The United States Hunter/Jumper Association, or USHJA, is the governing body for hunt seat and show jumping in the United States. The mission statement of the USHJA is to "unify and represent the interests of all levels of participants in order to promote and enhance the hunter and jumper disciplines and provide educational experiences in a manner that will benefit both horses and members."
The USHJA was formed in 2004 with Bill Moroney of Aldie, Virginia at the lead. It has since expanded to include major elements of training, promotion, collaboration, and quality within the Hunter/Jumper field. The USHJA facility was recently completed in Lexingon, KY and a USHJA Foundation has been developed as well.
Major roles include:
The organization is an affiliate of the USEF (United States Equestrian Federation).
The USHJA was founded during a breakfast meeting at the 2003 USEF Board of Directors meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. At this gathering, the idea of forming an organization specified to hunter/jumper equestrians was introduced. Committees who could help further the goal were then created to fulfill the creation of the organization.
The USHJA created zones for different regions of the country who have different needs. There are 12 zones in total, each are represented by a zone committee. Zone committees address issues brought to them and can then bring those issues to USHJA leadership. Members of the committees are appointed by peers via election or by presidential appointment.
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Show jumping, also known as "stadium jumping", is a part of a group of English riding equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including the Olympics. Sometimes shows are limited exclusively to jumpers, sometimes jumper classes are offered in conjunction with other English-style events, and sometimes show jumping is but one division of very large, all-breed competitions that include a very wide variety of disciplines. Jumping classes may be governed by various national horse show sanctioning organizations, such as the United States Equestrian Federation in the USA or the British Showjumping Association in Great Britain. International competitions are governed by the rules of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports. Horses are very well-known for jumping in competition or even freely.
Kentucky Horse Park is a working horse farm, international equestrian competition venue, and an educational theme park opened in 1978 in Lexington, Kentucky. It is located off Kentucky State Highway 1973 and Interstate 75, at Exit 120, in northern Fayette County in the United States. The equestrian facility is a 1,224-acre (4.95 km2) park dedicated to "man's relationship with the horse." Open to the public, the park has a twice daily Horses of the World Show, showcasing both common and rare horses from around the globe. The horses are ridden in authentic costume. Each year the park is host to a number of special events and horse shows.
A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and international championships in a given discipline or breed. Most shows consist of a series of different performances, called classes, wherein a group of horses with similar training or characteristics compete against one another for awards and, often, prize money.
Reining is a western riding competition for horses where the riders guide the horses through a precise pattern of circles, spins, and stops. Reining is also considered to be a lot like figure skating. All work is done at the lope, or the gallop. Originating from working cattle, reining is often described as a Western form of dressage riding, as it requires the horse to be responsive and in tune with its rider, whose aids should not be easily seen, and judges the horse on its ability to perform a set pattern of movements. The horse should be willingly guided or controlled with little or no apparent resistance and dictated to completely. A horse that pins his ears, conveying a threat to his rider, refuses to go forward, runs sideways, bounces his rear, wrings his tail in irritation or displays an overall poor attitude is not being guided willingly, and is judged accordingly.
The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) is a nonprofit organization composed of men and women of all riding levels and offers individual and team competition in hunter seat equitation, Western horsemanship and reining at more than 400 member colleges and universities. Members of IHSA participate at horse shows, regardless of their experience or financial status. Students compete at eight levels from beginner through advanced with provided horses, eliminating the expense of horse ownership. Founded in 1967 by Bob Cacchione, it is the oldest and largest intercollegiate equestrian organization with 10,000 members in 47 states and Canada. IHSA college and university team participation is represented through a variety of programs including varsity athletics, academic departments and club sports. IHSA offers hands-on experience and professional development in multiple facets of the equine industry. Many IHSA teams participate in service projects, giving back to their communities.
The United States Equestrian Federation is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917, as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed to the American Horse Shows Association (AHSA). In 2001, the organization changed its name to USA Equestrian (USAE) and, in 2003 it merged with the United States Equestrian Team (USET). In 2017, USEF rebranded as US Equestrian. In 2019, USEF abandoned and sold its own laboratory to the University of Kentucky.
