Jan 06, 2025

USEF Wants to Hear from You: Body Protector and Air Vest Survey

USEA/Lindsay Berreth photo

The U.S. Equestrian Federation is asking for feedback from members about body protectors and air vests.

As a part of the survey, you will see several instances of “your/your child” in the questions. This language was used with consistency in mind, whether it was an adult competing member filling out the survey or whether it was an adult completing the survey on behalf of their child. This language allows for us to uniformly evaluate all responses.

This survey is intended for USEF participants who ride or drive and parents of children who ride or drive. This can include grooms, trainers, riders, and drivers whether or not you are actively competing. If you are an owner who doesn’t ride or drive or do not have a child participating you do not need to complete the survey.

Click here to take the survey.

All information collected is confidential. After completion of the survey, you will have the opportunity to enter to win a $300 gift certificate to ShopUSEF by entering your email. (Your email address, when entered for the gift certificate, will not be tied to your survey submissions)

Survey closes at 11:59 p.m. ET on January, 31.

Letter from Dr. Mike Hart, Chair of the USEF Human and Equine Safety and Wellness Committee:

At US Equestrian, safety for horse and rider is a consistent strategic focus point. If you and your horse are not safe, the sport suffers.

To that end, the USEF Human and Equine, Safety, and Welfare Committee consistently strives to improve safety protocols. Over the last several years, the Committee has examined the use of protective equipment in equestrian sport, and in particular the use of body protectors and inflatable vests. While the benefits of helmets have long been established through a wide range of research and testing, body protectors and inflatable vests are newer and less commonly used. Therefore, the data surrounding the effectiveness of these types of equipment is more limited.

In an effort to better understand the driving factors behind the use of this protective equipment throughout all disciplines, US Equestrian is asking for your time to complete the survey below.

The data from this survey will help us improve the safety for all participants in equestrian sport and inform future decisions in research.

We greatly appreciate you taking the time to complete this survey.

Jan 14, 2025 Eventing News

From Ranch Horse to Eventer: How Blue Wallaby Became Zara Bewley’s Ultimate Amateur Partner

On a pack trip in Wyoming’s Big Horn Mountains in 2018 with her family, Australia-born Zara Bewley encountered many memorable creatures—moose, mountain lions, and bears. But it was Sam, a stoic 4-year-old blue roan gelding she rode during the journey, who made the biggest impact on her life.

Jan 13, 2025 Instructors

Fast Facts: 2025 ECP Symposium

For the first time, the USEA Eventing Coaches Program (ECP) Symposium has headed west! This year's educational experience will take place in Temecula, California, at Galway Downs starting Tuesday, Jan. 14 through Thursday, Jan. 16 and provide an in-depth dive into the mentality of coaching for coaches for all of its attendees.

Jan 13, 2025 Education

USEA Podcast #378: The Ultimate Rider Fitness Q&A Show

It's the start of a new year and what better time to talk about prioritizing yourself and your fitness than at the start of a new season? USEA Podcast Host Nicole Brown sat down with Olympian Boyd Martin and equestrian sports performance fitness coach Tony Sandoval to answer all of your submitted questions regarding your health and fitness so that you can start your year off on the right foot!

Jan 12, 2025 Association News

How 2024 Shaped ShowConnect

This past year was an impressive year of growth for ShowConnect, the innovative event management system for equestrian events. Not only were many updates made by the development team to further enhance the user experience, but many events adopted the platform as their event management system for the year with immense success. Here are a few fun statistics showcasing some highlights of ShowConnect's 2024 season:

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