changes to USEF Medal qualifying

[touchstone-]

I just heard via my trainer that the regions were reconfigured and the point requirements went up significantly for a lot of states. Just curious to learn if others know more and what the thinking was behind the change. I'm sort of surprised that I haven't seen any mention of this in the Chronicle, USEF Magazine or here before.

[justathought]

From the USEF Rulebook

d. Qualifying
(1) The points that a rider needs to qualify will be determined by his state residence. The points required by each individual state will be determined by the population density of that state for Junior riders designated Hunter or Jumper combined with the number of USEF Medal classes held in that state. Each year the Current State Groups will be recalculated. The number of points required by each state will be posted at the beginning of the each qualifying period on the USEF website. See chart in EQ112.9.d(2) for each group’s required points to qualify. See chart EQ 112.9.d.3 for current year Medal State Groups. All riders may continue to compete even after qualifying for the finals.

Current state charts will be posted on the USEF website at www.usef.org.

The points did increase but I cannot find the link at the moment

[Jumper221]

Rumors are going around WEF that the majority of the equitation committee members were not aware of the changes being made and it may end up being reversed. Keep an ear out in the next few weeks to see what you really need to qualify.

[Hunter/JumperMom]

I know I said it on another thread, but the Maclay lowered their points needed and the Medal increased? Maybe if the issue is too many kids qualifying, there should be a certain amount of wins also?

[justathought]

Rumors are going around WEF that the majority of the equitation committee members were not aware of the changes being made and it may end up being reversed. Keep an ear out in the next few weeks to see what you really need to qualify.

Interesting rumor - but it does seem a little late in the game to be making a change. Which is not to say that the rule change was the best IMHO.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see

[justathought]

I know I said it on another thread, but the Maclay lowered their points needed and the Medal increased? Maybe if the issue is too many kids qualifying, there should be a certain amount of wins also?

Always thought that the win requirement was a bit strange. It is so easy not to win - for the New Eegland Medal (requires one win to qualify) I knew one rider who had 11 seconds .... Any number of those trips might have been winners... IMHO it would be better to reduce the numbers by limiting the number of horse shows that can be entered in order to accumulate ponts. (not a limit on how many shows you can count for points but how many times you can actually do the class )...

Less pounding on the horses and less unending chasing for points... but that is just me

[touchstone-]

From the USEF Rulebook

d. Qualifying
(1) The points that a rider needs to qualify will be determined by his state residence. The points required by each individual state will be determined by the population density of that state for Junior riders designated Hunter or Jumper combined with the number of USEF Medal classes held in that state. Each year the Current State Groups will be recalculated. The number of points required by each state will be posted at the beginning of the each qualifying period on the USEF website. See chart in EQ112.9.d(2) for each group’s required points to qualify. See chart EQ 112.9.d.3 for current year Medal State Groups. All riders may continue to compete even after qualifying for the finals.

Current state charts will be posted on the USEF website at www.usef.org.

The points did increase but I cannot find the link at the moment

I found the chart http://www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=hse

I feel bad for the horses in the states that need 80 points!

[etopolsk]

I have young kids so it is not my issue right now, but I live in upstate New York where any show that has a medal and maclay in the winter is at least 2 and a half hours away and 80 points is a lot. It is really too bad for the kids who don't live in close proximity to the every weekend shows and don't want to pound their horses and don't have a string of horses to switch off with.

[theoldgreymare]

Maybe if the issue is too many kids qualifying, there should be a certain amount of wins also?

Back when dinosaurs walked the earth and I was a junior, the only way you could qualify was with the prerequisite number of wins for your zone. Anything below a win counted for nothing.

ETA: And back then, when you qualified, you went to Finals (not Regionals).

[justathought]

Back when dinosaurs walked the earth and I was a junior, the only way you could qualify was with the prerequisite number of wins for your zone. Anything below a win counted for nothing.

ETA: And back then, when you qualified, you went to Finals (not Regionals).

Maclay has Regionals.
Medal - if you qualify you go to finals

[YankeeLawyer]

Maclay has Regionals.
Medal - if you qualify you go to finals

Right, but once upon a time, one qualified based on a certain amount of wins, and there was no regionals for Maclay either. They did not start having regionals until around 1985 or 1986. When I was a junior, to qualify you needed 4 medal wins / 4 maclay wins; they did not implement regionals until I was around 14.

[S A McKee]

Right, but once upon a time, one qualified based on a certain amount of wins, and there was no regionals for Maclay either. They did not start having regionals until around 1985 or 1986. When I was a junior, to qualify you needed 4 medal wins / 4 maclay wins; they did not implement regionals until I was around 14.


A very,very long time ago there were Medal Zone finals. To qualify for the zone finals in Zone 2 you just needed one win. Whoever won Zone finals automatically qualified for National finals. Normal national finals qualification requirements were 3 wins. Zone finals were at North Shore Horse Show.
This was in the mid 60's.

[sopha]

There still are zone medal finals. The Zone two medal finals is held at the Hampton Classic. Years ago it was held at Old Field. The first year the maclay eliminations were held outside NY, they were at Overpeck the day before. IIRC that was 1982. Before that you got your 4 wins and you were in. (If you lived in NY, NJ, or CT, it was less in other states) They went to the regional system after that.