Youth Equestrians Head to Lake St. Louis, MO for IEA National Finals
Image credit: IEA
From IEA:
Top IEA Youth Equestrians Head to Lake St. Louis, MO, for IEA Hunt Seat & Dressage National Finals
Columbus, OH – Feb 27, 2025 – For twenty-three years, the Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) has provided opportunities for tens of thousands of youth equestrians to be able to compete at local, regional and national levels without the expense of owning a horse. On April 24–27, 2025, the 23rd annual IEA Hunt Seat and Dressage National Finals will take place in Lake St. Louis, Missouri at the National Equestrian Center. This prestigious event takes place over four days of competition in two arenas simultaneously and is the first time that IEA is holding a National Finals in the Midwest (Zone 7).
Nearly 700 of the nation’s leading middle school and high school equestrian athletes will travel from across the United States and converge in Lake St. Louis to compete for top honors in Hunt Seat and Dressage classes, championship titles and collegiate scholarships. Of the 1,668 IEA high school and middle school teams from eleven zones across the country, over 500 teams will be represented at this year’s celebratory event. IEA will not only award championship titles, but also nearly $1.5M in IEA cash and collegiate scholarships to seniors and top riders this season.
Utilizing a unique draw-based competition format, riders in grades 4-12 will compete on unfamiliar horses in the following classes: Equitation over fences and on the flat and Dressage Test and Dressage Seat Equitation. IEA riders must develop their catch-riding skills as very little to no warm-up practice is allowed before each class. All tack and horses are graciously provided by IEA member teams and outside horse providers – allowing for a more level playing field of competition.
In addition to youth riders, adult amateurs will again be featured as part of year 3 in the IEA Adult Pilot Program. Approximately 30 of the season’s top adults will compete for their own IEA honors. For the 2nd year in a row, IEA will also play host to the Intercollegiate Dressage Association (IDA) National Championships, featuring over 100 collegiate Dressage riders representing several dozen college teams from across the nation.
Judges and Stewards for the 2025 IEA National Finals competition are as follows:
Hunt Seat Judges
Kat Demas Mulkey (R) from Talking Rock, GA
Eddie Federwisch (r) from Bluffton, SC
Dressage Judges
Cindi Wyllie (USEF – S) from Palm Beach Gardens, FL
Janet Hannon (USEF – S) from Arvada, CO
Hunt Seat Stewards
Cricket Stone Morris from Gladys, VA
Lesli Isaacson from Casselberry, FL
Dressage Stewards
Doris North (R) from Laguna Woods, CA
Amanda Garner from Dahlonega, GA
Complete live streaming of the IEA National Finals will be available online and offered at no cost to viewers through the IEA Website. Video production is provided by ClipMyHorse.TV and Andrew Ryback Photography is the official show photographer for all arenas.
A College Fair will be held all day Thursday, April 24 and half day, Friday, April 25 for attendees and guests to meet college representatives that have equestrian athletic and academic programs.
Interested sponsors and awards providers may reach out to Megan Taylor at megan@rideiea.org fo r more information or to customize sponsorships. You may also click here for class sponsorship and advertising opportunities.
The IEA National Finals is free and open to the public for spectators. Media/Press passes are available to publications and news sources interested in attending and are coordinated though Kimber Whanger at kimber@rideiea.org.
For a complete listing of information including prize lists, class schedules, and facility maps, visit the National Finals pages at https://www.rideiea.org/2025nationalfinals/
ABOUT THE INTERSCHOLASTIC EQUESTRIAN ASSOCIATION (IEA)
Inclusive. Equitable. Affordable. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to promoting lifelong involvement in equestrian athletics by offering a unique draw-based competition format for young riders in grades 4-12. This format allows young riders to compete without the additional expense of owning horses or tack thanks to the shared resources provided by our IEA community of equestrians committed to fostering the growth and development of young athletes. IEA has nearly 15,000 members across the United States participating in Hunt Seat, Western and Dressage disciplines.
For more information, visit www.RideIEA.org.
