This was a new experience for me, but from reading and being there…
The shows are designed to provide experience for young horses, education for people who breed/own/train/handle/ride young horses, and a gathering spot for sellers/buyers of young horses. (Some horses are listed in the entries with price tags, some listings say “inquire”, and some are listed as Not For Sale.) Developing riders, IEA/IHSA and Pony Club members were also invited to a lecture/video format clinic in the late afternoon of the first day to provide more education about the world of young sport horses.
Horses are “declared” as h/j or dressage prospects. There are group flat classes for the h/j horses and individual tests for the dressage horses. There are unjudged warm up rounds over fences, and judged rounds over fences. (Over fences, the horses stay in the arena and do the same course twice. From what I gathered, this allows the judges to examine both stamina and the horse’s ability to learn from previous mistakes and/or display consistency.) All may participate in the in-hand/liberty/jump chute portion of the show (with live critique by the judges following each horse’s performance), but you may elect to skip the in-hand/liberty and just do the jump chute*, or do the in-hand/liberty without the jump chute. (*Jump chute-only horses are still warmed up in canter/trot at liberty for a minute or two before going over the fences.)
The classes are grouped by age. On the first day, flat classes and dressage tests take place in the morning, with over fences classes in the afternoon. On the second day, horses participate in the in-hand/at liberty/jump chute portion of the show.
Professional handlers take over the horses on day two, for safety and so the horses receive training from experienced professionals. (Watching handler Quinnten Alston was a true pleasure. Each youngster he worked with visibly relaxed and improved in short order.)
The arena (at least at this show) for the in-hand/at liberty/jump chute portion did not have the “triangle” I’ve been used to seeing for sport horse in-hand classes. It was a simple oval, surrounded on three sides by the chute for jumping. All the horses I saw were presented by the handlers for conformation judging, then were walked/trotted down one short and long side in hand before being turned loose for some trot/canter before jumping.
This show was the Final for the year, so horses had previously qualified at other Young Horse Shows. But there was also a qualifier on Friday, with the “real” show taking place on Sat/Sun.
Hope this helps.
[QUOTE=Meshach;8395276]
Can anyone give me a quick synopsis on what this series is about? I looked at the website and there is a lot of info on there but no FAQ page.
So it’s for hunter/jumper and for dressage bred horses? And there are jump chute classes for the h/j? And there are at liberty classes? And in hand classes? And then under saddle classes? For both disciplines?
I have a 2013 holsteiner gelding that I want to do some breed shows with next year and really, am dying for an excuse to check out the tryon showgrounds. 
He’s jumper bred and I want to do eventing with him. While he does have more hunter movement, he has an amazing brain which is why I bought him. Would I go the h/j route at this show?[/QUOTE]
