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May 08, 2019
VIDEO: Safety Concepts for Every Ride
We are bringing you select content from the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention on demand in partnership with RNS Video Media, giving you a chance to relive all the action!
University of Kentucky professor Dr. Suzanne Weaver Smith and graduate student Shannon Wood gave a presentation at the 2018 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention on their study of rotational falls.
For more than two decades, the sport of eventing worldwide has focused policy, research, and design innovation to increase understanding and reduce the occurrence and consequence of horse and rider injury. Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) statistics from 2002 show nearly 75% reduction of any rider injury. Since the introduction of the first cross-country safety device, the frangible pin in 2001, serious rider injuries (that are correlated to rotational falls) have seen two-thirds reduction by 2015. Everyone’s goal is further reduction to the minimum possible.
Smith and Wood examined different data sets to determine the average number of rotational falls that occur in any given year. Because there are so few relative to the total number of fences jumped by horses in competition in any given year, it is difficult to collect data on rotational falls. Smith and Wood therefore worked to create a model that could simulate rotational falls, taking into account a number of different variables from the size of horses and riders to the contact position during the fall, speed, and more.
Look for a detailed article on the study and its findings in the May/June 2019 edition of Eventing USA!
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About the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention
The USEA Annual Meeting & Convention takes place each December and brings together a large group of dedicated USEA members and supporters to discuss, learn, and enjoy being surrounded by other eventing enthusiasts. The USEA organizes multiple seminars in addition to committee meetings, open forums, and tons of fun! The 2019 USEA Annual Meeting & Convention is taking place at the Sheraton Boston Hotel in Boston, Massachusetts, December 12-15, 2019. Click here to learn more about the USEA Annual Meeting & Convention.
Jan 21, 2025
Young Event Horse
First Class of YEH New Judge Education Program Graduates Added to the YEH Judges List
The United States Eventing Association, Inc. (USEA) is proud to announce the first class of USEA Young Event Horse (YEH) Judges have completed their certifications through the YEH New Judge Education Program, which was led by YEH faculty member, Marilyn Payne.
Jan 21, 2025
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Now On Course: Patience Pays Off for Nazila Hejazi & Her 20-Year-Old Missouri Fox Trotter
Nazila Hejazi and her 20-year-old Missouri Fox Trotter mare, Tessa, may have made for an unconventional pair at the USEA Area VI Championships, held in October at Galway Downs (Temecula, California) but they didn’t let that hold them back. It’s uncommon to see a horse in their twenties still competing in eventing, and even more rare for a gaited horse to compete in a jumping sport.
Jan 20, 2025
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Echoing the Dream: Small Acts of Kindness in Eventing
Today, we pause to honor the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and reflect on the powerful moment in 1963 when he stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and shared his vision for a better future. Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech was more than just words; it was a call to action that transcended time, culture, and boundaries—a beacon of hope that continues to inspire.
Jan 19, 2025
That “Forward” State of Mind
We’ve all been there—on the horse who pokes his way around the warm-up ring, needs leg, leg, leg coming into the combination, or brings up the rear on every trail ride. None of us wants each and every ride to be a lower-body squeezefest, nor do we wish to do anything with our crop except maybe wave it at that annoying deerfly. In this excerpt from his book The Sport Horse Problem Solver, former international eventer Eric Smiley explains the essential quality of forwardness and how to prepare the horse to expect you to look for it in all that you do together.
