With the winter show circuits well under way in the warmer climates, the 2018 North American League (NAL) rankings are really heating up as riders strive to claim the points that will help them reach their goal of competing at the NAL Finals in the fall. As of the middle of March, Kate Ellis of Weston, MA, leads the Adult Hunter standings aboard Valhalla with 1,214 points. Samantha Karp of Wellington, FL and Zentina B are in second place with 1,080 points, while Alex Johnson of Portsmouth, VA and Poetic Justis are only 9 points away in third place with 1,071 points. Lauren Katz of Potomac, MD and Hyde Park have taken the lead with 1,500 points in the Children's Hunter standings with over 100 competitors. Raina Swani of Ponte Verda Beach, FL has earned 1,428 points aboard Portofino for second place, while Morgan Kazerman of Reisterstown, MD and Oberon are in third place with 1,246 points. 2015 and 2017 Adult Jumper Final Champion Lindsey Tomeu of Wellington, FL and her mount, Gold Lux, are leading the Adult Jumper standings Presented by SmartPak with a whopping 4,667 points. Tracy Harris of Wellington, FL and Une Etoile De L'Eclypse are in second place with 2,657 points while Stephanie King of St. Augustine, FL and Co-Starr take third place with 2,013 points. Lauren McCaulley of Lake Charles, IL and Umano De La Ruche lead the Children's Jumper standings Presented by EquiFit, with 3,322 points, while Grace Debney of Hamden, MA and Byolga sit in second place with 2,266 points. Kate Taylor of Pittsford, NY and Chacca Blue are lying less than 70 points away in third place with 1,990 points. With the top twenty-one riders already in the quadruple digits, the Low Junior/Amateur Jumper standings is a highly competitive division. Alexandra Welles of Wellington, FL and XM take the lead with 4,054 points, while Natalie Jayne of Elgin, IL and Twitter are close behind in second place with 3,088 points. Mimi Gochman of Palm Beach, FL and Everest De Muze sit in third place with 3,037 points. Winner of the 2017 West Coast Adult Hunter Final, Amy Brubaker of Salt Lake City, UT and Grace of Hearts lead the West Coast Adult Hunter standings with 1,020 points, while Allison Cederberg of Billings, MT and Zero Tolerance are only 8 points behind in second place with 1,012 points. Susan Schmitt of Oconomowoc, WI and Landia 5 are in third place with 832 points. Samantha Meyer of Wentzville, MO and Seattle lead the West Coast Children's Hunter standings with 642 points. In second place is Emilie Bell of Elk Grove, CA and Sandros Silhouette who have 600 points. Gabrielle Roderick of Spring Hill, KS and Select round out the top three with 476 points. Tye Griffith of Houston, TX and Conjure are leading the West Coast Adult Jumper standings Presented by SmartPak with 742 points. Only 24 points away in second place is Angela Dominguez of Argyle, TX riding Emilios with 718 points, while Shelby Sherba of Bentonville, AR and her mount Momma Ace sit in third place with 568 points. Leading the West Coast Children's Jumper standings Presented by EquiFit is Josie Atherton of Tulsa, OK and Contino 44 with 1,000 points. Erin Nichols of Yorba Linda, CA and Hindee are in second place with 875 points, followed closely by third placed Emma Flett of Southlake, TX aboard Washington with 825 points. Grady Lyman of Rancho Santa Fe, CA and Balade Du Ry Z have a strong lead in the West Coast Low Junior/Amateur Jumper with 1,727 points followed by Brittany Hildebrand of Houston, TX and Calina in second place with 1,304 points. In third place is Ashley Vogel of Mequon, WI and Ilan with 1,096 points. The NAL qualifying season runs from September 1 through August 31. NAL qualifying classes are open to all competitors but only current members are awarded points. By joining the NAL, riders can accumulate the points necessary to qualify for West Finals held at the International Jumping Festival hosted by Blenheim EquiSports in San Juan Capistrano, CA, September 19-23 and National Finals held at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show in Harrisburg, PA, October 11-20. Annual memberships are only $40 per rider.
