Members in all 12 USHJA Zones put their horsemanship knowledge to the test during the 30-day USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge, and the 12 top-scoring trainers will be receiving prize packages for their barns.

“As a barn we look forward to the HQC Stable Challenge each year,” said winning trainer Amy Quinlan of Zone 11. “It brings my students together as a group, and I really like that it pushes their interest in horse care and management outside of their time in the saddle. We set time aside either before or after a group lesson to take the quizzes together as a group so it makes it fun for everyone, and they can learn from each other’s’ questions, as well.”

The following trainers and their barns earned the highest scores in each zone:

Zone 1: Kristi Smith, Cedar Brook Farm

Zone 2: Rebecca Belmont, The Village Farm

Zone 3: Matt Payne, St. Timothy’s School

Zone 4: Amy Center, Cavallo Farms

Zone 5: Mary Roskens, Mary-Go-Round Stables

Zone 6: Rae Doerring, Valley Park Stables

Zone 7: Sarah Trepagnier, Arcadia Hills Equestrian

Zone 8: Kristin Jacob, Blue Star Farms, LLC

Zone 9: Nancy Free, Brass Ring Farm

Zone 10: Sandrine Seifert, Hansen Dam Riding School

Zone 11: Amy Quinlan, Dillingham Ranch

Zone 12: Jenny Rousey, Northgate Farms

“It is a lifelong quest to understand the horse and become a horseman; never stop learning,” says Zone 8 winning trainer Kristin Jacob, who hosted an educational horsemanship summer camp at her Blue Star Farms, LLC, around the HQC Stable Challenge curriculum.

“The participants—even the older, more experienced girls—realized how much they didn’t know and have gained a thirst for learning more,” said Jacob. “They also know how to speak to our vets, farriers and chiropractors, et cetera, in a more educated way. As the camp went on, they started thinking more and gained enough knowledge to ask thoughtful questions. This has continued on past the camp. There also was a great sense of camaraderie between the camp participants that has continued through the summer.”

This year during the Stable Challenge the HQC Practice Quiz was taken more than 900 times by 335 individuals. A total of 148 trainers had students participate in the challenge, with half being juniors and half being amateurs. Zone 2 had the highest participation with 60 individuals taking the quiz, followed by Zone 4 and Zone 3, respectively.

Rebecca Belmont, trainer at The Village Farm in Zone 2, said her students gained a sense of cohesiveness, and that she as a trainer gained “a renewed sense of leadership by opening their minds again to learning the fundamentals outside of riding.”