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NEW FEI TESTS:  All FEI tests have been changed for 2009, especially the FEI Young Rider tests (see USDF Regional Championships page in prize list).  The FEI tests listed in the current USDF Directory are the old tests so be sure to check the version that you are to perform--it must indicate 2009 version.  You can get the tests from the FEI website:  www.fei.org  

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Back by Popular Demand
USEF Reinstates Saturday Hours

LEXINGTON, KY--Late entries are something that most competition secretaries face on a regular basis.  In an effort to help you verify memberships or horse recordings of those last-minute entrants, USEF is pleased to once again offer Saturday hours.  One of our Customer Care representatives will be available from 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Eastern time.  Just call the main USEF number, 859-258-2472, for help with those verifications.

     This service will begin on Saturday, December 6, 2008.   Due to the holiday season, the service will not be available on Saturday, December 27, or Saturday, January 3.  If your competition is being held over one of these two weekends, USEF staff will contact you in advance in order to help with any verification issues that you are having.   

      Many of you already contact your USEF Discipline Directors and USEF Competition Liaisons for assistance with pre-qualifying questions and other verifications several weeks prior to your show, and the service we are introducing at this time is not intended to replace those relationships and processes.  As always, the Weekend Hotline, 859-312-5186, will still be available for rule interpretations.   Receipt of payment of any fines, as well as the removal of anyone from suspension, will continue to be handled by the USEF Regulation Department during regular business hours, Monday through Friday.

       If you have any questions regarding this service, please feel free to contact Teresa Stephens-Carroll, direct dial number (859) 225-2027.  At USEF, we always value the feedback that we receive from our competition managers and secretaries, and we are working hard to insure that you have a successful competition. 

     Rule Book reminder:  If you are listed as the manager or secretary of record for any 2009 Licensed Competition you are entitled to a free first-time memory stick or hard copy of the Rule Book.  Please note:  When renewing online via My USEF Account, the system is set to fulfill your request without applying a charge.  When renewing on the paper form, simply make your selection, write “Secretary” or “Manager” in block marked “USEF Rule Book,” and do not enclose the $10.00 fee.

      For more information, contact Teresa Stephens-Carroll, Director, Customer Care, United States Equestrian Federation, Inc., 4047 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY  40511.

