United States Eventing Association

Eventing High Performance Riders

David O’Connor recapped the year of the U.S. Eventing high performance program with several statistics. Overall he thought is was a “year that started a shift. Are we there yet? No, but the ship is starting to turn,” said O’Connor.”

There were three main competitions to focus on for 2015 and O’Connor was proud to report that the team medaled in all of them. With few chances to compete in team competitions, O’Connor wanted to focus on the Nation’s Cup Series, and the U.S teams won Silver and Bronze at Boekelo and Aachen respectively. Of course, the Pan Am Games were a great success with the U.S. winning team and individual Gold and qualifying for the Olympics.

Other stats given by O’Connor included:

• 20 riders funded with trips to Europe
• Dressage - 32% scored under 70% (2 years ago number was 27%)
• Show Jumping - 63% of riders jumped clear. 26% had one rail. Made a huge difference in the competitiveness.
• 89% riders jumped clear, 1 elimination, 1 with 1 stop, 84% within 30 seconds of the time, 52% within 10 seconds of the time.
• 11 U.S. riders finished on a score under 50 in CCI3* and CCI4*. Two riders finish under 40. In 2013/2014 we didn’t have any riders that finished under 50.

O’Connor went over the processes for Pan Ams and the success of it including all of his travel to the riders’ farms. They are planning on continuing the same process for the upcoming years.

The meeting concluded with a presentation from Jennifer Dodd the manager of the anti-doping education department at the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). USADA is the testing agency for the U.S. Olympic/Paralympic sports. Dodd went over some of the changes to prohibited substances and reminded riders that can be tested at any time at any Event.

Some important resources for riders are www.globaldro.com (where riders can research the stats for medications) and www.supplement411.com (where riders can research supplements and their ingredients).

USEF Active Athletes Open Forum

The USEF Active Athletes Open Forum was a quick rundown of reminders from Joanie Morris, USEF Eventing Director, O’Connor and Cavan Allen, International Competition Consultant.

Morris started out reminding all riders to fill out rider evaluations which are e-mailed to them following Events. She then announced the launch of the USEF online athlete profiles and grant applications. March 19 is the spring grant deadline for any riders wishing to compete overseas or a long distance from their home.

The timeline for the 2016 Rio Olympics was outlined by Morris and it is as follows:

February 19 – Applications close

March 1 – Long list will be named

June 18/19 are vet evaluations

June 20 – Olympic team will be named

July 9-10 – Team will run at Great Meadow as final prep

July 29-30 – Horses fly out of Miami

August 5-9 – Olympics

O’Connor then took the microphone and spoke about balloting and waitlists. In the 1990s-00s it was very common for Events to fill on opening day and there to be a waitlist. However, in recent years this has not been the case and riders have taken to entering late which has caused trouble for organizers and riders alike. O’Connor said that the USEF is working on language for the balloting process in order to make sure everyone is following the same rules. He then transitioned into the new FEI entry system which has been mandated by the FEI and Allen briefly explained how it works and the importance of complying.

O’Connor concluded the meeting by telling the riders to to “Be educated, ask questions and be a part of the conversation. It is a time for thought and innovation. Conversations on the internet can be angry and emotional. Be a part of the conversation and look at it from all the angles. (amateur, high performance, organizer, official). How do we create something that prospers? Lots of angles to this equation."

Professional Horseman’s Council

Tamra Smith led the Professional Horseman’s Council’s meeting this afternoon. She began by inviting Angela Grzywinski to the podium to speak on her rule change proposal. It addresses conflict of interest between officials and competitors. Grzywinski proposes that riders should be allowed to compete at Events where relatives are acting as officials. Her suggestion reflects the current FEI standards on the topic. Smith then continued by urging professional riders to attend the Sports Summit and Town Hall Meeting on Saturday to be part of the conversation on the direction of our sport.

Membership Committee Open Forum

Thursday of USEA Convention wrapped up with a discussion on area alignment and borders.

When by-laws recently changed, area boundaries were consequently redrawn. Boundaries now follow state lines rather than the geographic areas they previously honored. A task force was assigned to explore issues and possible solutions to this change. Board of Governor’s member Katherine Cooper lead the forum to discuss these issues. The task force used this open forum for feedback on their recently compiled recommendations on member’s area alignment.

Before the task force discussed any new suggestions, they explored the history of area formation. Areas were originally designed around population centers of Eventing. Our area system allows for more local programs, like the Young Rider Program, tailored awards on a local scale and local representation on a national stage. The task force and the forum today agreed area boundaries are an institution that should be here to stay.

The main suggestion put forward by this task force is that members be able to select which area they align with. This means someone could physically live in Area I, but elect themselves as an Area II Adult Rider. If riders make no specific selection, they will be automatically placed in the area in which they reside. This ability would only be available to competitors, not organizers, Board of Governor’s members or officials. A selection would need to be made by the competitor within 7 days of renewing their membership, and they will not be allowed to change their area membership after their selection. The task force also suggested that each area continue to dictate their local championship and awards programs.

Thank you to our passionate members for making their voices heard this afternoon!

Don't for get about the our Sport's Summit Schedule this Saturday from 9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. Our "Against the Clock" Schedule is now available - we look forward to all the discussion topics!

The Board of Governors would like to welcome you to their Reception and Live Auction tonight in the Blue Room.