Frequently Asked Questions About WSHJA Membership
Here are some of the questions most frequently asked by
prospective members. Don't see an answer here to one of your
questions? Drop us a
note.
WSHJA membership provides many fun and confidence-
building experiences for juniors.
A young winner at the
2010 Evergreen Classic. Photo
courtesy Delphine McCracken Photography.
Membership Benefits
As a member of WSHJA, you will receive a number of
valuable benefits:
- The opportunity to
participate in the WSHJA Annual Awards Program at either
a National or State level, earning points that accrue
towards year end championships. This includes an
invitation to the Annual Awards Banquet.
- Exclusive
invitations to educational events, including judges’
clinics, trainer symposiums, and a range of lectures by
locally and nationally renowned experts in a range of
equestrian fields.
- Access to a
community of horse-loving individuals who share your
interest and passion for the hunter jumper sport.
- Complimentary
subscription to
Flying Changes magazine.
Regular members also receive:
- Access to WSHJA
Scholarships to financially aid in attending Regional
and National out-of-state Equitation, Hunter, and Jumper
Finals.
- Voting privileges at
general membership meetings.
For more details, see our
general membership page.
Who Should Become a Member?
WSHJA members are from all age groups and all riding
levels. Some compete and some don’t. Anyone who participates
in the hunter jumper sport in any capacity; a rider, a
trainer, a horse owner or even a supportive parent is
encouraged to become a member.
Absolutely! Whether you are just learning to ride or are
in a lesson program, membership gets you plugged in to the
hunter jumper community. You can participate in a variety of
educational events, and you’ll be kept informed of local
news and shows. And maybe best of all you will have plenty
of opportunities to get to know other members who share your
interest in the sport.
WSHJA is not just for people who show. In fact, WSHJA has
a lot to offer the non-showing member. If you are still
riding, just love being around horses and horse people, or
maybe your child is the one competing; in all instances you
can still get a lot of benefit out of membership. You’ll
stay involved in the hunter jumper community. You can
participate in a variety of educational events. You’ll be
kept informed of local hunter jumper news and events. And if
you’re a parent of a child who is showing, you’ll be kept
informed of important information regarding the show scene
and their standings in the National or State Awards Program.
If your child is a member then he/she will receive all
the benefits of membership. However, your support of the
sport through your own membership helps WSHJA ensure the
best possible experience for your child, in and out of the
show ring. It also gives you a voice in the direction
of the sport in the state, which ultimately leads to a
flourishing equestrian culture in the Pacific Northwest.
Something everyone benefits from.
Membership Types
Washington State residents join as a Regular Member.
Regular Membership entitles you to register your horse in
either the State or National Awards program and receive full
membership, voting and scholarship privileges within the
association.
WSHJA also offers an out-of-state Associate Membership
designed for non-residents. Associate Membership entitles
you to register your horse in either the State or National
Awards program and receive most of the membership benefits.
Associate Members do not receive voting and scholarship
privileges within the association.
If you lease a horse, WSHJA considers you for all intents
and purposes the “owner” of the horse for the lease period
with your WSHJA membership entitling you to record the horse
in either the WSHJA National or State Awards Program.
WSHJA only needs to know if the horse is leased versus owned
by you in order to help with accurately awarding points
earned at horse shows.
No. Your WSHJA membership qualifies you to record a
horse(s) owned by an immediate family member.
If you are entering multiple horses in a show under a
farm’s, stable’s or business name then WSHJA asks that you
pay a one-time fee of $10 to record the farm, stable or
business as a Lifetime Farm Member. This is a formality in
order to comply with WSHJA’s non-profit status. Lifetime
Farm Memberships are simply recordings and do not include
any of the benefits of Regular or Associate Memberships.
WSHJA is a non-profit member organization. As such the
shows it presents are primarily for the benefit of its
members. A Single Show Membership enables you to enter
yourself and your horses at a single WSHJA show. It includes
no other WSHJA membership benefits and no points are awarded
or recorded.
The single show membership fee is $5 per show.
No, although if you compete, we strongly encourage you to
have a membership in the
USEF
and the USHJA. Please
note that membership in either of these organizations is
independent of your membership in WSHJA.
Membership Details
Members who are competing in horse shows should sign up
for one of the Awards programs WSHJA offers. WSHJA offers
both a National and State point program in order to provide
year-end award recognition to all of its diverse membership.
- The National Program tabulates
points towards recognized year end awards at all USEF
Nationwide and/or Equine Canada Regular Member shows.
- The State Program counts points
accrued at USEF Regular and USEF Local member shows in
the State of Washington only. Complete lists of the
National Program and the State Program High Score Awards
are located in the WSHJA bylaws.
In order to decide which points program is best you, ask
yourself where you will do most of your showing during the
season:
- If you plan on
competing out-of-state, you should sign up for the
National Program. The National Program will count points
from shows both in and out of Washington, including
Canada. The horse must compete in at least two USEF
Washington State horse shows to be eligible for year-end
hunter or jumper awards. For equitation awards, the
rider must compete in at least two USEF shows in
Washington to be eligible for year-end awards.
- If you plan on
competing primarily within Washington, then sign up for
the State Program. Keep in mind that any points earned
outside the state of Washington will not count towards a
year-end award under the WSHJA State Program.