The inaugural USHJA Amateur Hunter Championships now have dates and locations. There will be two championships in 2025, with the East championship taking place Sept. 16-21 during The Kentucky National in Lexington and the West championship happening Oct. 29-Nov. 2at the National Sunshine Series I in Thermal, California.
The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association announced July 15 that the championships would debut in 2025 and would comprise of the low adult amateur, adult amateur, 3’3″ amateur-owner and amateur-owner hunter divisions. Riders may ride one horse in each height section.
“Amateurs represent over 40% of the membership, which is by far the largest component of USHJA members,” USHJA Amateur Task Force Chair Tracey Weinberg said in the press release announcing the championships. “As an amateur hunter exhibitor myself, I am thrilled to have a championship solely dedicated to the amateur hunter competitors and am proud to be a part of the process of developing it over the past several years.”
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To qualify, the amateur mount must earn champion or reserve in one of the designated sections at any USEF-licensed competition in either Channel I or II or be in the top 10 of their USHJA Zone Horse of the Year division standings in either channel. While the qualifying period begins Dec. 1 for both championships, the East Coast qualifying period ends Aug. 2, 2025, and the West Coast qualifying period extends to Sept. 14, 2025.
The divisions will run similarly to those at the Adequan/USEF Junior Hunter National Championships. Each division will be comprised of three phases: an under saddle and two over fences rounds. For the 2’6″ and 3′ divisions, the second round will be a classic round, while the 3’3″ and 3’6″ divisions will have a handy round. Each phase will be scored 0-100, and the scores will be weighted to calculate an overall score with the under saddle comprising of 20% of the final score and each over fences round is 40%.
