Junior Riders! Don’t Miss Your Championship Experience at World Equestrian Center – Ocala
January 18, 2023 - Ocala, FL
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography
Riders who would like to compete in the 2023 World Equestrian Center (WEC) Premier Equitation Cup Championship powered by Gary Yeomans Ford are urged to send in their entries for the class by the closing date of January 28, 2023. Riders will still have a chance to qualify for the championship until February 5, 2023. The championship will be held as the highlight Saturday night event during Week VI of the 2023 Winter Spectacular Show Series on February 11, 2023, at World Equestrian Center – Ocala in Ocala, Florida.
Junior equitation riders still have a chance to qualify for the 2023 WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship powered by Gary Yeomans Ford. Junior athletes must place in at least two WEC Premier Equitation Cup qualifying classes to earn a spot in the 2023 WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship powered by Gary Yeomans Ford.
Junior riders will compete in three phases: jumping, flat and a test. The winner will be awarded the prestigious Premier Cup title and a Ford Explorer XLT SUV from Gary Yeomans Ford.
Skylar Wireman, the 2022 WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship winner on Heritage Farm’s Charisma and now a professional rider, noted how much that win meant to her. “It was my first big championship class on Charisma, and I had only started riding him a month before the class,” she said. “Now that it has been almost a year, winning the WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship still means a lot to me. I kept the car that I won, and I absolutely love it!”
Riders competing in the 2023 WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship powered by Gary Yeomans Ford will also have a chance to walk the championship track on the day of the class with acclaimed equitation championship course designer Bobby Murphy and a special guest. Murphy, of Lexington, Kentucky, is well-known for being a “course architect” and his innovative and creative designs. His talent has been showcased at championship events including the Rolex Central Park Horse Show, the USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship and the ASPCA Maclay National Championship.
The 2023 WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship powered by Gary Yeomans Ford will also feature $100,000 in trainer awards. The wild-card award will be drawn from all trainers of non-ribbon earning competitors. The winning trainer receives $40,000, while second-placed trainer will get $30,000. The third-placed trainer takes home $20,000, and the fourth-placed trainer receives $5,000, as will the wild-card trainer.
Samantha Schaefer, a professional trainer who was a top equitation rider herself, appreciates the importance that World Equestrian Center places on the WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship. In 2023, Schaefer will assist in training Olivia Sweetnam in the WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship along with her trainers Jenna Vanerstrom and Danny Arendt. Sweetnam rode Schaefer’s top hunter derby mount In The Know to qualify for the class.
“It’s something we all work for,” stated Schaefer. “I think the class is a good test of where everybody is at midway through the circuit. It’s also a great opportunity to showcase some new partnerships and sometimes new or younger horses in a finals-type environment. The generous trainer bonus and the car make the class that much more exciting and competitive.”
Class Specifications
WEC Premier Equitation Cup Championship Powered By Gary Yeomans Ford
About World Equestrian Center
World Equestrian Center features two premier equestrian and multidisciplinary venues in Ocala, Florida, and Wilmington, Ohio.
These exclusive facilities comprise state-of-the-art arenas, expansive stadiums, versatile outdoor space, sporting fields and well-appointed exposition centers. An abundance of lodging options and luxury accommodations are conveniently located on-site, along with shopping and dining throughout each property.
Dedicated to offering great sport and good fun in a family-friendly environment, World Equestrian Center promises an unparalleled experience for exhibitors, spectators, vendors, sponsors and retailers built on three core values: Quality. Class. Distinction.
Learn more at wec.net.
Media Contact:
Candace FitzGerald
candace.fitzgerald@wec.net
