Lexington, Ky. – On August 27, 2018, the US Equestrian Board of Directors approved a rule change requiring that effective January 1, 2019, all US Equestrian (USEF) adult members with a Competing Membership must complete USEF’s Safe Sport Training in order to be eligible to participate in USEF activities. Members can immediately access the free Safe Sport Training directly through their member dashboard or can click here to learn more. We encourage members to complete the training as soon as possible.
US Equestrian President Murray Kessler stated, “I am very proud of the work done in drafting this proposal and the Board of Directors which approved this critical rule designed to keep our children safe while they enjoy, excel, and advance in our sport.”
The rule has three main requirements. Sections 1 and 2 are already in effect and Section 3 has been added:
Every USEF member and Federation Participant* shall abide by USEF’s Safe Sport Policy and the U.S. Center for SafeSport Code of Conduct. *As described by the USEF Safe Sport Policy, a Federation Participant is any USEF member or non-member, who participates in, or attends a USEF-licensed competition or sanctioned event.
In order to comply with S. 534, the Protecting Young Victim’s from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017, the USEF Safe Sport Policy, and the Center’s SafeSport Code of Conduct, every USEF adult member and USEF participant, with the exception of the victim, is required to report suspected sexual misconduct within 24 hours to the appropriate authorities and to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
Beginning January 1, 2019, every USEF adult member with a Competing Membership must complete USEF’s Safe Sport Training, as approved by the U.S. Center for SafeSport (the Center).
A 30 day grace period to complete the awareness training will be provided to all members who renew or join on or after December 1, 2018. Members joining prior to December 1, 2018 will have until January 1, 2019 to complete the training. Those who do not complete the training within the grace period will be ineligible to participate in USEF activities, including competitions.
The Safe Sport Policy and the rules that govern it have been created to protect all athletes from misconduct within the sport. This new rule is consistent with our efforts to ensure the safety and welfare of equestrian participants, especially minors. Education and training everyone is crucial to protecting athletes and eradicating abuse in our sport.
Additional information and resources on Safe Sport, how to report sexual and non-sexual misconduct, access to a free training module for parents of equestrian athletes, a Safe Sport FAQ, the Safe Sport Sanction list and more can be found here.
What’s a Hunter Pace? The Sherwood Forest Equestrian Center's Hunter Pace is a cross-country-style course around Sherwood Forest over various natural obstacles/terrain. The course ends with a final treat for riders to take in stunning views of Mt. Hood with a loop through the old Far Hill Farms field. The beginning of the course will first start with a warm-up loop around show jumping obstacles in the outdoor ring at Sherwood Forest and then riders will continue directly onto the course. Sign up as a solo rider, pair, or team.
Claire Allen remembers when she was 11 years old, having just made the switch from the hunter/jumper ring to three-day eventing. She told her new eventing trainer that her goal was to one day compete in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Eventing Young Rider Championships.
As he was finishing tacking up his horse in preparation to navigate the cross-country course at the 2024 Twin Rivers Summer Horse Trials, James Alliston expressed concern about navigating the 101 Freeway. That’s because as soon as he crossed the finish line aboard Intermediate level winner Addyson (Ampere x Nickerbocker) at 10:38 a.m. on Saturday—his fifth cross-country round of the morning with three at Preliminary and two at Intermediate—the West Coast-based five-star rider had to drive 185 miles on the 101 Freeway from Twin Rivers Ranch in Paso Robles, California, to San Francisco International Airport to catch a 4:35 p.m. flight to Frankfurt, Germany.
There is so much more to proper grooming than keeping your horse picture-perfect for the horse inspection. Good grooming practices are critical to proper horse management, no matter if you are planning for your next FEI appearance or your Starter level debut. To help you maximize your knowledge of grooming practices, we opened up the opportunity for USEA members to submit any questions they might have on our Instagram and Facebook stories. In this week's episode, Host Nicole Brown sits down with three of the highest-regarded grooms in this industry, Max Corcoran, Emma Ford, and Stephanie Simpson, and asks them all of your questions and more to help you perfect the art of grooming.