Scroll down for more important USEF information--including Instant On-Line  Renewal. __________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________       USEA - Important Notice [April 29, 2008] Letter from USEF President David O'Connor and USEA President Kevin Baumgardner Click to read on useventing.com Dear Members of the Equestrian Community, This past weekend at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day, Laine Ashker suffered a serious fall during the cross-country stage of the competition. She is currently in critical condition at the University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington. Laine's horse and another involved in a separate accident had to be euthanized. These accidents come just a month after Darren Chiacchia, an Olympic rider, had a serious fall at an event in Tallahassee, Florida. They also come in the wake of a recent article in the New York Times about 15 rider fatalities in cross country that have occurred worldwide over the last two years. These accidents have hit us hard in the sport of eventing - we are all riders who care deeply about the horses, their welfare and the image of the sport. For us, the issue is also a personal one. This spate of accidents has raised important and potentially troubling questions for those of us who govern the sport: Why are so many riders and horses having accidents? Is there more that can be done to make cross country safer? Is the sport just too dangerous? There is no question that eventing is a demanding and yes, risky sport. Riders cross undulating terrain at high speed and jump a series of challenging fences - all while atop a 1,000 pound horse. So there is a constant need for us to ensure that every precaution is being taken to reduce the risk of injury to riders and horses. Although we have implemented several measures to improve safety over the last year, clearly more needs to be done. In the coming days and weeks, we will be redoubling our efforts to identify additional steps we can take to make sure that riders and horses can compete as safely as possible. We would like to ask your help in this effort - whether you're a rider, trainer, coach, veterinarian, or simply a horse enthusiast. We invite each and every one of you to the USEF/USEA Safety Summit to be held in Lexington, KY June 7-8. We will break the issue of safety down and examine the causes and potential solutions with some of the best minds in the game. In the meantime, if you have immediate thoughts about how we can improve the safety of cross country, please email them to us at: safetythoughts @ usef.org and/or safety @ useventing.com. Over the last few days, we have received emails from people who were at the Rolex event over the weekend and were disturbed by what they saw. They are asking hard questions of us and questioning whether they should continue to support the sport of eventing. To them and to you, we want to say that we too are disturbed by what we see. No matter how much we tell ourselves that injury is a part of our sport, it is always traumatizing to see a horse fall. Therefore, we are working closely with FEI to do whatever we can to better protect riders and horses and to repair the public image of our sport. We are proposing today that within the U.S. the following five initiatives be put into effect: If a horse has a rotational fall, horse and rider are suspended from competing for three or six months If a horse has a rotational fall, horse and rider lose their qualification at the level at which they are competing. If a rider falls off on the course they are eliminated. Open oxers on courses at every level are made frangible. If a horse falls related to a jump both horse and rider are suspended from competing for one month. We don't have all the answers, we are deeply concerned about what is going on in the sport of eventing and we need your help. Sincerely, David O'Connor, USEF President Kevin Baumgardner, USEA President Contact Information of the Sender United States Eventing Association Old Waterford Road, NW Leesburg, VA 20176 703-779-0440 ______________________________________________________ ________________________________________________ USEF Rule Book Now Available On a USB Flash Drive Sponsored By Hagyard Equine Medical Institute Lexington, KY - Those USEF members who wish to receive a 2008 USEF Rule Book now have a choice of formats. Beginning with the 2008 competition year, the entire USEF Rule Book will be available on a convenient USB flash drive commonly known as a "memory stick." This initiative is sponsored by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. When you renew your membership for 2008, and if you desire a USEF Rule Book, you can choose to either receive the two-ounce, two-inch lightweight memory stick or the four-inch thick, three-pound printed USEF Rule Book. Since the entire USEF Rule Book can be conveniently accessed and searched online at www.usef.org, most members choose not to have one sent to them. Members of the USEF Board of Directors test drove the virtual version over the last six months and gave it rave reviews.        In addition to being convenient to carry with you, other documents of your choice can be stored on the 256 megabyte memory stick. It comes with a lanyard so you can also wear it around your neck. Use of the memory stick is eco-friendly as it saves a considerable amount of paper and energy used in printing.       If necessary, it is easy to print a hard copy of whatever section of the USEF Rule Book that you need. It is also more cost effective for the USEF to mail to you, thereby saving money for the many USEF breed and discipline programs.        Not only does the memory stick contain the entire USEF Rule Book plus the Roster of Licensed Officials, you can easily download all rule change updates directly from the USEF website onto the memory stick, thereby keeping you as current as possible on USEF rules. You can also conduct searches of the USEF Rule Book stored on it. Except for downloads from the USEF website, you do not have to be online to access the information you need. All of the rules, the roster and the search function can be accessed from nearly any computer by just plugging in your USEF memory stick. T      o request either a printed USEF Rule Book or the memory stick, make your choice when you renew your membership online at www.usef.org or on the appropriate area of the membership renewal form you receive in the mail. __________________________________________________________________ USEF NO LONGER SUPPLYING TEST SHEETS TO MANAGEMENT USEF has issued new policy on dressage test sheets.  Click here for complete details: Dressage/TestGuidelines New 2007 Dressage Tests Seen on USEF Website LEXINGTON, KY--The new dressage test in movement form are now up on the USEF website: Here is the link: http://www.usef.org/content/equestrianSports/disciplines/international/dressage.php         The test sheets themselves will not be available until November and will be used from Dec. 1st, 2006, through the next four years.   USEF Implements System For Easier Horse Recording LEXINGTON, KY--The United States Equestrian Federation has implemented a new feature on the web site to better serve our members.  When a member applies on-line for a USEF Horse Recording, they will now be able to print off a document verifying that the application has been received by the Federation office.  This document can be used for show verification for 45 days after the date in which the horse recording was applied. As Competition Managers and Secretaries, please be advised that a horse recording affidavit will no longer need to be filled out if the member is in receipt of this USEF Horse Recording Verification and it is within 45 days of the date of submission.  Please be advised, this neither confirms nor denies this horse is in good standing with USEF.  If you have any questions regarding this verification, please contact Ken Ball, Director of Horse Registration and Services, at Ken Ball . United States Equestrian Federation, Inc., 4047 Iron Works Parkway, Lexington, KY 40511, 859-258 Rule Change Impacts Regional Champions    LEXINGTON, KY--USEF recently approved a rule revision for DR 127.5. This revision allows Champions who do not attain the minimum qualifying score in their Championship ride to continue competing in that level and division at the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships, providing they re-qualify. This rule became effective April 1, 2006.           The USDF Regional Championships Committee proposed the change at the 2005 Board of Governors meeting. Stating the Championships should showcase "the best of the best” each year, the Committee also believes “forcing” competitors to move their horses onto the next level, even if they are not ready, is not in the best interest of the horses or riders.          The committee determined that a score from judges of a Championship class at the minimum qualifying score for a particular level is a fair indicator that the horse is capable of the work required for that level. If the score that wins the title of Regional Champion does not meet or exceed the minimum score for that level, the horse can continue to train and can compete in that level at a future Great American/USDF Regional Championship, provided horse and rider are eligible and re-qualify.    Membership/Registration Requirements for Qualifying & Championships    Rider:  -Must be a USDF Participating* Member at the time qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships.    -Must be a USEF member (Junior Active, Senior Active or Life) at the time the qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships.    Horse:  -Must be USDF Lifetime Registered at the time qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships. Horse registration must be in the name(s) of the current owner(s) or lessee(s) of record.    -Must be USEF (Annual or Lifetime) recorded at the time qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships. Horse recording must be in the name(s) of the current owner(s) or lessee(s) of record.    -Horse does not have to be breed registered.    Owner:  -Must be a USDF member (Participating* or Business) at the time the qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships.    -Must be a USEF member (Junior Active, Senior Active or Life) at the time qualifying scores are earned and at the time of the championships.    *Participating Members are USDF members who join USDF directly.  **Group Members who join USDF through local riding clubs can be upgraded to Participating Member for an additional fee.

