The Area 1 Council is pleased to announce updates to the Area 1 Year End Awards. Going into effect for the 2025 season, five (5) volunteer hours will now be a requirement to be eligible for awards across all levels from Starter through Advanced. These volunteer hours must be performed in service of a USEA-sanctioned event such as horse trials, clinics, or meetings held within Area 1, and will be verified through the USEA’s Volunteer Incentive Program (VIP) platform. If an organizer is not using VIP, hours may be submitted by the volunteer using the Area 1 volunteer form.
An additional update has been put into effect to reduce the number of ties across the divisions and reward the rider with the best results. The first initiative to break a tie will be by averaging the top six final scores (not point values). If by chance the ties remain, the second initiative will be the greatest number of volunteer hours. If by chance the ties still remain, the ties will stand.
A full overview of the 2025 awards criteria and categories can be found here. If you have any questions about the year-end awards, please reach out to Joan Fleser (awards@area1usea.org).
