United States Eventing Association

The USEA Board of Governors Get Down to Business in First Meeting of 2024

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) Board of Governors (BOG) met virtually on the evening of Jan. 16 for the first BOG meeting of the new year. While the agenda featured a variety of old and new business topics to discuss, the majority of the meeting time was spent reviewing rule change proposals that were originally presented during the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention in December. A rule change proposal feedback portal was open for USEA members to share their thoughts on each of the discussed proposals, and member feedback was taken into account when discussing each of the proposals.

Proposals that were approved by the BOG will now move forward for review by the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) Board of Directors during their June 2024 meeting. If approved by the USEF, approved rule change proposals will officially go into effect on Dec. 1, 2024, for the 2025 eventing season.

To read the USEA’s post-convention recap on many of these rule change proposals, click here.

To view a full list of RCPs, click here.

The following rule change proposals were approved by the USEA BOG:

EV104.8 intends to add clarity to a horse’s performance record and assist the ground jury in making decisions regarding granting a competitor permission to ride in subsequent phases after a technical elimination (TE). A recorded TE would be the fault of the rider (i.e. omission of obstacle, third error of course in dressage, or missing start or finish flags), not caused by a horse’s aberrant performance.

EV122 and EV122.5 would remove the confusion of elimination at the national level for either retaking a jump or continuing. It aims to be consistent with the FEI wording and definition of a missed flag and a run-out.

A change to Appendix 3 – Participation in Horse Trials would allow for the first activation of a frangible device (11 penalties) or having one missed flag (15 penalties) as an Minimum Eligibility Requirement (MER). This would align with FEI rules.

It was approved to pass a correction to EV118 that would correct a typo that omitted the word “once” from the rule.

Added language to EV120 will move forward for the USEF’s review that reads as follows:

“EV119.2 The following are considered errors, and two points will be deducted per error, but they are not cumulative and will not result in Elimination.

a. Entering the arena with a whip (when they are forbidden) or with boots or bandages on the horse's legs or with a discrepancy in dress (e.g. lack of gloves at the intermediate and advanced levels).

EV120 Performing the test in incorrect dress: Elimination, or 2 point deduction, at the discretion of the ground jury. reference Subchapter EV- 9.9, see also EV 119.2.”

And finally, approval was made to correct a typographical error in EV163.

One rule change proposal, EV160, was tabled as “r” certification is not held by any eventing officials at this time. The rule change proposal will be tabled until license participation can support a rule change.

Two rule change proposals, EV108 and Appendix 3, did not pass, but the USEA noted that these proposals were very important to address from an educational perspective. It was requested that the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Committee review and discuss how they can help educate their own coaches and the public through educational articles about the importance of preparing your horses and riders properly and not over-competing your horse.

Rule change proposals were not the only item on the docket on Tuesday evening. A few calendar modifications were reviewed and approved by the Board to include the following:

• The addition of the Modified level for CDCTA in Berryville, Virginia, held on Sept. 8, 2024, and Skyline in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, held Sept. 13-15, 2024.
• A date change for SazEA in Tuscon, AZ, originally held Oct. 20-23 and approved to run November 23-24, 2024, and for Hitching Post in South Royalton, Vermont, which had last run Oct. 7, 2022 and requested to run on October 26, 2024.
• A new license was approved for Full Gallop in Aiken, South Carolina, for July 21, 2024, to offer the Beginner Novice, Novice, Training, and Preliminary levels.

A few Committees presented some action items for the Board to review or consider, with perhaps the most exciting being the review of bids proposed for upcoming contracts regarding the USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC). The BOG voted to engage in contract negotiations with two venues for the AEC between 2025 and 2029. More details will be announced at a later date.

The USEA BOG will reconvene in full virtually for the second time on Tuesday, May 21, 2024.