We are looking forward to seeing California riders safely return to competition in April. Thank you to the competition managers for taking the recent EHV-1 outbreak seriously and putting horses first. As we head back into the show ring, it’s important to follow Best Practices to keep our horses healthy.
This year we will be spotlighting educational opportunities and sharing some of our favorite educational books with you. Read on for an interview with author and equestrian mental skills coach, Tonya Johnston.
Best of luck!
Katie Taylor, Co-Chair and Ellen Gates, Co-Chair
Member Comment Period Opens April 1 for 2023 Zone Specifications
Participate on a Team in 2022!
Check out some of these great events that offer team competition across the country:
Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships
November 29-December 4
Desert Holiday I Thermal, Calif.
Provide riders with a competitive team experience and an opportunity to earn Zone Horse of the Year points in the Children's and Adult Amateur Jumper (1.10/1.15m) and 1.20/1.25m Junior and Amateur.
Part of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Program, the 1.30/1.35m category has moved from the Zone Jumper Team Championships to the Platinum Jumper Championships in addition to the 1.40/1.45m. For Professionals, Juniors or Amateurs.
National Sunshine Series II Desert International Horse Park Thermal, Calif.
Offers a unique team experience for riders competing in the 2’-2’6” Children’s Pony Hunters, 2’6” Low Child/Adult Hunters and 3’ Children’s/Adult Amateur Hunter divisions. Riders can earn bonus Zone HOTY points in their respective divisions.
Gotham North/FEI North American Youth Jumping Championships
August 9-14
Great Lakes Equestrian Festival
Traverse City, Mich.
Championships for Children, Pre-Junior, Junior and Young Rider categories held in an international format featuring teams fielded by zone as well as individual competition.
Junior pony riders compete over multiple days of competition. Features teams fielded by zone and individual competition at a maximum fence height of 1.15m.
Join us in celebrating the true heroes of our sport! These devoted equines contribute to the development of top riders, the sport, and lifelong equestrians.
Royal is a 13-year-old Welsh Pony, who has been giving lessons for 8 years.
Favorite Treat: Alfalfa.
If he was a famous person, he would be: Danny DeVito.
Royal has enough wits to make the riders pay attention to how they handle and treat him. He also has a heart of gold and will teach anyone. He is extremely safe under saddle and LOVES to teach, especially jumping!
Zone 10 Educational Spotlight: Meet Tonya Johnston, MA
Meet Tonya! As an equestrian mental skills coach and author, Tonya Johnston has combined her love of riding and competing with her master’s degree in Sports Psychology. She helps riders of many levels and disciplines sharpen their mental skills and perform their best.
Tonya offered some words of advice for riders on the West Coast returning to competition next month. “When you’ve taken a break from showing, you can give yourself a leg up by using visualization to get back into the show mindset,” she said. “Visualize yourself at the venue riding the way that you want to ride. You want to be clear, calm and connected with yourself and your horse. Use all your senses to create a lifelike experience and focus on being effective as you execute your course plan.”
She feels passionate about helping riders put together their “toolbox” for success in the show ring. “I wrote my book, Inside Your Ride: Mental Skills for Being Happy and Successful with Your Horse, to help riders feel like they have tools available at their fingertips,” she added. “I hope to inspire riders to better understand themselves, be their best, and have as much fun with their horses as possible.”
To learn more about Tonya and her book, visit her website at TonyaJohnston.com
Photo: Tonya Johnston with her Galactic. Photo by Alden Corrigan Media.
Save the Date for Zone Championships
Zone 10 Horse of the Year Championship NORTH - Hunters August 9-14, 2021 Menlo Charity Horse Show Atherton, California
Zone 10 Horse of the Year Championship NORTH - Jumpers & Equitation October 19-23, 2022 Murieta Autumn Classic I Rancho Murieta, California
Zone 10 Horse of the Year Championship SOUTH - Hunter & Jumper November 12-13, 2022 Camelot Autumn Classic Santa Barbara, California
Provides Adult Amateur exhibitors an opportunity to showcase their equitation skills over a 3'3" jumper-style course and a flat phase with bicoastal finals. View the calendar.
New for Adult Amateurs in 2023! The three-round class combines the precision of equitation and handiness of hunters over a course set at 3’. Qualifying classes begin June 1, 2022 with inaugural Championship being held in 2023.
USHJA Affiliate Organization News
Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Names Regional Champions
Regular season shows for the 20 colleges and nearly 200 collegiate athletes in IHSA Zone 8’s Region 1 and 2 wrapped in February with Stanford University (Region 1) and University of Southern California (Region 2) taking Regional High Point honors.
Additionally, Stanford’s Kayla Ryan (Region 1) and University of Arizona’s Elle Oldre (Region 2) scored High Point Rider wins. Teams and athletes will compete alongside the top teams from the West Coast at the Zone 8 Zone Finals, held at the Stanford Red Barn, on April 9th.
Pictured below from left: Stanford team photo (Photo credit: Damian Marhefka), Kayla Ryan (Photo credit: Joel Simon), USC team photo (Photo credit: USC Equestrian Team) and Elle Oldre (Photo credit: Elle Oldre).
