The U.S. Equestrian Federation has announced new dates and a new location for the 2024 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final–West. The final will now be held during the National Sunshine Series 2, Nov. 6-10, at the Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California.

The Final was originally scheduled for Sept. 22-24 at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, California. However on April 10, the park was shut down due to the park’s operator, The Ridland Group’s, failure to bring the facility into compliance with the Clean Water Act. An agreement signed May 23 to reopen the park on the condition that The Ridland Group meet deadlines for completing temporary and permanent stormwater and wastewater management improvements at the property before the end of the year.

Prior to the closure, Blenheim EquiSports, which manages the shows at the riding park, had 10 USEF-licensed competitions scheduled to run June through September. Blenheim EquiSports re-applied for seven of those shows, and on May 27, USEF granted licenses for five of those shows. Among the rescheduled events were the Adequan/Junior Hunter National Championships and accompanying equitation class the USHJA Gladstone Cup, however at that time the Talent Search Final—West was not reallocated.

The Talent Search Final is a three-day competition with four phases which includes a flat phase, a gymnastics phase and a jumping phase. The top four riders following the first three phases will move onto Phase IV, the ride-off, in which they swap horses and ride the same course on each of the final four horses to determine final placings.

Kristen Coe, the 1996 Talent Search winner, will judge the 2024 edition of the competition alongside Michael Tokaruk. Coe represented the U.S. on multiple Nations Cup teams and qualified for FEI World Cup Finals on three different occasions. Tokaruk worked as a professional rider for Heritage Farm and Spring Mill Farm before starting his own training business. He has won more than 24 Grand Prixs and is a USEF ‘R’ judge, with assignments including the 2021 Talent Search Final—East as well as the 2022 ASPCA Maclay Final.