Hunt seat is a style of forward seat riding commonly found in North American horse shows. Along with dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The hunt seat is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunt seat competition in North America includes both flat and over fences for show hunters, which judge the horse's movement and form, and equitation classes, which judge the rider's ability both on the flat and over fences. The term hunt seat may also refer to any form of forward seat riding, including the kind seen in show jumping and eventing.
An equestrian helmet is a form of protective headgear worn when riding horses. This type of helmet is specially designed to protect the rider’s head in the event of falls from a horse, especially from striking a hard object while falling or being accidentally struck in the head by a horse’s hoof.
George H. Morris is an American equestrian. He won team silver in show jumping at the 1960 Rome Olympics and is considered a founding father of hunt seat equitation. He was chef d'equipe for the United States show jumping team, which won Olympic gold under his leadership, from 2005 until 2013. He also served as chef d'equipe for the Brazilian show jumping team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Throughout his career, Morris has been a "proponent of the forward seat" and wrote several books on the subject, including Hunter Seat Equitation. Morris trained students at his Hunterdon Stables and traveling clinics, producing nationally and internationally successful riders, including Olympic champions. In 2019, after a United States Center for SafeSport investigation, Morris was banned for life from the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) due to sexual misconduct with minors. Morris is likewise banned from coaching international teams for any country.
A horse show steward, sometimes also called a rules steward or licensed steward, is a licensed official at a horse show tasked with the responsibility of interpreting and enforcing the rules of the organization that sanctions the horse show. In many organizations, stewards also must submit reports following the show explaining any major rules violations or other information that may be required. The show steward is an individual required to be of the highest ethical standard.
Equestrian Canada, formerly known as Equine Canada and commonly known by its acronym, EC, is Canada’s comprehensive national governing body for equestrian sport. It is the executive branch of Canada's Olympic and Paralympic equestrian teams; the national association and registry of Canadian equestrian athletes; the national regulatory body for equestrian coaches, competition organizers, and judges; and the national federation of Canadian horse breeders and Canadian breed registries.
Chrystine Tauber is an American equestrian. She serves as the President of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF).
Junior Hunter Finals is a two-day national championship held by the United States Equestrian Federation at two different coasts of the United States in the summer of every year. It is held for qualifying Junior Hunter riders who show at either the 3'3" or 3'6" height.
Lucy Davis is an American show jumping competitor and 2016 Olympian.
The Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) is a competition-based sport organization within the state of Colorado. CHJA serves many types of riding including hunt seat, equitation, showjumping, dressage, cross country, and eventing.
The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) is a nonprofit organization that gives youth in grades 4-12 the opportunity to compete in team and individual equestrian competition without the financial burden of owning a horse. IEA offers competition across three disciplines: hunt seat, western, and dressage. Within each discipline, there are divisions for beginning through advanced riders. Since all riders compete on horses unfamiliar to them, there are regulations for the placement of riders new to IEA to account for the unique format. IEA was founded in spring of 2002, and has since grown its membership to 14,500 members across 46 states. Teams can be formed through a school or barn.
The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is one of America's most elite horse shows, founded in 1958. The takes place every October in the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. The event is highlighted by international level show jumping, top show hunters, and two equitation championships. The event is currently ranked as a CSI-4*-W International show jumping event, as well as a USEF Premier Hunter and USEF 6* Jumper show.
The United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals is an annual championship for pony hunters, jumpers, and equitation. The event takes place over six days and is typically held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. More than 600 ponies compete at the championship every year.
Sydney Shulman represents Israel in show jumping competitions, primarily in the United States and Europe. She is known for running a hunter jumper training and sales business, Syd Shulman LLC, which is based in Wellington, Florida, as well as working with her family business, Back Country Farms, of Greenwich, Connecticut.
Lillie Carmichael Keenan is an American show jumping rider. As a junior rider she won the ASPCA Maclay Finals, the USEF Medal Finals, and the Washington International Horse Show Equitation championship, as well as the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and double gold at the North American Young Rider Championship.