2025 WDAA Western Dressage Online International Challenge - Team Competition

Entry forms must be completed online by 11:59pm PT on June 17, 2025.
(This is the last day for video submissions)

Online International Challenge Teams Program Introduction

The WDAA Online International Challenge (OIC) Teams Competition Is a great way to share the online show experience with friends and family, old and new.  Participation in the Teams Competition is open to anyone entered in the OIC who has submitted a ride from a test or freestyle. No additional videos are required.  Each member of a Team will designate one of their best tests as the score they will contribute to the Team, this happens BEFORE judging is complete. Each participant whose team wins First – Tenth place, or Honorable Mention, receives a personalized certificate to commemorate their participation.  Each member of a first place Team will receive a special prize. 

Please contact Thallia Blight with all questions; [email protected]

Click Here to Enter the Team Competition

DIVISIONS

DivisionTeam Composition
Junior Riders Team Junior riders, age 17 and younger. Horsemanship entries are NOT permitted.
Amateur Riders Team Adult Amateur riders 18 years and older. Horsemanship entries are NOT permitted.
Open Riders Team  Adult Open riders 18 years and older. Horsemanship entries are NOT permitted.
Mixed Rider Team A combination of three or four Junior, Amateur, or Open riders. At least two of the riders must be from different divisions. Horsemanship entries are NOT permitted.
Freestyle Team A combination of three or four Junior, Amateur, or Open riders, each of whom have entered a freestyle video. All levels of freestyles are permitted. Team members may enter at the same or different levels.
Pairs Team Two riders, in any of these divisions: Junior, Amateur, Open. The same horse can be ridden by both riders. A Pairs Team entry cannot be one rider competing with two horses. Horsemanship entries are NOT permitted.
Horsemanship Team

Each team shall consist of two to four riders, each entered in a Horsemanship class, which each rider must designate. Team members can compete in different classes or the same classes. Team scores will be based on actual scores, not on class placings. Cross entry into any other division is NOT permitted.
Exceptional Riders Team

Each team shall consist of two to four riders competing in Physically Challenged or Therapeutic Riding divisions. Cross entry into any other division is NOT permitted.

  

What Makes A Team

TEAM COMPOSITION:

  • Team members can organize at will, and do not have to be from the same barn, locale, state, or country.

  • Entry in the WDAA Online International Challenge (OIC) is required. However, entry in the Team Competition is not automatically included with entry in the Online International Challenge.

  • Depending on the division entered, each rider on a specific team must designate a western dressage test, freestyle class, or horsemanship class they’ve entered in the OIC as their test for the team.

TEAM CAPTAINS AND ENTRIES:

Each team shall choose a team name and designate a Team Captain. The Team Captain will gather the team member information to complete the entry form online.
  • The Team Captain is the primary contact for the teams competition organizer (Thallia Blight).
  • The Team Captain will complete the entry form online and pay the entry fee online on the specified webpage by 11:59pm CT on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
  • The entry fee for each team is $35.00 per Division entered.
  • Online entry portal URL and payment URL to be announced by May 30, 2025.
The Team Captain will provide the following for each team’s entry in each specific division to be entered.
  • The team’s name and team division entered.
  • The captain’s name, email, phone number, and mailing address.
  • Each rider’s entry number, name, age, email address, and horse’s name.
  • Specify the test (and class) each rider has designated for the team.
Team Competition organizer Thallia Blight will review each team entry for accuracy and completeness. If there are questions or concerns she will contact the Team Captain directly via email from [email protected]

RIDERS and HORSES

  • Each team member must be a current WDAA member and entered in the 2025 WDAA Western Dressage Online International Challenge (OIC). No separate entries are required or permitted.
  • A rider’s Division for team competition is the same division in which they entered the Online International Challenge (Junior, Amateur, Open, Exceptional).
  • Each rider must designate one test which will be used to calculate the team score. Team members can designate the same test or different tests to be applied to the team score.
  • A rider can designate only one horse/test for each team for which they are a member, even if the rider is competing in the OIC on more than one horse. One rider, designating tests with two different horses for the same team, is NOT permitted.
  • There is no limit on the number of teams a rider can join, with the same or different horses. The rider can designate the same test for each team, or a different test for each team.
  • Each horse can be ridden by no more than two riders and can compete on the same or different teams in the same or different team divisions with both riders.
  • Horsemanship class entries are excluded from all teams EXCEPT the Horsemanship Team division.

ISSUES WITH VIDEO SUBMISSIONS

  • In the event the video of the designated test is rejected by show management, the rider will have the option of choosing another test for which their video has been accepted, if identified by the closing date for video submissions.
  • If a particular team only has three members, and one of them is eliminated because their video has been rejected and has no other video for accepted for scoring, then the two remaining riders may form a Pairs Team.
Team Competition organizer Thallia Blight will monitor the OIC entries list on showsecretary.com and contact the team member directly via email if she has a question or concern with the rider’s video designation. If the team member does not respond, she will contact the Team Captain directly via email from [email protected]

SCORING

Upon completion of the judging period, the Show Secretary will provide the scores to the Team Competition organizer.
Each team’s score will be calculated as the average of the individual scores of each member of the team.

PLACING AND AWARDS

1. Minimum team scores for placings:

  • A minimum team score of 65% is required for a Team to be awarded First or Second Place.
  • A minimum team score of 60% is required for a Team to place Third – Fifth Place.
  • A minimum team score of 58% is required for a Team to be awarded Sixth – Tenth Place.
  • Honorable Mentions may be awarded to Teams with scores higher than 55%.