Safety Rules Discussed at USEF Semi-Annual Board Meeting
Rule Changes Address Safety Concerns at Recognized Competitions

LEXINGTON, KY – Consistent with one of the primary missions of the United States Equestrian Federation, which is to ensure the safety and welfare of both horses and riders, two important rule changes were approved at the annual meeting of the Board of Directors held in Louisville, Kentucky on Jan. 16^. .  These changes should significantly contribute to safety at recognized USEF competitions. They involve the operation of motorized vehicles on horse show grounds by minors and the standards for safety helmets to be used in jumping competitions.

The first change was to rule GR301.5.a.  The Board voted that beginning April 1^st, 2005 minors who do not have a valid driver’s license which allows them to operate a motorized vehicle in the state in which they reside, will not be permitted to operate a motorized vehicle on the grounds of a recognized competition.  This includes, but is not limited to, golf carts, motorcycles, scooters and farm utility vehicles.  Penalties may include exclusion of the child, parents, guardians, and/or trainers from the competition grounds for the remainder of the competition and charges being filed against any of these individuals in accordance with Chapter VI. (Wheelchairs and other mobility assistance equipment for people with disabilities are exempt.)

“In the recent past there have been some very serious accidents caused by children driving motorized vehicles and the use of them on horse show grounds has increased dramatically the last few years,” said horse show organizer Andrew Ellis, Chairman of the USEF Safety Committee. “The safety of horses, riders and spectators has been compromised by this situation and we had to address it. This is a very good rule change and widely supported by show managers, trainers, parents and riders. ”

The second rule change unanimously passed by the Board was GR318 which pertains to the use of approved safety helmets by everyone, juniors and seniors, competing over fences. Beginning December 1^st, 2005 it will be compulsory in all Hunter, Jumper and Hunt Seat Equitation classes, both open and breed restricted including Hunter Hack, where jumping is required and when jumping anywhere on the competition grounds (including warm-up rings) to wear securely fastened protective headgear which meets or exceeds ASTM/SEI standards and carries the SEI tag.  Any rider violating this rule at any time must immediately be prohibited from further riding until such headgear is properly in place.

According to Lexington, Kentucky neurosurgeon Dr. William Brooks, Chief Medical Officer at the Rolex Three-Day Event for the past 20 years; and former Chairman of the Safety Committee for the United States Pony Club, the vast majority of fatalities in horseback riding occur in falls with injuries to the head.  In the past ten years Dr. Brooks has treated 187 head injuries which occurred in riding accidents.  Of those the most consequential were concussion; fractures, which accounted for 35 injuries with none among riders wearing a helmet with a retention harness; blood clots, accounting for 35 injuries with 24 of those among riders not wearing helmets; and 27 fatalities, with 26 occurring among those not wearing a safety helmet. “The key is the retention harness and the appropriate helmet each time and every time,” said Dr. Brooks.

·       A person 2 to 3 feet off the ground traveling at 2 to 3 miles per hour can suffer permanent brain damage
·       Riders are elevated 6 to 8 feet and at a hand gallop are traveling at 22 to 24 miles per hour in a forward position, they therefore have a substantially increased risk of a head injury, and that risk increases dramatically if they are not wearing a securely fastened safety helmet.

·       According to the American Medical Equine Association/Safe Riders Foundation, 20% of all equestrian injuries are head injuries, and 60% of fatalities are due to head injuries.

“An ASTM/SEI approved helmet cannot totally prevent an injury, but it certainly can help manage the risk,” said Mr. Ellis.

Bill Moroney, President of the United States Hunter Jumper Association also applauded the new rule changes, “At our USHJA convention in October we listened to the USEF Safety Committee’s argument and asked them to come back and provide us with compelling information to support passage of these changes.  They did that in Louisville, and as a result we confidently support them.”
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WILL YOUR HORSE'S BIT

PASS THE SHOW'S TD?

 

LEXINGTON, KY--USEF Dressage Technical Delegate Janine Malone has authored a comprehensive article, complete with understandable and recognizable pictures, about which bits are and are not acceptable for USEF competition.  The article was printed in the October edition of the "USDF Connection." Janine has sent us a special copy of it for you to read here.  Click here for the article: Legal Bits for Dressage Competition

U.S. Equestrian Federation

DRESSAGE PONY HANDBOOK

An invaluable resource for competition managers,
officials, and exhibitors!

And it's FREE!

In recent years, interest in pony classes and/or divisions at USEF-recognized Dressage Competitions has been on the rise. Ponies are popular among juniors and adults alike, and an increasing number of recognized dressage competitions have expressed interest in offering special opportunities for those exhibitors. On behalf of the U.S. Equestrian Dressage Committee, we appreciate your interest and participation in dressage pony classes and divisions, and have developed this booklet to hopefully address questions and concerns from exhibitors, officials, and competition management alike.  For your free copy, send your mailing address to Jennifer Keeler, Sport Manager - Dressage at U.S. Equestrian by e-mail to Jennifer Keeler, or (859) 225-2024.