Aug 12, 2022

USEA Board of Governors Discuss Safety, Volunteers, Calendar Modifications, Membership, and More During August Meeting

By Meagan DeLisle - USEA Staff

The USEA Board of Governors (BOG) concluded a productive two days of the August BOG meeting on Wednesday, August 9th in Dulles, Virginia led by USEA President Max Corcoran. All but four BOG members were able to attend in person this year. Many key items related to eventing in the U.S. were discussed at great length including safety, membership strategies, competition procedures, visibility of the sport, and more over the course of the two-day gathering.

USEA CEO Rob Burk kicked off his report with a kind tribute to five BOG members who were attending their final August meeting as their terms will be up at the end of the year. The list of retiring BOG members includes Morgan Rowsell, Dr. Jennifer Miller, Jerry Schurink, Alice Sarno, and current USEA President Max Corcoran.

Burk reported that membership numbers, while a tick down from 2021, are strong for the current economic climate with just over 12,000 members currently. Following a lull in 2020 and 2021 caused by the pandemic, international memberships have rebounded for the calendar year. Both youth memberships and adult amateur memberships are on a slight decline for the year so far, prompting some discussion about how the USEA can meet the needs of youth and adult riders within the membership.

Total USEA Membership listed by year.

Of the many topics that were discussed, calendar modifications were a big-hitting topic across the two-day span. “The USEA Board of Governors have made it clear that they want all impacted competitions and their organizers, the Area Councils and members to continue to have a say in the calendar process” said Burk. “The USEA will continue to push for strong transparency and an adequate period of review as we work through the United States Equestrian (USEF) on licensed competition scheduling.”

Five calendar modifications were brought forward to the BOG, three of which were requests to add the Modified division to future horse trials, and all calendar modifications were approved. In addition, the Area Affairs Committee and the Calendar, Competitions, and Rules Committee recommend the USEA Board of Governors ask the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) to include eventing dressage tests for use at the USDF opportunity classes. It is not a requirement to be a member of the USDF to participate in the opportunity classes. The board approved this motion and USEA leadership will be reaching out to the USDF on behalf of the USEA to kickstart this process.

While preparations are well underway for the upcoming 2022 meeting and convention in Savannah, Georgia, the location of the 2023 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention was decided. The USEA is thrilled to announce the return of the prestigious gathering to Area IV for the first time since 2006. This 2023 Annual Meeting & Convention will take place in St. Louis, Missouri. More details will be released at a later date.

Members of the BOG had a deep discussion on the suspension of members based on violations of the USEA code of conduct or principles on which the association is built. The USEA will be tasking the legal committee with reviewing the USEA Members Code of Conduct to make sure it is up to date and relevant.

A motion was approved to provide volunteers that log 10 hours through eventingvolunteers.com with a free digital USEA supporting membership for the year following their service (ex: if 10+ volunteer hours are logged in 2023, the volunteer will receive a free digital USEA supporting membership in 2024).

Perhaps one of the most exciting motions to be approved during this week’s meeting was one put forward by the Cross-Country Safety Subcommittee. The USEA Board of Governors voted to approve the use of $100,000 to create the seed money for a new safety fund to be held by the USEA Foundation. These funds will be available to aid with all safety measures, including those related to frangible technology grants.

In an attempt to help support new events, a motion was passed that would allow for a $500 reimbursement for new events to be reimbursed for the hiring of qualified Technical Delegates. Those funds would be made available to the organizers of new events at new competition sites, and to organizers of formerly USEA recognized horse trials that have not been licensed by the USEF over the previous three years.

A number of other measures, and budgetary adjustments were also approved and will be reported in subsequent USEA releases. The USEA Board of Governors will continue to meet via conference call until their next in-person meeting at the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention from December 7-11, 2022 in Savannah, Georgia.

Jul 01, 2024 Competitions

Alliston’s Busy Weekend, Braitling’s Reuniting with Five-Star Mount, & Kalkman’s Advanced Victory Highlight Twin Rivers Summer H.T.

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.

Jul 01, 2024 Education

USEA Podcast #364: All Your Grooming Questions Answered

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.

Jun 29, 2024 Education

The Event Rider’s Top 3 Organization Tips for Horse Trials Day

Despite our best plans and organizational efforts, life with horses can very often mean we are cycling through Plans B through Z when we start the day with Plan A in mind. If your summer schedule includes your first horse trials or your hundredth, it’s always helpful to check-in with your own organization methods to stay prepared and ensure competition day runs as smoothly as possible.

Jun 28, 2024 Eventing News

Equestrian Team Apparel to be Bronze Sponsor for 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships

The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is pleased to announce Equestrian Team Apparel as a “Bronze Level Sponsor for the 2024 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC)” taking place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, Aug. 27- Sept. 1.

Official Corporate Sponsors of the USEA

Official Joint Therapy Treatment of the USEA

Official Feed of the USEA

Official Saddle of the USEA

Official Equine Insurance of the USEA

Official Forage of the USEA

Official Supplement Feeding System of the USEA

Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA

Official Horse Boot of the USEA

Official Shockwave of the USEA

Official Horse Wear of the USEA