Leaderboard Point System

Eligibility & General Rules

Category	Category
Horses	Must be registered with the USEA at Limited or Full Status.
Riders	Must be current USEA members at Life, Full, or Junior levels before the event's start date.
Points	Awarded based on the current competition year (Dec 1 –Nov 30). Only the top 6 scores for each horse/rider count towards final standings.
Top 25% Rule	Points awarded to the top 25% of starters who meet the Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER)

Level	Dressage	Cross-Country	Show Jumping
National Levels	≤ 45 penalty points	No jumping penalties, ≤ 30 time penalties	≤ 16 jumping penalties
FEI Levels	≤ 45 penalty points	No jumping penalties, ≤ 30 time penalties (one-, two-, three-, and four-star), ≤ 40 time penalties (five-star)	≤ 16 jumping penalties

Please reference charts below on this webpage

Level	Overall Awards	Level Awards
Starter	Chart two (Overall leaderboard)	Chart One (Individual awards)
Beginner Novice	Chart two (Overall leaderboard)	Chart One (Individual awards)
Novice	Chart two (Overall leaderboard)	Chart One (Individual awards)
Training	Chart two (Overall leaderboard)	Chart One (Individual awards)
Modified/CCI1*	Chart two (Overall leaderboard)	Chart One (Individual awards)
Preliminary/CCI2*	Chart Three (Same for both Overall & Level Awards)
Intermediate/CCI3*	Chart Three (Same for both Overall & Level Awards)
Advanced/CCI4*	Chart Five (Same for both Overall & Level Awards)

Category	Condition
Rider Divisions	Points count only before completing more than twice at the next higher level during the current year.
Horse Divisions	Points count only before the horse completes more than twice at the next higher level during the current year.
Cross-Country Completion	Cross-country completions without jump penalties are awarded points at the national three-day event, including P3D, T3D, M3D, N3D, and BN3D and CCI-L levels, regardless of placing within 25 percent of the division.
National Three-Day Events	Completion points awarded even without top 25% placing.
Tie-Breaking	Ties broken by averaging the top six final scores (not point values). If still tied, the tie stands.

Policy	Description
Amateur & Junior Upgrades	In divisions not designated as Amateur or Junior, USEA will "pull out" professional riders and upgrade amateurs and juniors in placing within a combined “amateur” group. For example, an amateur placing 4th behind three professionals would be upgraded to 1st.
AEC Qualifications	Upgraded placements can be used for AEC qualifications if MER is achieved. However, this upgrade only affects leaderboard and AEC qualifications, not official event results.
Amateur Upgrade Points	Applies to riders who have declared Amateur status. Points apply only toward the “Amateur” Leaderboard and can be used for AEC Amateur division qualifications
Junior Upgrade Points	Applies to juniors (18 and younger) participating in non-Junior divisions at events that do not offer a Junior section. Points apply only toward the “Junior” Leaderboard and can be used for AEC Junior division qualifications.
Young Adult Rider Upgrades	Applies to those aged 19-21 who have declared Amateur status. Points do not apply to any Young Adult leaderboard category but can be used for AEC “Amateur” or “Junior and/or Young Rider” division qualifications.
Division Eligibility	If an eligible junior enters a non-Junior division when a Junior division is offered, the upgrade policy will not apply. Juniors who are ineligible for a Rider division will still receive full benefits of the upgrade policy

1. Confirm USEA Membership Status

2. Review Your Event Performance

MER Compliance: Verify that your ride meets the Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MER).
Placing: Note your placement at the event.
Starters: Record the number of starters in your division.
Top 25%: Determine if your placing is within the top 25% of starters.

3. Identify the Relevant Leaderboard

Decide whether you’re tracking points for the Overall Leaderboard or the Level Leaderboard.
Check the Points Chart: Refer to the correct points chart for your level and award type (Overall or Level) based on your performance.

4. Track Your Top 6 Scores

Identify your best 6 scores for the division in question. Only these scores will count toward your final leaderboard standing.

5. Assess Division Eligibility

Rider Division: Have you completed more than twice at the next higher level? If so, your points will still count up to the date of over qualification.
Horse Division: Has your horse completed more than twice at the next higher level? If so, your horse's points will count up to the date of over qualification.
Adjust your focus to the appropriate division or category moving forward, but rest assured that points earned before over qualification are retained.

6. Consider Upgrade Policies

If you’re an amateur or junior, determine if the Amateur & Junior Upgrade Policies apply to your event results, potentially boosting your leaderboard standing.

Starter, Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, and Modified/CCI1* Levels

Place	S-M/CCI1*	BN3D/N3D	T3D/M3D	AEC Points
1st	7	8	15	14
2nd	6	7	12	12
3rd	5	6	10	10
4th	4	5	8	8
5th	3	4	7	6
6th	2	3	6	6
7th	2	2	5	4
8th	2	2	4	4
9th	2	2	3	2
10th	2	2	3	1
Cross-Country Completion (no jump penalties)	-	3	3	-

Starter, Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, and Modified/CCI1* Levels

Place	S-M/CCI1*	BN3D/N3D	T3D/M3D	AEC Points
1st	3	8	15	6
2nd	2.5	7	12	5
3rd	2	6	10	4
4th	1.5	5	8	3
5th	1	4	7	2
6th	1	3	6	2
7th	1	2	5	1
8th	1	2	4	1
9th	1	2	3	1
10th	1	2	3	1
Cross-Country Completion (no jump penalties)	-	3	3	-

Preliminary/CCI2* Levels

Place	P	*CCI2-S**	*CCI2-L/P3D**	AEC Points
1st	6	8	15	12
2nd	5	7	12	10
3rd	4	6	10	8
4th	3	5	8	6
5th	2	4	7	4
6th	1	3	6	4
7th	1	2	5	3
8th	1	2	4	2
9th	1	2	3	1
10th	1	2	3	1
Cross-Country Completion (no jump penalties)	-	-	3	-

Intermediate/CCI3* Levels

Place	I	*CCI3-S**	*CCI3-L**	AEC Points
1st	12	16	30	24
2nd	10	14	28	20
3rd	8	12	26	16
4th	6	10	24	12
5th	4	8	22	8
6th	2	6	20	8
7th	2	6	16	6
8th	2	6	13	4
9th	2	6	13	2
10th	2	6	13	2
Cross-Country Completion (no jump penalties)	-	-	5	-

Advanced/CCI4* and CCI5* Levels

Place	A	*CCI4-S**	*CCI4-L**	*CCI5-L**	AEC Points
1st	24	32	60	90	48
2nd	22	29	55	83	44
3rd	20	26	50	76	40
4th	18	23	45	69	36
5th	16	20	40	62	32
6th	14	17	35	55	30
7th	12	14	30	48	28
8th	10	10	25	41	26
9th	8	10	20	34	24
10th	8	10	20	27	22
Cross-Country Completion (no jump penalties)	-	-	10	20	-