Participants Selected for 2024 MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session

Lexington, Ky.—Oct. 16, 2024—The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association is pleased to announce the 16 athletes and four stable managers selected to participate in the 14th annual MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session. This year's session will be held at Sweet Briar College of Sweet Briar, Virginia, over November 7-10, led by Olympic show jumper Joe Fargis and stable management expert Colleen Reed.

In 2024, 180 athletes participated in 10 Regional Training Sessions held nationwide, receiving invaluable education over the course of five days of mounted and unmounted instruction. Based on the recommendations of the riding and stable management clinicians, 16 athletes and four stable managers are selected to attend the National Training Session each year.

Riders at the National Training Session will vie for the title of Champion and a $3,000 grant to be applied toward the cost of advanced training based on their performance in the riding and stable management sessions throughout the week. Congratulations to the following athletes and stable managers on being selected to participate in this year's National Training Session:

EAP athletes will be closely observed and evaluated during all phases of the four-day National Training Session, including flat work, gymnastics, related distances, and course work, an intensive stable-management curriculum, and through a written test that gauges the horsemanship knowledge each finalist has gained throughout the year. In addition to the competition, finalists will participate in joint educational seminars with USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals, which is held concurrently.

One rider will be named the overall USHJA EAP National Champion and will receive a $3,000 grant to be applied toward the cost of advanced training, as well as a variety of additional products and gifts from USHJA sponsors. Additionally, the top two EAP finalists will receive a coveted riding spot at a USHJA Gold Star Clinic within the next two years of their choice. Part of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Rider Program, these clinics offer horsemanship, stable management, mounted instruction, and additional education from top clinicians and athletes.

The Charles "Chuck" Keller Grant for Equestrian Excellence will also be awarded to one EAP National Training Session participant for the purpose of furthering their equestrian training in pursuit of equestrian excellence. The USHJA EAP Committee will select the recipient of this $500 grant, made possible by an anonymous donation, based on the care and handling of horses, treatment of horses while mounted, and level of personal interaction with clinicians, peers, and spectators.

The Sunny Stevens Outstanding Stable Manager Award will award $1,000 to a stable manager participant for the purpose of further education. The award was created in Sunny's honor for her passion and dedication to stable management. The USHJA EAP Committee will select the recipient of this award based on knowledge, work ethic, ability to manage a barn and staff, people skills, and passion for stable management.

The USHJA extends special thanks to Title Sponsor MZ Farms for their continued support; Official Sponsors CWD, Nutrena, and Parlanti; Educational Supporting Sponsor SmartPak; Awards Sponsor Boy-O-Boy Bridleworks; and Supporting Sponsors Essex Classics, Schneiders Saddlery, THIS Equine Insurance, and YETI. The Emerging Athletes Program is supported in part through US Equestrian and the USHJA Foundation.

For more information on the MZ Farms/USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session, visit ushja.org/EAP.

Photo: Rachel Milewski/USHJA