United States Eventing Association

The USEA Convention Daily: Friday

The 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is in full swing as we enter our second action-packed day of educational sessions and open forums.

For those in attendance at Convention, Friday has plenty of educational sessions in store for you. From an interactive Tai Chi for Riders class and a session on how mindset, fitness, and nutrition affect performance to an informational session about Adequan i.m., tips for designing cross-country schooling courses at home, and a debrief on the new FEI dressage tests, there is something for everyone on the today’s schedule.

The open forums continue today with Volunteer Incentive Program Open Forum, Classic Three-Day Open Forum, Future Event Horse Open Forum, Calendar Planning & Organizers Open Forum, the USEF High Performance Athletes Open Forums I and II, and the Course Designers/Builders Open Forum. Get ready to jump in on the conversation and have your voice be heard!

For the full Convention schedule, click here.

Following along from home? Here’s what you need to know.

The USEA will be livestreaming select content from Convention on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. You can check out the full schedule and watch the livestream here.

There are two separate feeds of the 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention available for viewing. The "Open Stream" feed provides livestream content that is free and available for all to watch, while the "Member Stream" feed is available for viewing free to USEA members who have joined or renewed their membership for the 2020 competition season. Members who haven’t yet renewed for 2020 or those who wish to join the USEA for the first time may choose from several membership options including a full competing membership or a supporting membership. Click here to join or renew your membership now in order to gain access to the member-restricted content.

Here are some highlights from today’s scheduled:

Track A

Tai Chi for Riders
Friday, December 13 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Speaker: Matt Brown
Liberty B

Improve your balance, timing, and strength by using techniques from the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi Chuan. Come learn from four-star eventer Matt Brown how to stay with your horse over those big drops, how to sit that extended trot, and how to control your horse without tension. This class will help you to increase your balance and partnership skills. The strength gained through this type of martial arts training can often be very useful to riders due to the increased flexibility, body awareness and posture that goes along with the training. For this reason, it can sometimes be more useful than more traditional forms of strength training. Come have fun working out your convention kinks and improve your riding while not in the saddle.

Volunteer Incentive Program Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 9:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m.
Speaker: Bonnie Kibbie
Constitution A

The USEA Volunteer Committee will give updates on their work from 2019, including EventingVolunteers.com progress updates and usage statistics, volunteer educational video projects, volunteer rewards programs, and organizer practices/care of volunteers. Commentary, feedback, and suggestions for the committee’s focus in 2020 will be welcomed.

Classic Three-Day Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Speaker: Gretchen Butts
Constitution A

Come to the Classic Three-Day Open Forum, hosted by Waredaca’s Event Organizer and Chair of the USEA Classic Three-Day Task Force, Gretchen Butts, to hear why this popular ‘educational’ competition is so successful and find out why a classic three-day should be on your 2020 event schedule.

Adequan I.M.: Understanding the Facts!
Friday, December 13 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Speaker: Allyn Mann
Constitution A

You may think you know everything about the product but if you stop by I am sure you will benefit from the information being presented by Allyn Mann, who has much to share for those who attend. Adequan. Start with it. Stay with it.

Future Event Horse Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Speaker: Robin Walker
Constitution A

USEA Future Event Horse Committee Co-Chair Robin Walker will moderate this open forum that will discuss modifications to the FEH program for the upcoming year.

Cultivating the Whole Equestrian
Friday, December 13 | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Speakers: Emily Hamel, Tyler Held
Constitution A

The focus of this presentation will be mindfulness practice, how it ties into the core principles of mindset, fitness, nutrition, and community, and how these topics foster optimal performance in and out of the saddle. As equestrians, we invest a lot of time and energy making sure that our horses are in their best shape to compete and in doing so we often sweep our own needs to the side. By paying attention to the Whole Equestrian and investing in our own self-care, we believe we can enhance our lives with horses as a source of success and fulfillment regardless of outside circumstances.

Calendar Planning & Organizers Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Speakers: Debra Dealcuaz, Jonathan Elliott
Constitution A

Have you ever wondered how the eventing calendar is constructed each year? If so, you won’t want to miss the Event Calendar Planning Workshop! We will be looking at the first run of the 2021 competition calendar. All are welcome to sit in on this dynamic planning session.

