On the evening of Saturday, September 7, 2024, the USEA, Inc. and, by extension, the USEA Foundation, learned of allegations of equine abuse and were provided links to videos of a rider striking a horse.
Horse welfare is a core principle of our educational organizations, and we take this very seriously. The USEA staff notified the United States Equestrian (USEF), the governing body of U.S. eventing, within two hours of being provided those videos. We were supplied with the following related statement from the USEF:
“USEF takes reports of animal abuse very seriously and prioritizes the safeguarding of horse welfare. We have received the videos in question and the matter is currently under investigation with the FEI. To ensure the integrity of the disciplinary process, we have no further comment at this time.”
The USEA will continue to cooperate with the USEF and FEI, the governing bodies that hold the responsibility for investigations and disciplinary sanctions under the rules of our sport. USEA leadership is listening to your concerns while we gather more information, and we will follow up with more details as soon as possible.
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