This article originally appeared in the July/August 2018 issue of Eventing USA magazine and is an update on the activities of the Professional Horseman's Council. Click here to read Matt Brown's statement as incoming PHC Chair.
The Professional Horseman's Council (PHC) is composed of active members of the United States Eventing Association (USEA) who are professionals in all aspects of the sport of eventing. The purpose of the Council is to facilitate communications between the professionals and the eventing community, including the governing body, officials, organizers, and competitors and to assist in the further development, growth, and safety of our sport.
The PHC has taken action on several issues this year so far:
Blood Rules
As horse welfare and safety is always at the top of our minds as professionals within the sport of eventing we have discussed how it could be possible to address issues that have arisen over the last year in relationship with the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) blood rules for eventing. After reviewing the current rules pertaining to blood on horses within both national and international competition we have made some recommended changes to the rules that we feel could solve some of the current issues. We have forwarded our recommendation to the appropriate committees responsible for making such changes. We know that the governing bodies for both the USEF and the FEI are currently reviewing the blood rules for the equestrian disciplines and we hope that our recommendation will be helpful to the effort to update the current rules.
Footing for the Future
With the long-term health and soundness of our equine partners in mind, we continue to discuss the ways in which we can help to facilitate the improvement of footing at eventing venues, especially on the cross-country. We are taking several different steps to do this:
Warmup Woes
We have discussed some concerns that have been raised by amateur riders where in some competition warmups professional riders can overwhelm the ring steward and pressure them into allowing the professional to ride at a different time other than their stated ride time. This mainly effects some show jumping warmups and more so in one-day competitions. This causes the other riders in the ring to not know when to start warming up and causes undue stress in the warmup area.
We have made a recommendation to the Licensed Officials Committee to give the show jumping ring stewards direct contact to the events Technical Delegate in order to report “bad behavior” in the warmup area at national competitions. We also recommended that riders with multiple horses work with the organizer and secretary in advance to make any necessary ride time changes in order for rider to stick to the set times as closely as possible.
We continue to take on new topics and issues as they are brought to our attention and we encourage anyone with an issue or question to contact any one of the PHC members.
Happy eventing!
The Professional Horseman’s Council current members:
Did you enjoy this article? Want to receive Eventing USA straight to your mailbox? Members receive Eventing USA as part of their USEA Membership or you can purchase individual issues from the USEA Shop.
ust before the lunch break in the dressage phase of the B&D Builders CCI4*-S at The Event at TerraNova, Hallie Coon and the 11-year-old Holsteiner mare Cute Girl (Coventry x Caligula), whom Coon co-owns with Helen Coon, performed a foot perfect test to take the lead (28.5) from Phillip Dutton, who held the top three placings all morning. Caroline Pamukcu and the 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Redfield Dexter (Dexter R x Zyreina Weering), owned by Pamukcu, Sherrie Martin, and The Dexter Syndicate, had a bold, forward test to slot into third place (33.5).
Eventing is thriving as it returns for its second year at the Colorado Horse Park, thanks to the new owners, Singletree Equestrian LLC. Building on the success of 2024, we’re excited to elevate the experience in 2025.
The United States Pony Clubs, Inc. (USPC or Pony Club) has acquired the award-winning website Allpony.com, an online platform where horse lovers can learn all about horses, riding, and horse care. Anyone can explore Allpony, which offers dozens of educational courses and interactive games and quizzes, along with printables.
Are you following along with the action from home this weekend? Or maybe you're competing at an event and need information fast. Either way, we’ve got you covered! Check out the USEA’s Weekend Quick Links for links to information including the prize list, ride times, live scores, and more for all the events running this weekend.