2. In the event of a tie between teams:

  • For placings First, Second, and Third: the team competition organizer will request the Collective Marks information from the show secretary and calculate the average of those values to determine the team average collective marks score.
  • For placings Fourth – Tenth place, no tie breaker will be used.

Awards

  • Awards for the Team Competition are separate from those for the online show.
  • We reserve the option to split Divisions, and present separate/different awards, if entries allow.
  • Participants may have their Team placings printed on their OIC award at their own expense.

Awards in each Division will be:

  • Medals to each member of the First place teams. (Medals may also be awarded to Second and Third Place teams in a division with five or more entered teams.) Awards will be shipped to the Team Captain for distribution to team members.
  • Certificates to First – Tenth Place, and Honorable Mention. Certificates will be provided as pdf documents to the Team Captain.

Awards: High-Score Distinctions

  • These High-Score awards will be noted on the certificates, as applicable. A minimum team score of 60% is required to be awarded a Distinction.
  • In order to qualify for a distinction based on rider age, this information must be provided on the Team entry form.
  • Thallia Blight will use the official results provided by the show secretary to determine some Distinctions.
    • Intro Level Team
    • Basic Level Team
    • Level One Team
    • Upper Level Team (levels 2 – 5)
    • Junior Horse Team (horses 5 years & under)
    • Senior Horse Team (horses 17 or older)
    • Breed Teams (may be classified by breed TYPE i.e. Stock Horse, Warmblood, Pony)
    • Junior Rider Team – Juniors 13 years and younger
    • Junior Rider Team – Juniors 14 to 17 years
    • Amateur Rider Team (age 18 – 39)
    • Amateur Rider Team (age 40 - 59)
    • Amateur Rider Team (age 60+)
    • Open Rider Team - Young Professionals (18 – 29 yrs)
    • Open Rider Team – Professionals (age 30 – 49)
    • Open Rider Team – Professionals (age 50+)
    • Military Veteran Team
    • International Team
    • Century Ride Team: each rider + horse age is 100+ years

 

WDAA Western Dressage Online International Challenge
Phase 1 - Entries Accepted May 19 – June 2, 2025 (11:59pm CST)
Phase 2 - Videos Submission Accepted (When Entry Accepted Above) - June 17, 2025 (8pm CST)
Team Entries Accepted May 27 – June 17, 2025 (8pm CST)
Phase 3 - Judging and Score Board June 19 – July 2, 2025 (8pm CST)
Online Awards Ceremony July 6, 2025

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)

  1. Who should I contact if I have questions?
    • Contact Thallia Blight at [email protected] or phone 614-407-6927.
    • Please do not contact show secretary Susan Peacock or show manager Francine Newsome.
  2. What information does the Team Captain need to complete the online entry form?
    The team captain will provide the following for each team’s entry in each specific Division to be entered.
    • The team’s name and team division entered.
    • Entry number, name, and age of each rider and the rider’s Horse’s name.
    • Specify the test (and class) each rider has designated for the team.
    • The captain’s name/email/phone number/mailing address.
  3. Can a rider be on more than one team?
    YES, a rider can compete on multiple teams, designating the same test/same horse or different tests/horses in each. However, only one score for a rider/horse entry will be used to calculate the score for a particular team. (A rider cannot be counted for more than once on a particular team in a specified Division.)

    • Example: Adult Amateur Thallia will participate in two Teams.
      - Team Caffeine in the Adult Amateur Division - designating her Basic Level Test 4 with horse Cappuccino for the team score.
      - Merrylegs Team for the Mixed Rider Division - designating her Level One Test 1 with horse Cappuccino for the team score.

  4. I am entered in the OIC as an Adult Amateur. One of the tests I entered is an Open division test. Can I be an Open Rider on a Mixed Team instead?
    No, if you have entered the show as an Adult Amateur, that classification is used for the Team Competition.

  5. Can a competitor who is entered in the Online Challenge with multiple horses be on multiple teams?
    • Yes, so long as the rider chooses only one horse/test for each different team.
  6. Can the horse be competed by more than one rider?
    • Each horse can be ridden by no more than two riders, and can compete on the same or different teams in the same or different team divisions.
  7. Which test(s) count towards the team score?
    • Each rider will designate the test they are riding for the team. The captain will enter this information via the online entry form. Freestyle and Exceptional Rider tests are acceptable. Horsemanship entries are only accepted in the Horsemanship Team Division.
  8. Why must each team member designate which test they are riding for the team?
    Team sports are about working together and having a strategy which allows each team member to be at their best.
  9. I do not have a team to join. How can I participate?
    Check the WDAA Social Corral Facebook page for postings or post a request there yourself.
    If you do not use Facebook, email Thallia at [email protected]
  10. Can I mail in the entry form?
    Entries will only be accepted online. Contact Thallia Blight if this is a concern.

  11. The video of my designated test has been rejected. Can I still be on a team?
    If the rider submits a replacement video of that specific test, then that score will count towards the team score.
    If the rider does not provide a replacement video, then a different test must be designated (for which the video has been accepted). These substitutions must be requested by the submission deadline for videos.

  • Example: Thallia’s video for Cappuccino’s Basic 4 Amateur test has been rejected for technical issues. Her options are:
    a. Submit a new video of a re-ride of Basic 4 Amateur, and the score from that attempt will count towards the team score OR
    b. Choose her Level One Test 1 Amateur test, for which the video has been accepted.