| Junior Hunter Finals | |
| Sanctioning Body 1: | USEF |
| Held: | East Coast & West Coast |
| Length: | Two days |
| Divisions: | 3'6" Small Junior 15 and under & 16-173'6" Large Junior 15 and under & 16-173'3" Small Junior 15 and under & 16-173'3" Large Junior 15 and under & 16-17Hunterdon Cup |
| Qualifying: | Top 10 in USEF Zone or Reserve Champion or Champion in a USEF rated show |
| Number Of Entries: | 700+ |
Junior Hunter Finals is a two-day national championship held by the United States Equestrian Federation at two different coasts of the United States (East Coast and West Coast) in the summer of every year. It is held for qualifying Junior Hunter riders who show at either the 3'3" or 3'6" height.
The USEF Junior Hunter Finals was established in 2001 as a way to showcase talent from across the country. In 2014, the 3'3" section was added due to its growing popularity throughout the states.[1]
To show at Junior Hunter Finals, a rider must either be ranked among the top ten in their United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Zone–which is accomplished by earning points through competition–or win either a Reserve Champion or Champion title in their respective Junior Hunter division at a USEF rated "AA" "A" "B" or "C" show.[2] Around 700+ horses qualified in 2016 to show at either coast's finals.[1]
Although a rider may qualify for either the 3'3" or 3'6" division, they must pick one to show in during finals if they choose to attend. A rider also must choose between the East Coast and the West Coast finals as they cannot compete in both.
The competition itself consists of three phases (similar to USEF Pony Finals): under saddle, classic round, and handy round. The under saddle is a typical hunter flat class that counts for 20% of the overall score. The classic round is a typical hunter course and the handy hunter is reminiscent of trappy sections of hunt country; each count for 40% of the overall score. Each section is awarded ribbons to tenth place, as well as the overall top ten.[3] An overall championship is awarded for both the 3'3" and 3'6" sections.
The USHJA Gladstone Cup Equitation Classic (formerly the Hunterdon Cup) also takes place during Junior Hunter Finals. Riders qualify by being an active USHJA member and winning at least one USEF Medal, ASPCA Maclay, WIHS Equitation Overall, or USEF Show Jumping Talent Search class.[4] The class consists of three rounds, starting with a classic hunter round that each participant completes and is given a score following the round. The top twenty riders from the classic round complete a second handy hunter round. Scores are combined for the two rounds and 4-10 riders are called back at the judges discretion for final testing. Riders switch horses and are allowed a short warm up before completing a shortened test.[5]
| 2024 | East Coast | Babylon | Paige Walkenbach | Marnell Sporthorses | |
| 2022 | East Coast | Arabesque | Clara Propp | Aquitaine Equine | |
| 2022 | West Coast | Aventus | Avery Glynn | Jennifer Cancellieri | |
| 2021 | East Coast | Grand Remo | Kat Fuqua | Kat Fuqua | |
| 2021 | West Coast | Princeton | Stella Wasserman | A.F.M. Investments | |
| 2020 | East Coast | Small Occasion | Augusta Iwasaki | Elizabeth Reilly, Chris Iwasaki, Augusta Iwasaki | |
| 2020 | West Coast | KT Lansini | Cameron Brown | Cameron Brown | |
| 2019 | East Coast | Cleopatra's Smile | Ellie Ferrigno | Wolfstone Stables & Sales Inc.[6] | |
| 2019 | West Coast | Small Occasion | Jordan Allen | Elizabeth Reilly, Chris Iwasaki, & Augusta Iwasaki[7] | |
| 2018 | East Coast | Style | Daisy Farish | Take The High Road, LLC[8] | |
| 2018 | West Coast | Boceclli | Ava Stearns | Laura Wasserman[9] | |
| 2017 | East Coast | Di Samorano | Taylor St. Jacques | Taylor St. Jacques[10] | |
| 2017 | West Coast | Boss | Hunter Siebel | Laura Wasserman[11] | |
| 2016 | East Coast | Emma Kurtz | Caldwell | Scott Stewart[12] | |
| 2016 | West Coast | Giavanna Rinaldi | Social Hour | Laura Strasburg[13] |
| 2019 | East Coast | Lalique | Caroline Passarelli | Elite Equines LLC | |
| 2019 | West Coast | Crowd Pleaser | Grace McReynolds | Alexander Miller | |
| 2018 | East Coast | Cupido Z | Nicole Dorwart | Nicole Dorwart | |
| 2018 | West Coast | Harvard Grad | Alexis Sokolov | Dynamic Sporthorses LLC | |
| 2017 | East Coast | Park Place | Isha Swani | Shadowfax Equestrian LLC | |
| 2017 | West Coast | Maldini | Hailey Link | Star Lane Farms, LLC | |
| 2016 | East Coast | Dress Balou | Devin Seek | Donald Stewart | |
| 2016 | West Coast | Luisant | Stella Buckingham | Q of E Farms, LLC |
| 2019 | East Coast | Madeline Schaefer | Correndo[14] | |
| 2019 | West Coast | Violet Lindemann-Barnett | Cantoblaco | |
| 2018 | East Coast | Daisy Farish | Capital Hamilton[15] | |
| 2018 | West Coast | Kaitlyn Lovingfoss | Caracas 89[16] | |
| 2017 | East Coast | Taylor St. Jacques | Charisma[17] | |
| 2017 | West Coast | Augusta Iwasaki | Vanderpump[18] | |
| 2016 | East Coast | Maya Nayyar | Connaro[19] | |
| 2016 | West Coast | Kayla Lott | Vancouver[20] |