QUESTIONS ABOUT IEA@CONGRESS SHOW or NYATT?

Contact IEA Western Zone Administrator

Tammy Braham - [email protected] or by phone at 724.967.5501

Dear IEA Coaches and Rider Members:

We are pleased to announce that IEA will have TWO unique opportunities to participate in the 2022 All American Quarter Horse Congress in Columbus, Ohio in October.

FOR WESTERN MEMBERS - IEA@CONGRESS SHOW

IEA will again partner with the Ohio Quarter Horse Association (OQHA) to host the IEA@Congress horse show on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2022 in the Taft Coliseum at the Ohio State Fairgrounds and Expo Center in Columbus, OH. Ideally, we have the time allotted this year and would like to be able to host TWO Western shows in the A/B format on that day - provided we have enough horses available and secured prior to the closing date of entries.

Similar to last year’s successful event, this show will be open to all 2022-2023 registered IEA Western coaches, riders and teams. Prize lists will be posted in late July/early August with entries due in September and will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Complete entry forms and payment must be received for consideration. In the event that these two Western shows fill to capacity, a waiting list and lottery system will be implemented for any remaining class spots. 

Teams and riders should start their membership process early (ideally, by July 1st) in order to make sure teams are fully registered when entries officially open. 

NEW – Any teams wishing to officially co-host the IEA@Congress show must indicate with an email of intent or phone call to Tammy Braham by July 15th. 

Specific details on financial and hosting/planning requirements can be discussed with Tammy, but would involve the basic requirements of hosting/co-hosting as found in the IEA rulebook (collecting/organizing entries, gathering horses, selling program ads, organizing show officials, etc.)  For this year, IEA would still act as the primary host and assist with facility and marketing costs, but co-hosting teams/regions would receive priority entries as part of the benefit of hosting.

FOR ALL 8^th – 12^th GRADE IEA MEMBERS - IEA NYATT TEAM

IEA has been invited by OQHA to participate as an exhibition team in the National Youth Activity Team Tournament (NYATT) competition on Sunday, October 16, 2022. NYATT is the largest national youth team tournament in the world and brings together many youth from state and regional Quarter Horse Associations across the United States and Canada. Teams participate in the following seven classes: Barrel Racing, Horsemanship, Hunt Seat Equitation, Hunter Under Saddle, Reining, Showmanship and Western Pleasure. A maximum of two team members may compete in any one class. 

Per the NYATT rules, only contestants 18 years or younger as of January 1 showing registered Quarter Horses and sponsored by a state or regional Quarter Horse Association may compete. 

As part of a pilot program for OQHA, IEA riders living in the Ohio Region (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania or New York) will compete as an IEA NYATT Team against other NYATT teams as part of a potential expansion in future years to the NYATT program for outside organizations like IEA. Unlike traditional IEA shows, IEA NYATT riders will participate on their own Quarter Horses (owned or formally leased through AQHA). Entries are due for all NYATT teams by August 25, 2022. Tammy Braham will serve as the official IEA Youth Advisor for NYATT. Any IEA coaches interested in being a co-advisor for this NYATT team, should reach out to Tammy directly. 

Specific requirements to participate on the IEA NYATT Team are listed as follows:

• IEA riders must have been active IEA members for at least TWO previous years prior to the 2022-2023 IEA season. (Active members are defined as riders who participated in a minimum of at least two IEA shows per season.)

• IEA riders must be 18 years or younger as of January 1, 2022.

• IEA riders must be registered to participate in the 2022-2023 IEA season and entering 8th – 12th grade for the upcoming school year.

• If selected to participate, IEA riders must provide and show their own registered Quarter Horse(s) for the NYATT competition. A copy of the horse’s registration papers must be included, meeting AQHA ownership/formal lease requirements as of August 15, 2022.

• IEA riders will be responsible for reserving and paying for their horse’s stall/tack stall, bedding, hauling, immunizations and any other requirements and costs of having a horse on the Congress fairgrounds.

• IEA riders will be responsible for providing their own show tack, equipment and show clothing for the class(es) they are selected to participate.

• IEA riders selected to participate on the IEA NYATT Team must be members of their state or affiliate AQHA association. (If an IEA rider is not already a member of an affiliate AQHA association in their state, they may join at the time of selection.)

• Per NYATT rules, IEA riders selected to participate on the IEA NYATT Team must reside in the Ohio region (Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, or New York).

• IEA riders may only participate on one NYATT team.

• The IEA NYATT Team is considered an exhibition team for 2022 and will receive awards, but will not be part of the official ranking of NYATT teams this year. 

• IEA will cover the cost of each IEA riders’ entry fee for each NYATT class and one Congress parking sticker per team rider.

Determining how an IEA rider is selected to participate on the IEA NYATT Team:

The selection process that many Quarter Horse Associations use to select their NYATT members is by points earned throughout their AQHA show season, which runs January – early fall. Since IEA does not follow that schedule or officially offer all the NYATT classes in our organization, the following criteria has been developed to select up to 14 individual riders for the IEA NYATT Team.

The IEA reserves the right to select specific riders to participate on this inaugural IEA NYATT team using any combination of the following factors to determine selection.

• Agreement to the requirements as met above.
• Years of IEA participation and level of experience.
• Points and placings earned during previous regular and post-season IEA seasons for the following classes: Horsemanship, Reining and Hunt Seat Equitation on the Flat.
• Points and placings earned in the IEA rider's affiliate Quarter Horse Association.
• Previous participation in NYATT or Congress classes.
• Trainer/Coach/Judge/AQHA recommendations.

Riders meeting all of the above requirements who wish to participate in the IEA NYATT Team should complete the following online form (red button) no later than July 15, 2022 to be eligible for consideration. As a reminder, IEA membership applications should also be paid and in process by July 30, 2022.

IEA NYATT TEAM Riders will be selected and notified by August 1, 2022.

IEA NYATT TEAM Riders will be publicly announced by September 1, 2022.