United States Eventing Association

Welcome to the wild world of eventing where we ride when it rains, thank our volunteers, and always say, “have a good ride!” to our fellow competitors. Eventing is made up of three phases: dressage, cross-country, and show jumping. To help you prepare for your first horse trial, it is important that you review all of the rules outlined in the USEF Rules for Eventing, but it is especially important that you understand the purpose and intent of each of the three phases.

During the presentation of the 2022 USEF Eventing Dressage Tests at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention, changes were discussed to help further clarify the movement requirements in the tests. Marilyn Payne, chair of the Test Writing Task Force, worked with the USEF to clarify the language used within the movements, without substantive changes to the movements themselves.

Did you know that you can place an inquiry regarding your score, protest faults added, or submit an appeal regarding a Ground Jury’s decision? Check out the rules that govern this process below and go into your next event informed! Text has been taken directly from the USEF Rules For Eventing, with emphasis added by the USEA.

Earlier this year the USEA announced a new rule change proposal schedule for the 2023 eventing season in an effort to keep the membership better informed, and it is now time for the membership to weigh in on rule change proposals for 2023.

An open forum discussing rule changes which went into effect December 1, 2021 and proposed rule changes for 2022 took place at the 2021 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention on Saturday, December 11 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It was one of the most heavily attended open forums of the convention, and nine proposed rule changes and clarifications which have not yet been approved or presented to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) were brought forward to the attendees for the first time. Moderators Malcolm Hook and Jonathan Elliot outlined all of these proposals and listened to feedback from forum attendees throughout the session and encouraged USEA members to continue to send in their feedback via the rules feedback portal which will go live this Wednesday, December 15 on the USEA Online Services website.

With the new competition season kicking off officially on December 1, it’s time to brush up on the USEF Rules For Eventing ! There are five new rules and amendments that will take effect at the start of the new season regarding competition approvals, officials, and more. To access the full 2022 USEF Rulebook, click here.

Hoping to hit the Black Friday sales and update your show attire? Don’t forget to make sure your clothes are show-ring ready! Below you will find the outlines for appropriate dress for all three phases. Study up and snag some sales! Text has been taken directly from the USEF Rules For Eventing, with emphasis added by the USEA.

The Compulsory Retirement rule is a fairly new addition to the USEF Rules for Eventing having gone into effect on June 1, 2021. Compulsory Retirement, denoted as CR on scoring, is enacted when a competitor has 20 or more show jumping penalties at the Training, Modified, Preliminary, Intermediate, or Advanced levels. This rule was originally proposed by the USEA Safety Committee after they reviewed performance data over the past five years. There was clear indication that horses performing at or above the Training level suffered exponentially more falls on cross-country after having 16 or more show jumping penalties. Similar rules exist in other countries including the UK.

US Equestrian (USEF) and the United States Eventing Association (USEA) have announced the publication of the new 2022 USEF Eventing Dressage Tests for Beginner Novice through Advanced which will be used from December 1, 2021 through November 30, 2025.

Did you know that there are many regulations regarding all of the obstacles on your cross-country courses? From jump height, spread, water depth, flags and more, rules such as the ones outlined below are set for your safety. Be sure to brush up on your knowledge of these rules as a competitor so you understand what is and what is not permitted the next time you gallop out of the start box!