Over 150 equestrians from 71 barns across eight U.S. Hunter Jumper Association zones took on the 30-day USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge, showcasing their horsemanship knowledge. USHJA congratulates the top-scoring trainers and their barns in each zone, who will receive prize packages in recognition of their achievement.

• Zone 1: Meghan Oathout of Seahorse Stables
• Zone 2: Clare Knapp of Crosswinds Equestrian Center
• Zone 3: Kristy Willwerth of Picturesque Farm
• Zone 4: Mandi Callaway Powers of Copper Phoenix Equine
• Zone 5: Kari Sullivan of Maple Springs Farm
• Zone 7: Cory Valenzuela of Victory Stables
• Zone 9: Sadie Kurtz of Oldonyo Equestrian
• Zone 11: Amy Quinlan of Amy Quinlan Equestrian

Among the winning teams, Zone 7 was led by a USHJA-credentialed instructor; Zone 11 by a USHJA-certified trainer; and zones 1, 7 and 11 represented a USHJA-recognized riding academy. Zone 3 had the most stables represented, with 11 barns competing. The overall high-scoring team’s trainer was Mandi Callaway Powers of Copper Phoenix Equine in Zone 4.

“Horsemanship is a primary focus of our program, and I am so excited for my team to earn this accomplishment,” Powers said. “They have dedicated the hours to learning and absorbing the knowledge, and it’s rewarding to see it pay off in many ways.”

The Stable Challenge was designed to engage a trainer’s entire barn as a team. At least three students per trainer had to complete the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Practice Quiz between June 15 and July 15 to be eligible for prizes. At the end of the 30-day challenge, the three top scores under each trainer were averaged to provide an overall score. Participants who also took the Level One and Level Two Horsemanship Quiz Challenge quizzes received 10 bonus points for each level they completed.

“I was excited that I had so many students who wanted to participate in the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Stable Challenge,” winning Zone 3 trainer Willwerth said. “I found the quizzes to be a really helpful tool, and it reminded me, as a trainer, to share my knowledge and information that is commonplace to me, but for my students, it might be something they have never thought of asking or learning about.” 

The Stable Challenge was created to promote the USHJA Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Program and get members excited about advancing their horsemanship knowledge at all ages. USHJA members can still participate in the Horsemanship Quiz Challenge and compete for a chance to go to Horsemanship Quiz Challenge Nationals until Sept. 1. The Horsemanship Quiz Challenge is supported in part by grants from US Equestrian and the USHJA Foundation.