Applications Open February 3 for 2021 USHJA Emerging Athletes Program

Dates and Locations for Regional Training Sessions Announced

Lexington, Ky.—Jan. 20, 2021—The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to announce that applications for the 2021 USHJA Emerging Athletes Program will open on February 3, as well as announce dates and locations for 10 EAP Regional Training Sessions.

EAP Regional Training Sessions are open to members age 12 and above with each session offering a section at 0.90m and 1.0m fence heights. Regional Training Sessions will be held at the following locations:

All sessions will be following strict COVID-19 protocols and will only take place provided current local/state guidelines permit the facility to host the session safely. All dates and locations are subject to change.

Riders interested in participating in the EAP program must be current USHJA members in good standing above the Outreach level and must complete and return the application and associated fee to USHJA by April 1. Riders must also submit three letters of recommendation, complete the Level One Horsemanship Quiz Challenge with a score of 80 percent or above, and meet all other eligibility requirements to participate in an EAP Regional Training Session.

Riders accepted into the EAP begin by participating in an EAP Regional Training Session. During the extensive five-day Regional Training Sessions, riders have the opportunity to work with top riding clinicians and some of the country's leading stable managers, where instruction focuses on flatwork, gymnastics, related distances and course work, as well as an intensive stable-management curriculum that incorporates proper care and grooming, horsemanship skills and barn management. Riders provide their own horses for the Regional Training Session and provide all care themselves.

While the program is open to junior members above the age of 12 and adult amateurs, members aged 12 to 25 participating at either fence height will be eligible for selection to the EAP National Training Session. Once the Regional Training Sessions conclude, 16 riders and a select number of stable managers will be invited to attend the National Training Session based on their riding and stable-management skills and potential shown during their Regional Training Session. The dates and location for the 2021 USHJA EAP National Training Session will be announced at a later date.

"It’s really been an amazing experience getting to learn from so many top professionals, from the management part to the riding," said 2019 USHJA EAP National Training Session Reserve Champion Skylar Wireman during a presentation at the 2020 USHJA Annual Meeting. "I loved being with the horses and then learning from the top professionals."

Each USHJA Zone offers a minimum of two grants to EAP participants to help offset the cost of attending a Regional Training Session or the National Training Session. For more information, visit ushja.org/zones, select your home zone, then click on "Grants and Scholarships." EAP Grant applications must be completed by April 1.

The USHJA Emerging Athletes Program was created for riders to gain riding and horsemanship knowledge in their pursuit to become informed and experienced horsemen and women within the hunter/jumper community. Since the program's inception in 2009, EAP athletes have gone on to work for Olympic and nationally recognized trainers, as well as compete and succeed in top hunter, jumper and equitation in the United States and abroad. For more information on program specifications and application requirements for the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program, visit ushja.org/EAP.

Photo: Louise Taylor