United States Eventing Association

Effective Dec. 1, 2023, USEF rule EV145.8 will require, whenever possible, new cross-country obstacles (for which frangible devices are appropriate) to be constructed with FEI approved frangible technology for the Training level and above (previously it was Modified and above).

On July 24, the USEF Board of Directors convened for a special meeting. During the meeting, the Board approved an amendment to the protective headgear certification rule change, which was originally approved during the Mid-Year Board meeting in June.

USEA podcast host Nicole Brown is joined by Dr. Barry Miller of the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab and Catherine Winter of Ride EquiSafe for an important, informative, and engaging discussion about helmet safety. For more than a decade, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab has investigated helmets in football, cycling, equestrian sports, and more, collecting more than 2 million data points related to injury and biomechanics research.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Eventing Watch List ("Watch List”) program has undergone a review and, as a result, the process has been updated. The Watch List is comprised of USEF and/or USEA members competing in the U.S. who have been identified as displaying potentially dangerous or unsafe riding during warm-up or any phase at a USEF Eventing Licensed Competition, received an FEI Eventing Recorded Warning or Yellow Card for Dangerous Riding at any FEI event, been penalized at a national competition for Dangerous Riding, or received a Yellow Warning card for Dangerous Riding at a national competition. The goal of the Watch List is to improve rider safety and provide licensed officials (Technical Delegates and Ground Jury) the opportunity to observe athletes at future events.

USEA Podcast host Nicole Brown and Tony Sandoval from Coach Sando Training talk about how riders can make their own conditioning, in addition to their horses, a priority. From "proper core engagement" to "box breathing," the tips and techniques they discuss will improve your time in the saddle and beyond. "Movement is medicine," Sandoval said. "It will do a lot of the things needed to keep you healthy without taking so many pills or all the things that are quick fixes. Movement is difficult. It's difficult to get into your daily practice, but once you do, it is enough medicine that you need to be able to do what you enjoy longer."

Morris Animal Foundation-funded researchers from the University of Minnesota are investigating if genetic variants can help identify horses at high risk of developing potentially fatal cardiac arrhythmias. Cardiac arrhythmias are thought to be an important cause of sudden death in horses during exercise. Most horses that develop arrhythmias have no underlying structural heart disease, making it challenging to detect animals that may succumb to the condition.

In December of 2020 the USEA was pleased to share that thanks to the collaborative efforts of the USEA, USEF, USHJA, and Jacqueline Mars, the funds had been raised to meet the $450,000 goal for the critical research attributed to the STAR Helmet rating project for equestrian sport. Facilitated by Virginia Tech University, which has been striving to provide unbiased helmet ratings to allow consumers to make informed decisions when purchasing helmets for a multitude of sports since 2011, the STAR helmet ratings identify which helmets on the market best reduce concussion risk. You can view the research promotional video here.

Having the ability to school cross-country obstacles and questions at home is an invaluable resource, but designing a home course requires a lot more than just a few jumps scattered around the property. Safety should be your number one concern, no matter if you are building the course for your own benefit or to create a new opportunity in your community for open schooling.

“Where can we even find this?” asked a participant during the ERQI Reports for Officials and How to Use Them session at the 2021 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention. Forum leaders Cindy Deporter, Rob Burk, and Tim Murray were on-hand to answer this question and many more as they explained the origins of the ERQI ratings and the purpose of the algorithm’s measurement.

“I had no idea that I had a concussion until I got sick at night and woke up with a bad headache that wouldn’t go away,” said eventer Mia Farley who fell at an event a few years ago and ended up with a bad concussion.