US Equestrian has announced updates to the 2020 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal qualification process and point structure as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted the suspension of points, scores, money won, qualifications, and rankings towards USEF owned events, programs, and teams enacted on March 16, 2020. The suspension will be lifted on June 1, 2020, allowing for 2020 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunt Seat Medal Final qualifying classes to resume. The recommendation has been approved to reduce the total of each state’s qualifying points by 10% of the original requirement, followed by a recalculation of state qualifying points using the 11-week reduction of classes.
Photo by US Equestrian.
A thorough analysis was conducted to review the current determination of qualifying points, as well as amendments needed to accurately reflect the absence of classes during the 11 week suspension period. Careful consideration was given to the fact that not all states will allow equestrian competitions to resume following the lift of the suspension on June 1, 2020, resulting in the need for additional flexibility to ensure representation of participants is equitable to previous years of competition.
The analysis included a review of several key factors, including the current number of qualified riders against the number of qualified riders from 2019, the host competition’s capacity for participants, the number of cancelled competitions hosting qualifying classes, scheduling ability of the host competition, and need for additional flexibility to provide the most fair playing field possible with evolving environments from state to state.
An example of the formula for the recalculation of points is included below:
- California originally required 41 points to qualify
- Subtract 10% from original total: 41-10%=36.9 (rounds to 37)
- 37/52 x 11 = 7.8 (rounds to 8 points)
- 37 – 8 = 29
The required points for each state will continue to be monitored on a bi-weekly basis and will be adjusted downward using the same formula and increasing the weeks that states are unable to resume competition. These downward adjustments, if any, will be at the discretion of the USEF and will be publicized at the time of the adjustment.
Please note that the 14 competition limit (EQ111.5a.3) on riders competing in Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal qualifying classes is still in effect.
To review the complete adjusted 2020 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal qualifying criteria, click here. For additional questions or clarification, please contact Kelsey Shanley at kshanley@usef.org.