Maryland 5* at Fair Hill Update
Friday, December 13 | 3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Speakers: Jeff Newman, Mary Coldren
Constitution A

The improvements to the Fair Hill equestrian facilities are in full swing in preparation for 2020. The President and CEO of the Fair Hill Organizing Committee as well as long time Fair Hill Competition Director and Secretary Mary Coldren will provide an update on their progress towards the Maryland Five-Star at Fair Hill in 2020 and beyond.

Rider Biomechanics
Friday, December 13 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Speaker: Hannah Diebold
Constitution A

This session will cover assessing the suitability of the saddle for you, the rider, assessing the suitability of a saddle for your horse, fine-tuning your saddle, how your saddle can support a balanced and secure position, identifying rider imbalance and when this is a symptom of an underlying saddle issue, and understanding the power of a quarterly saddle check.

Tips for Designing Cross-Country Schooling Courses at Home
Friday, December 13 | 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Speaker: Morgan Rowsell
Constitution A

Morgan Rowsell leads a session detailing tips for creating a safe cross-country schooling course on your own property. He will discuss details including footing, course maintenance, jump positioning, jump construction, and creating a schooling policy for your venue.

Track B

Problem Solving: Reason, Response, Recommendation & Resolutions for Officials
Friday, December 13 | 8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Speakers: Cindy Deporter, Gretchen Butts, John Michael Durr, Loris Henry, Marilyn Payne, Tim Murray
Constitution B

Officials have to deal with many types of situations on the field of play and during a competition. As we all know, there are many types of personalities that are involved in events as there are in all walks of life. This seminar is designed to provide officials with strategies in dealing with these types of personalities. Our customers in eventing are varied from the parents that know little to nothing about horses or the sport, to the confirmed rider that makes their living riding, competing, and coaching, to the harried organizer who is dealing with anything from a water break to ice on the pond to 10 inches of rain the night before. This session will be interactive with real-life scenarios.

Preceptor Training
Friday, December 13 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Speakers: Cindy Deporter, John Michael Durr, Tim Murray, Wayne Quarles
Constitution B

Are you a preceptor? Do you want to be a preceptor? This class is for you. This session is designed to review the expectations of being a preceptor for people who want to be an official or helping people who want to be upgraded for their licenses. This seminar will discuss the evaluations and how to complete them. There will be discussion about evaluating potential candidates and helping candidates move forward for upgrade of their license. The seminar will help provide tips on developing our prospective officials and new officials.

The New FEI Dressage Tests Demystified
Friday, December 13 | 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.
Speaker: Marilyn Payne
Constitution B

All the FEI level from CCI2* to CCI5* will have new dressage tests in 2020. FEI Judge Marilyn Payne will discuss the new 2020 FEI dressage tests for 2020, focusing on the key movements in each test. There are several changes and new movements that have not been used before - Payne will explain the new figures and what criteria the judges will be basing their scores on.

USEF High Performance Athletes Open Forum I
Friday, December 13 | 11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Speakers: Erik Duvander, Jenni Autry
Liberty B

This is a general meeting covering information on the program structure and administrative USEF ideas.

Pan American Games Review
Friday, December 13 | 12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Speakers: Boyd Martin, Doug Payne, Erik Duvander, Lynn Symansky, Tamie Smith
Constitution B

Come listen to the U.S. Eventing Team and Chef d’Equipe reflect on their time spent in Peru for the Pan American Games.

USEF High Performance Athletes Open Forum II
Friday, December 13, | 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Speakers: Erik Duvander, Jenni Autry
Liberty B

A continued discussion of the USEF Strategic Plan and Program Specifications in addition to FEI rule changes.

ERQI Reports for Officials at Events: How They Will Be Used in 2020
Friday, December 13 | 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Speakers: Carol Kozlowski, Diarm Byrne, Janis Linnan, Rob Burk
Constitution B

During the August meeting of the USEA Board of Governors the Board voted to supply a list of horses entered in each competition who hold a red or amber ERQI rating at the level entered to the licensed officials in advance of the competition. Much like a supplement to the watch list, this would be an additional tool to assist licensed officials in evaluating the safety and welfare of horses and their riders. In this initial year this will serve as an evaluation of the system and evaluation of the long-term viability of this system as a risk management tool.

