United States Eventing Association

The USEA Eventing Licensed Officials Committee will be writing a series of articles relating to current rules from the USEF Rules For Eventing and how they are interpreted and implemented. The committee feels that transparency is important, and want to keep everyone current on the rules and how officials are expected/required to implement them.

What are the different ways to incur penalties during a show jumping round? From knocking down a fence to refusals and run-outs and even unauthorized assistance, it is important to know the different ways you can accrue faults in the show jumping arena.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved additional modifications to the USEF Rules For Eventing in accordance with a resolution approved by the Board of Directors to address issues related to the effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic. The full listing of rule modifications related to COVID-19 impacts can be viewed by clicking here.

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) announced today that US Equestrian (USEF) has changed their classification of the Modified level from USEF Endorsed to USEF Recognized. This change was implemented on December 1, 2019, and new USEF membership requirements will take effect on April 1, 2020.

The 2020 competition season will be getting underway in short order down in sunny Florida. For those snowbirds headed south, it means sending in entries, memorizing dressage tests, and preparing to leave the start box while those in the North wait for the temperatures to warm up by planning their goals for the upcoming season.

Each year at the USEA Convention, the Rule Change Open Forum looks to the future to discuss changes to the USEF Rules for Eventing for the upcoming competition season. Convention attendees have the opportunity to hear which changes are coming down the pipeline and have their questions answered.

The third phase of eventing is show jumping, where horses and riders demonstrate their ability to continue with the competition after the grueling cross-country test. A jumping course consisting of colored rails is set and horse and rider must navigate the course without knocking down the fences and incurring penalties.

There are a number of ways to incur penalties on cross-country, from refusals and run-outs to exceeding the optimum time, and they sometimes vary depending on the level of competition. Make sure you're up to date with all the different ways to earn penalties on cross-country before you next step out of the startbox.

Each year, the FEI distributes proposed changes to FEI Eventing Rules to National Federations for review and comment. Proposed changes will be reviewed during the meeting of the FEI General Assembly, November 16-19, 2019, in Moscow, Russia.

There are many rules that dictate the cross-country obstacles, from the height of the roof above a fence to the types of flags that must be used on certain types of jumps. It is important to understand these rules so that, as a competitor, you can be aware of what is and is not permitted on the cross-country course.