Championship Show Eligibility
1) In order to compete at the Championship Show and/or accrue points towards GSDHJA Year End Awards, RIDERS, OWNERS (if different than riders) and RIDER’S TRAINER must be members in good standing.
2) In order to compete at the Championship Show in any GSDHJA Medal Finals, rider must have earned a certain number of points in that class during the current show season (see Points page under Medals).
3) In order to compete at the Championship Show in any hunter, jumper and/or equitation class horse/rider must have earned at least one point in that division during the current show season. By division we mean all of Short Stirrup, or all of Green Riders, so if you earned a point in Short Stirrup Hunters O/F then you are automatically qualified to ride in ALL the classes of the Short Stirrup division (i.e. SS u/s, SS Eq O/F, SS Eq flat).
‘A’ Circuit Riders and Horses
To qualify for the 2022 Championship Show you must compete in at least 2 county shows for the horse in hunter or jumper divisions & at least 2 county shows for the rider in equitation divisions, medals, and achievement divisions.
For a horse or rider to earn a year end award they must compete in a minimum of any 3 GSDHJA recognized shows in the 2022 season.
This rule is strictly enforced for the Hunter Derby and the Equitation Challenge! It also applies to all “fun” classes such as Costume Class, Take Your Own Line, etc.
Cross Entry Crossrails/Short Stirrup
At the champ show riders may compete in Crossrails 2X around AND Crossrails Course OR Crossrails Course AND Short/Long Stirrup. Riders MAY NOT Compete in Crossrails 2X around and Short/Long Stirrup.
Green Riders & the Hunter Derby
Can riders competing in Green Riders can do the 2’6 section of the Hunter Derby even though the option fences are 2’9? YES! GREEN RIDER HUNTER riders MAY ENTER THE 2’6 SECTION OF THE HUNTER DERBY
BUT!!!
Don’t forget that by competing in the Hunter Derby that rider would be ineligible to compete in Green Rider next season, per the GSDHJA rules that Riders also competing at 2’6 may only enter Green Rider if in their 1st season of showing 2’6.
Hunter Warmups & Special Jumpers
You will now sign up for your hunter warm up section the same way you would your regular classes (no more tickets). The horseshowtime software will only allow you to sign up for one round per section, but if time allows you may ride multiple times per section (except for SJ 4 and SJ 8 – these will be single rounds only).
Maiden, Novice and Limit Equitation
Every year questions come up about M/N/L equitation, so we thought we would address some of the common questions.
#1 – You do not have to compete in M/N/L Eq during the show season in order to ride in it at the Championship Show, BUT you do have to meet the eligibility requirements explained below!
#2 – Maiden Eq – Open to jr/am riders who have not won a blue ribbon in equitation
Novice Eq – Open to jr/am riders who have not won 3 blue ribbons in equitation
Limit Eq – Open to jr/am riders who have not won 6 blue ribbons in equitation
#3 – Open Equitation classes, medal classes, Green Rider Equitation and the M/N/L equitation classes count towards your status. Wins in equitation classes that are run in conjunction with Crossrails and Short/Long Stirrup do not count towards your M/N/L status.
#4 – Wins in eq over fences count against your flat eq status, but wins on the flat do not count towards your over fences status. So if you have won 4 blue ribbons over fences, your are ineligible to ride in maiden or novice eq flat or over fences even if you have never won a flat eq class.
#5 – If you have won your way out of one of the categories during this show season, but BEGAN the show season eligible for that category, you can still compete in that category at the Championship show.
Don’t remember how many times you won?? Look up your show record (or your clients) on www.horseshowtime.com. You can’t look it up on this site as we only track Open Eq. points, not M/N/L points. PLEASE DON’T GUESS!! If your name is often mispelled at horse shows, remember to search using all possible spellings. The M/N/L equitation classes are infamous for creating controversy at shows when riders compete in a section that they were not eligible for! Your show record is there for anyone to look up on the internet, and trust me, people will check.
So please, do your leg work and check your eligibility and cross entry restrictions for ALL classes! There are few things Show Management HATES more than having to take away a rider’s prize. It really sucks the fun out of everyone’s day.
OPEN EQUITATION OVER FENCES and cross entry restrictions.
Can riders who compete in the higher H/J divisions can drop down in order to compete in their age group eq over fences?
The answer is YES! If you, for example, are 11 years old and compete in 2’9 hunter or jumper divisions, you can drop down an ride in 11 & under eq over fences (2’3) even though it is a height difference of 6″ or more.
The reverse is not true though. If you ride in a lower H/J division (say long stirrup hunters at 2’0), and you are 15, you cannot compete in the 14-17 equitation over fences which jumps at 2’9. Because, frankly, if you can get around a 2’9 eq course, what are you doing in long stirrup anyway? ?
So for those of you who are competing at a H/J division level lower than what your age group eq jumps at, the difference can only be 3″. More than that is a cross entry restriction.