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.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

2025 K3DE Rider Talk: What Are They Saying About Cross-Country?

Riders in both the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S and the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L are sharing similar sentiments about this year's cross-country courses: course designer Derek di Grazia didn't play around this year. Here is what some of the riders across both divisions had to say about the tracks they will aim to conquer on Saturday.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Off the Record Breaks Records in Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S at Defender Kentucky

Off The Record decided not to let Michael Jung be the only record-breaking entry at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event this week and delivered a career-best score in the Cosequin Lexington CCI4*-S on Friday morning. He and Will Coleman delivered a test that received a score of 21.8, not only marking a personal best for the horse but also securing their position at the top of the leaderboard going into cross-country tomorrow.

Apr 25, 2025 Competitions

Soaked, but Not Shaken: Boyd Martin Flies the Flag for the U.S. at Defender Kentucky in Second

Boyd Martin and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding Commando 3 were the last pair to go in the Defender Kentucky CCI5*-L field on Friday afternoon and were warmly greeted to the bluegrass with an impressive downpour that outshined anything the other horse and rider pairs had to combat throughout the day. But that didn’t stop this pair from putting their best foot forward and impressing the judges enough to earn them a score of 26.0, just 0.2 points ahead of second-place pair Tom McEwen (GBR) and Brookfield Quality.

Apr 25, 2025 Association News

Beware of Phishing Attempts and Other Types of Fraud

Please always remain vigilant when it comes to sending any personal communications via email or text. Every year we receive reports of members and leaders of our sport receiving phishing attempts both online and by phone. These are often communications disguised as being sent from USEA staff or other leaders. As the years go on, the phishing attempts appear to be more directed and tailored.

Official Corporate Sponsors of the USEA

Official Joint Therapy Treatment of the USEA

Official Feed of the USEA

Official Saddle of the USEA

Official Forage of the USEA

Official Competition & Training Apparel of the USEA

Official Horse Boot of the USEA

Official Shock Wave of the USEA

Official Horse Wear of the USEA