[slide]PRESS RELEASE
Painesville, Ohio—– Oct. 20, 2017 —–Each year hundreds of young equestrians vie for a spot at the United States Hunter Jumper Association Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, presented by The Plaid Horse. This year a record 400 members participated in the program, and 24 of the top scoring participants were awarded a spot at the Nationals.
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“With record participation this year, we couldn’t be more pleased with the group of equestrians who will be joining us for Nationals,” said Terri Young, chair of the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Program Committee. “They will have an action-packed schedule with top clinicians, a hands-on practicum, a horsemanship/identification test and a final written exam to determine the winner. Congratulations to all our National Finalists!”
The following individuals will be competing for the HQC Nationals title this year at Lake Erie College, Nov. 10-12, which is held in conjunction with the 2017 USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session:
To be eligible for HQC Nationals, participants take two levels of online horsemanship quizzes. They had to have received a score of 80 percent or higher on the Level One Quiz to advance to the Level Two Quiz. The highest scoring participant in each of the 12 USHJA zones for the Level Two Quiz was invited first, followed by the highest nationally ranked finalists for a maximum of 24 participants at HQC Nationals.
HQC Nationals includes multiple days and phases of competition that puts the top-scoring HQC participants to the test. A written exam, horsemanship/identification exam and a final practicum (split into sections A and B based on scores from the first two exams) are included in the competition. The 12 participants with the highest combined scores from the first two exams take Practicum A, while all other participants take Practicum B.
The winner of HQC Nationals will be the individual with the highest cumulative score from the written exam, horsemanship/identification exam and Practicum A, and will be awarded a $5,000 scholarship to Lake Erie College, $2,000 training and education grant provided by the USHJA Foundation, a Charles Owen helmet and a gold medal. Additionally, the winning individual will be awarded special learning opportunity at Spy Coast Farm, a leading American sport horse breeding and training operation in Lexington, Kentucky.
The second place finalist will receive a $3,000 Lake Erie College Scholarship, $1,500 grant for training and education from the USHJA Foundation, a gift certificate for a Charles Owen helmet as well as a silver medal. The third place finalist will receive a $2,000 Lake Erie College Scholarship, $500 grant for training and education from the USHJA Foundation, a gift certificate for a Charles Owen helmet and a bronze medal. All grants are provided from the USHJA Foundation through generous support from donors.
Prizes will also be given to the finalists with the highest written exam score, highest horsemanship/identification exam score, and the highest Practicum A score.
In addition to the competitive aspect of HQC Nationals, competitors will participate in a variety of educational seminars, including a sports psychology session with Daniel Stewart, equine anatomy led by Lake Erie College professor Laura Stockhaus, a saddle fitting session with Heather Soones-Booher, and a session on the top 10 horse skin problems led by Dr. Pam Hess of Lake Erie College. Also, HQC Nationals competitors and their guests will be able to audit the riding sessions of the Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session.
Lake Erie College, founded in 1856, provides undergraduate and graduate programs grounded in the liberal arts, including 33 undergraduate majors and master’s programs. Students can compete in 17 NCAA Division II varsity sports and three intercollegiate equestrian sports.
The 2017 HQC Nationals and EAP National Training Session are supported in part by a generous grant from the United States Equestrian Federation and the USHJA Foundation. For more information about the HQC program, visit www.ushja.org/HQC.
Media Contact: Megan Lacy |