Panel Discussion: Why Aren’t U.S. Event Horse Careers Lasting Longer?
Friday, December 13 | 3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Speakers: Erik Duvander, Matt Brown, Max Corcoran, Sam Watson, Dr. Susan Johns
Constitution B

Over the previous decade, the number of upper level event horses that remain at the highest levels of the sport for extended periods of time has anecdotally been dwindling. Also, it is rare to see horses return to represent the U.S. on international teams. This discussion will feature statistics provided by the USEA and Equiratings to strengthen our understanding of this issue and perspectives from coaches, trainers, riders, grooms, and veterinary professionals on the possible reasons and solutions. The ultimate goal will be for this discussion to bridge into a movement towards improving the long term viability of our horses.

Course Designers/Builders Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Speaker: Morgan Rowsell
Constitution B

Bring all of your course designing and building questions to the Course Designers/Builders Open Forum to have them answered by the top professionals currently designing and building courses. This forum will focus on recent developments in frangible technology as well as other key factors relating to the design and building of cross-country courses.

YEH: Better Judges and Smarter Breeders
Friday, December 13 | 4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Speakers: Tim Holekamp, Marilyn Payne
Liberty B

The Young Event Horse Committee is revamping the judging standards and will discuss the plans for judge education and testing. The program also aims to further educate domestic breeders and help identify key factors for successful breeding of event horses in North America.

Professional Horseman’s Council Open Forum
Friday, December 13 | 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Speaker: Matt Brown
Constitution B

The Professional Horseman's Council is composed of active members of the USEA who are professionals in the sport of eventing. The purpose of the Council is to facilitate communication between professionals and the eventing community, including the governing bodies, officials, organizers, and competitors and to assist in the further development, growth, and safety of the sport.

USEA Event Management System: The Roadmap
Friday, December 13 | 5:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Speaker: Robert Winter
Liberty B

The USEA is committed to bringing innovations that support all participants from event managers to competitors and onto the larger equestrian community. The seminar will review the starting place and destination of the USEA Event Management System (EMS) project from both the perspective of the event manager and the competitor, presenting exciting new features not previously possible. Any new project requires the support of its users. With the USEA EMS project being driven by the event community, the project team continues to seek out feedback and participation. There will be additional time to ask questions of the project managers and sign up for special tester and early adopter access.

ERAofNA Annual Meeting
Friday, December 13 | 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Speaker: Helen Murray
Liberty B

Jump in and engage with the Eventing Riders Association of North America. Join ERA of NA members for the Annual Meeting to learn more about the organization and initiatives to improve the overall safety, welfare, visibility, and growth of the sport.

The USEA Foundation Silent Auction is open for bidding through tomorrow evening. You can check out the different items up for bid in the Grand Liberty Foyer.

Take a break from meetings and unwind with film. The USEA has created a dedicated film room (Liberty C, Second Floor) that will play archived event footage and equestrian-inspired blockbuster films each day during Convention. Take a look at today's schedule for the film room.

Friday, December 13

10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. | Film from 1990s – 2000s

Morning playlist [2h 39m]:

• 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games
• 2000 Sydney Olympics XC
• 2004 Kentucky Three-Day Event

Afternoon playlist [3h 49m]:

• Wild Hearts Can’t Be Broken [G] 1991 | 1 hour 28 minutes
• Seabiscuit [PG-13] 2003 | 2 hours 21 minutes

7:05 p.m. | Sylvester [PG] 1985 | 1 hour 44 minutes

This year, the USEA will be rolling out selected sessions from the USEA Convention on demand for your viewing enjoyment. Today, check out the videos from yesterday's Horsemanship Sessions with Dr. Mark Revenaugh, Dr. Tim Worden, and Steve Teichman.

To read up on what happened at the USEA Board of Governors meeting yesterday, click here.

Click here to read all of the USEA’s Convention coverage. For important updates throughout the day, keep an eye on the Noteworthy News.

Stay tuned for more coverage from the 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention!

Helpful Links

• USEA Website
• Convention Page
• USEA’s Convention Coverage
• Livestream
• Program
• Schedule
• Floor Plan
• Vendor List
• 2019 Financials
• 2018 Annual Meeting Minutes

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About the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention

The USEA Annual Meeting & Convention takes place each December and brings together a large group of dedicated USEA members and supporters to discuss, learn, and enjoy being surrounded by other eventing enthusiasts. The USEA organizes multiple seminars in addition to committee meetings, open forums, and tons of fun! The 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is taking place at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, December 12-15, 2019. Click here to learn more about the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention.