higher circuit level to older adult riders enjoying the schooling process. No matter your riding level, horse owner or not, competitor or casual rider, IEHJA has a trainer for you. Whether you live in the San Bernardino Mountains, the deserts of Riverside, San Diego or Riverside counties or you call urban Orange and Los Angeles counties home, there is an IEHJA trainer near you.

Medications Issue Shocker: USEF & Farmer-Glefke Resolve Litigation

USEF has resolved the litigation with Kelley Farmer and Larry Glefke for their alleged July 2016 GABA violation. USEF is voiding the proceeding from the outset and vacating all penalties and suspensions, thereby restoring Ms. Farmer and Mr. Glefke to active membership effective July 1, 2017. They are free to enjoy all privileges of membership including participation in competition.

Adult Amateur Musical Freestyle Awards.

The United States Eventing Association’s 2018 USEA Intercollegiate Eventing Championship will be held at Virginia Horse Trials (VHT) in Lexington, Va. during the Virginia CCI/CIC and Horse Trials May 24-27, 2018.
VHT hosted the inaugural Intercollegiate Championship in 2016 as well as the second eddition in 2017. The Championship will return to VHT for one more year before moving on to a new venue.

Thanks to riders and sponsors for a successful Fall Festival Year-End Show.

by Patti Schooley

The Fall Festival year end horse show, held November 17-19 at the City of Industry Expo Center was a big hit with IEHJA competitors. The courses were challenging, the competition fierce but friendly, awesome prizes were awarded and in certain sponsored classes, monetarily rewarding. IEHJA thanks its many sponsors for their generosity including Infused Edibles (maker of CBD horse treats), The Hay Connection (a full-service feed supplier located in Norco), Caston Inc. (lighting contractors), Dover Saddlery (providing corporate support to IEHJA), Sports Life Magazine (a digital and print magazine focusing on all types of sporting activities) and Vamp Inc. (permanent make up). IEHJA also recognizes Cornerstone Equestrian Center (Susan Smith trainer) and Showcase Training Stables (Gretchen Clark trainer) for their supporting messages to all riders competing in the year end horse show. Also, a big thanks to California Riding Magazine for supporting IEHJA through its publication of monthly association related articles. Lastly, thanks to all the riders and their families who support IEHJA throughout the show year culminating in their participation in the year end horse show.

USEF rule changes affecting hunter/jumper sport take effect December 1.

In an effort to help members understand the rule changes coming into play, the United States Hunter Jumper Association has issued a Know Before You Show guide of rule changes taking effect for the new competition year. The following are important rule changes that will be effective Dec. 1, 2017, for the 2018 competition year and affect hunter/jumper competition. Visit www.ushja.org for a comprehensive list of rule changes that were approved in early 2017 and will take effect for the 2018 competition year. The entire 2018 USEF Rulebook is available at www.usef.org.

2017 NorCal Pony Medal Champion Emilie Bell, with Trainers Jan and Emma Hainze, and members of the NorCal Board of Directors.

Medal Finals are successful & Geoff Teall set for annual clinic, held concurrent with TCP session, Nov. 30-Dec. 3.

Fall in Northern California is often a fleeting season, typically lasting only a few weeks before the heavy rains and brisk temperatures settle in the region.  This past October, the terrible Wine County fires added to the normal unpredictability of the month weather-wise, but they were far enough away from the Sacramento area for the NorCal Hunter Jumper Association Medal Finals Show to be held under sunny skies Oct. 11-15, at Brookside Equestrian Park in Elk Grove.

The US Eventing Association Annual Meeting & Convention brings education, influence opportunities, awards and fun to California in December.

Education and awards presentations highlight the agenda for the US Eventing Association’s annual meeting, which comes to California for the first time in a decade, Dec. 7-10 in Long Beach. This being an eventing gathering, however, fun will also play a big part.