The United States Saddle Seat Association in conjunction with the International Saddle Seat Association held 2022 international competition! Four teams competed in both three and five gaited riding. The United States, South Africa, Canada and Namibia all competed for the prestigious World Cup Gold Medal. Teams competed in a picturesque setting at the world-renowned Mercer County Fairgrounds, located in Harrodsburg, KY. The competition will ran in conjunction with the prestigious Mercer County Fair & Horse Show, the longest running fair and horse show in the country!
The event featured amateur athletes 14 years of age and older competing for individual rail work and pattern scores, which ultimately accumulate toward a total team score. The athletes competed on Saddle Seat Type horses from around the United States. The athletes were not familiar with the horses, which they randomly drew in a true test of their horsemanship skills. The competition consisted of four segments, completed in two phases held on different days: rail work, where the athletes compete as a group, and then in individual workouts.
In December of 2021 the first ever International Saddle Seat Riding Experience was held at the famed Cascade Stables in the heart of New Orleans, LA. Riders, coaches and judges from all over the world joined forces to experience a one-of-a-kind affair to learn the ins and outs of international team riding!
