United States Eventing Association

USEF Eventing Technical Committee Kicks Off Convention with Rule Change Proposals

USEF Eventing Technical Committee

The USEF Eventing Technical Committee met this morning and the bulk of the discussion focused on the 2015 rule change proposals starting with General Rule changes and then moving to the Eventing specific rules. All of the proposals related to the new Modified division were were tabled until the Friday meeting in order to give the Membership and Competitions Committee time to discuss them. In addition, the rules related to protective headgear and body protectors were also tabled to give the Safety Committee time to meet and present its recommendations.

Rule changes which the Committee voted to pass include:

• GR801 – Safety vests may be worn in lieu of a jacket
• GR914.3 – If a horse is withdrawn or eliminated from competition during a horse inspection at any FEI licensed competition, it is prohibited from competing at any concurrently-held USEF licensed competition.
• GR1034 – Rewording of the definition of stewards and technical delegates
• GR1041 – Replacing written tests with quizzes on rule changes for officials.
• GR 1102 – Using unique Horse ID number the Federation maintains the only official record of winnings for awards, ranking lists, qualifying classes and championships of horses at all Regular Competitions.
• EV 106.3 – Remove language of CCN from the open/close dates.
• EV 149.7 – Every effort should be made in show jumping to not to exceed the maximum dimensions specified with the material available

Rule changes which the Committed voted to oppose include:

• GR 151 – Takes away the right of individual USEF members to submit rule changes.
• GR 414.5 – No kinesiotape or self-adhesive patches may be used on any horse while mounted at any time during competition. Kinesiotape and self-adhesive patches are permitted exclusively while the horse is unmounted in the stabling area. (The committee wanted clarification on self-adhesive patches in order to not prevent the use of FLAIR strips).
• GR1211.4 – Veterinarians have to submit to the Federation the designated competition veterinarian’s contact information no less than seven (7) days prior to the start of competition. (The Committee believes this should be the responsibility of the show management not the TD)
• GR1040.8 – An applicant may not apply for the same license level and type more than three times in a lifetime.
• GR1211.5 – Competitions must have an isolation protocol in place including an isolation stall (What do we do about one-day shows with no on-site stabling)
• GR1301.9 – Safety stirrups with a rubber band and hook design are prohibited for use on competition grounds.
• GR1316 – Removes the set time span a competitor is not allowed to compete following a concussion. Instead a letter must be submitted from a physician clearing the rider to compete. (Concern over the abuse of the rule, getting letters from any random doctor)
• EV115 – Changes to the saddlery in the dressage tests. Any type of horse footwear (hoofwear) would be permitted. Also prohibiting fly shields except under exceptional circumstances by the Ground Jury.

Two requests from the Licensed Officials Committee were discussed including the review process for promotion of judges and allowing credit for attending FEI courses for small ‘r’ judges.

Derek di Grazia reviewed the rules that have been passed by the FEI and explained the changes that would be made to the USEF Rule Book to align with them including qualification for CCI4* and allowing double bridle curb chains to be made of metal or leather or combination and the cover made be metal, leather or sheepskin.

Shealagh Costello wrapped up the meeting with a review of the Frangible Technology Grant Program which is still going strong and fulfilled 21 orders for 19 venues last year.

The USEF Eventing Technical Committee will meet again on Friday at 2:00 in order to resume discussion over the proposed rule changes.

Event Calendar Planning Workshop

Area Chairs, Event organizers and interested parties met in the Event Calendar Planning Workshop to discuss the calendar for the 2017 and beyond. Senior Director of Competitions, Sharon Gallagher, began the workshop with some Association notices. In an effort to streamline the calendar planning process, preliminary applications for Events are now due December 1st two years before the Event will take place. (Applications turned in Dec. 1, 2016 will be for the 2018 calendar). After this point, calendar issues will be discussed at the Eventing Calendar Planning Workshop at the USEA Annual Meeting and Convention each December.

The workshop then went on to discuss Progressive vs. Recreational Calendars. Progressive calendars include FEI Events that professional riders frequent in order to obtain qualifications. These calendars are divided into three seasonal calendars: spring, summer and fall. Recreational calendar Events are the heart and soul of the sport. These are the lower-level horse trials across the country that occur year-round. These items are taken into account for planning purposes organizers and area representatives look at the Event calendar for any given year.

USEF Safety Committee Open Forum

The first half of the day ended with the USEA Safety Committee Open Forum. They began the discussion with safety standards regarding helmets and body protectors. Currently protective vests are required for cross-country, but there is no standard that vests must adhere to in the U.S., while helmets must adhere to a standard, but not necessarily the current one. Standards were discussed which the committee deems appropriate for safety on cross-country. The next topic regarded frangible and collapsible jumps. Earlier this year, a task force was created with the intention of making our sport the safest it can be. This has been named the Cross-Country Fence Design and Safety Task Force. They have so far explored topics such as jump construction, course design (including placement of frangible fences), shapes of fences and the study that Dr. Suzanne Smith conducted at the University of Kentucky involving frangible fences. One concurring idea brought forth by the meeting is a need for course builders certification, so that a consistent high standard for safety can be enforced throughout the country.