United States Eventing Association

The USEA Annual Meeting and Convention for 2013 wrapped up with the Board of Governor’s meeting on Sunday morning. Diane Pitts led the meeting as the new USEA President, and several committees reported that their work was alive and well. A few notable points:

Chrystine Tauber of the United States Equestrian Federation reported that the USEF Board of Governors is cutting down in numbers by about half and the executive committee will no longer exist, which will serve to streamline the work of the USEF. Mike Huber made another plug for a 3’5” division that would bridge the gap between the Training and Preliminary levels which is being highly considered. He reminded the BOG that it wasn’t that long ago that a similar conversation was had in regards to adding a level below Novice. Now, the Beginner Novice level is one of the most frequently entered levels in eventing, and has brought more horses, riders, and money into the sport.

Additionally, he asked for consideration to moving the Rider and Junior divisions to run on the weekends, and the Open and Horse divisions (which usually are stacked with more professionals) to run on Thursdays and Fridays. This would alleviate the problem of taking time off of work or school for amateurs and juniors, as many events run over several days, including weekdays. This would mirror the Hunter/Jumper model, where junior classes can’t run until Friday nights or the weekend in most cases.

Brian Sabo spoke on behalf of Phyllis Dawson for the Education Committee, as Phyllis was unable to attend in light of her mother’s recent passing. He reported that improvements are being made to protocol for the licensed officials testing. The next ICP educational seminar, led by Yogi Breisner, will be held in conjunction with the Galway Downs fundraiser at the Trifecta Event, January 17-19.

Jennifer Hardwick reported that the 2013 Convention was a definite success and thanked the attendees for coming, and Area 8 for being a great host. Next year’s Convention will be held in Fort Worth, TX from December 3-7. In 2015, the Convention will be held December 2-6 in Washington DC. Check out the USEA Facebook and Twitter pages, as well as the website, for comprehensive coverage of the weekend’s events.