Application Deadline Extended for 2023 USHJA Gold Star Clinics

Lexington, Ky.—Jan. 5, 2023—Applications for the 2023 USHJA Gold Star Clinics are now open with an extended deadline of Monday, January 9. New for 2023, the Clinics have expanded to allow a larger number of riders to attend and learn from top clinicians. 

The bicoastal Gold Star Clinics serve as the pinnacle of the USHJA Emerging Jumper Rider Program, which provides education and guidance to Jumper athletes looking to advance to the sport's highest levels. The West Coast clinic will be held January 25-29 at Desert International Horse Park in Thermal, California, with lead clinicians Lauren Hough and Kirsten Coe and stable management clinician Colleen Reed. The East Coast clinic will be held at Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, Florida, on February 15-19, where Anne Kursinski will join Coe and Reed.

Individual medalists from the 2022 Markel/USHJA Zone Jumper Team Championships and Markel/USHJA Platinum Jumper Championships are invited to attend one of the Gold Star Clinics for a reduced fee of $250 and can apply here. The top two riders from the USHJA Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session are also invited to attend.

A select number of Wild Card participants are also invited each year. The fee for Wild Card participants is $1,500 and those interested can apply here. The Emerging Jumper Rider Task Force will accept Wild Card applications from these identified groups:

  • Group A: Individual medalists in the Junior Jumper National Championships (Prix des States); NAYC Children’s (any rider that jumped a clear round), Pre-Junior, and Junior; USEF Pony Jumper Championship; and the USHJA Jumper Classic Series (top rider in each of the four fence heights).
  • Group B: Once Group A commitments are secured, the Task Force will consider any athlete from the Zone Jumper Team Championships and Platinum Jumper Championships who successfully competed without elimination.
  • Group C: If available space remains, then consideration will be given to any athletes from Group A who finished below the podium in the individual final of their specific championship.
  • Group D: If no additional athletes from Group A, B or C are available, Wild Card applications from Zone Jumper Team Championships and Platinum Jumper Championships athletes who did not meet the above criteria will be considered.

To learn more about the Emerging Jumper Rider Program, visit ushja.org/emergingjumper. Find out more about the Gold Star Clinics at ushja.org/goldstarclinics.