Hi all, it’s been a LONG time since I’ve posted.
I’m in a position where I have a great horse and we’ve been doing quite well in the adult jumpers, and I want to set some goals.
I know of the NAL finals, and the M&S finals for adult jumpers. But is there something else I’m not seeing? A lot of the shows near me these days don’t offer classes that qualify for NAL or M&S so I’m trying to be strategic with our show schedule for next year.
There are zone jumper team championships for the high adults and low amateurs.
Here’s the official landing page, with not a lot of information, but the links in red have a lot of information about the format, etc. and there is a link to a calendar that presumably has locations and dates in the navigation bar at the left.
https://www.ushja.org/competition/jumper/zone-jumper-team-championships
WIHS has adult (1.10) championships. Similar to NAL, takes top 30ish. I think that rounds out the list for “national” finals.
Most Zones have Zone finals for adult jumpers (low and high) as well. Not sure where you are located but ours (z3) is typically just one day, a speed and a classic. (I think)
Thank you, I am also in z3. The WIHS qualifying rules really confused me at first but I think it makes sense now. That will probably be what we target as it seems the “easiest” (relatively!) to qualify for.
Yes, it’s very similar to NAL - so long as you’re registered, any class or classic for WIHS will count towards points. I believe the deadline for this year is 8/31.
IMO, zone 3 finals is very achievable for jumpers. They take top 20 or 25 I think. Good luck!!
I did the Zone 9/10 team final last year in the adults. It was an absolute blast. I don’t know where the Zone 3 finals are held but they held ours at Desert Horse Park in Thermal and we got to do 2 days in the GP ring, which I loved. That ring is seriously cool, and not one I’m likely to show in anytime soon. I got some amazing photos of my older guy and they put a lot of effort into making the ceremonies feel special.
The team rounds also count for an individual championship that runs on the last day (which my teammate won!). Individual medalists also qualify for the Gold Star Clinic, which looks like a fantastic opportunity.
I don’t think the teams are very hard to qualify for. It is based on zone points but I think they end up taking a lot of wild cards to fill all the slots.
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Thank you! The team finals have not been on my radar but something I will look into. Sounds like you had an awesome experience!
The Gold Star Clinic does look amazing, I had a friend who was in it a few years back and it was very eye-opening for her and her horse.
There’s the USHJA team finals in the summer (entries are already closed for this year), and the Zone finals in the fall. There’s also Devon and Harrisburg, where you can qualify via normal USEF points and don’t need special qualifying classes.
