The International Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup is a bi-annual competition which originated in the early 1980s with an informal exchange of saddle seat athletes in the United States and South Africa.
The 2014 Saddle Seat World Cup will be July 22nd – 26th at the WNC Agricultural Center. Admission is free!
The event features amateur athletes 14 years of age and older who compete for individual scores which ultimately accumulate toward a total team score. The athletes compete on horses that are supplied by the host competition and horses they are not familiar with which is a true test of their riding skills. The competition consists of four segments, to be completed in two phases held on different days: rail work where the athletes compete as a group, and then in individual workouts.
Every other year, USEF will field a team of twelve athletes (five for the three- and five-gaited sections, with two alternates respectively) and two coaches to represent the United States in the International Saddle Seat World Cup competition.
One goal of USEF’s involvement is to increase participation from multiple breeds and to partner with USEF Recognized Breed Associations in the promotion and support of this event.