The most challenging of the equitation finals, the Platinum Performance/U.S. Equestrian Federation Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East, is set for Oct. 5-6 at the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation.
The judges are Sue Ashe and Molly Ashe-Cawley, the first mother-daughter combination to officiate in the Talent Search. They will test the 59 riders on the flat at 8 a.m. Oct. 5, with competitors going over a gymnastics route at 1 p.m. The next day, everyone rides a jumper-style course, starting at 8 a.m. The top four come back at 1:30 p.m. to jump a shorter course and switch horses with the other competitors, in a format borrowed from the way the World Show Jumping Championships decided the individual title until 2018.
Those who are really interested in equitation can see more of the riders than they would at the ASPCA Maclay or USEF Medal finals, where the exhibitors compete on only one day. Admission is free at the facility off Pottersville Road.
The Show Jumping Talent Search program dates back to the 1950s, when it was held during the National Horse Show in New York City for nine years until 1963. The Harry T. Peters Trophy class, the predecessor of the Talent Search Program, was a combined test. It consisted of dressage, held in the old Squadron A Armory, and a jumping test in Madison Square Garden. Early winners included Wilson Dennehy, Patti Heuckeroth, and Carol Hofmann Thompson.
What became the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search was started in 1965 by the USET as its equitation class, designed to fill the gap for juniors who qualified for the Medal and Maclay early in the year and had no further incentive to keeping showing in horsemanship.
The USET Medal Classes encouraged Young Rider development through the awarding of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Medals for wins earned throughout the United States. At the end of the competition year, two riders who accumulated the most wins were invited to spend a week with the team in Gladstone the following year.
In 1982, the program incorporated year-end finals as a further goal. In 1994, the USET decided to change the name of the USET Medal Program to the USET Show Jumping Talent Search Program. This change better reflected the focus of the program by asking developing riders to meet a more difficult set of standards than required in other competitions, thus helping to prepare them for future international Show Jumping Teams.
In 2003, the USET became a foundation for the purpose of raising funds for equestrian high performance programs, and the newly formed United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) emerged as the National Governing Body for equestrian sports. The Show Jumping Talent Search Program became a part of USEF’s Show Jumping High Performance Department and continues to serve as the pipeline for future stars on their way to the high performance world.
Winners have included McLain Ward, who became an Olympic double gold and silver team medalist.