Dear USEF Members,
2017 marks the 100th Anniversary of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and there is no better time than the present to launch a version of the organization which will pave the way for years to come. There was a much different feeling and buzz to this year’s USEF Annual Meeting. If you did not get to attend this year’s meeting, you missed out on an outstanding and high-energy experience filled with informative live presentations ranging from the strategic plan for the future of our organization to concussion awareness to preserving sport fairness, safety, and enjoyment. The excitement and inspiration were palpable and the belief in a bright future was contagious. While the usual committee meetings and rule-change process kept many of us busy and were integral components of council meetings, we are going to highlight the newest features from this year’s meeting first.
The meeting opened with a vibrant town hall on preserving sport fairness, safety, and enjoyment. We engaged volunteers and staff in conducting this town hall, in which we discussed consumer (pre-purchase) testing, supplement testing for manufacturers, penalty guidelines for cases involving drugs and medications, cruelty and abuse, and assisting suspended persons. Additionally, our new US Equestrian Learning Center contains video presentations on horse care and Safe Sport. Very good questions from the audience resulted in creating top level discussion on how to address issues damaging the reputation of our sport.
An excellent presentation on concussion identification, prevention, and treatment followed on the heels of preserving sport and was conducted by Dr. Lola Chambless. Dr. Chambless is a renowned neurosurgeon from Vanderbilt and an expert on head and traumatic brain injuries, as well as an active equestrian. She explained in layman’s terms the serious implications of concussions and traumatic brain injuries, and the importance of recognizing a concussion to alleviate any lasting or cumulative effects. Equestrian sport has been a leader in requiring equipment that can help reduce the effects of head injury, but proper education on the topic is essential to successfully preventing and dealing with concussions.
Upbeat music and excitement marked the start of new USEF President Murray Kessler’s robust presentation of the USEF strategic plan (plan) approved by the Board of Directors (Board) in June of 2016. He turned 160-plus power point slides into an engaging and powerful experience for our members, sponsors, and staff. The plan identifies the processes and information utilized in its development, the strategic goals and areas of focus, as well as the strategies and tactics to achieve success. The magnitude of this information and plan was not daunting at all and meeting participants eagerly learned and absorbed the messages. At the end of the presentation, everyone clearly embraced our vision of “Bringing the joy of horse sports to as many people as possible,” and our mission “To provide access to and increase participation in equestrian sports at all levels by ensuring fairness, safety, and enjoyment.” We invited our entire USEF staff to experience the joy by being present for the plan presentation and the plan implementation presentation.
Our launch of a new website with a multitude of new and upgraded features has been a resounding success. Naturally, there are always a few glitches when transferring over 1,500 pages of content and introducing new components to increase functionality. The new site requires members to learn a new system for finding the information they need. In the end, the initial inconvenience this presents is overcome by the significant improvements in user experience. We employed a well-respected firm out of New York named Omure, which worked with our Information Technology department to create, test, and launch the new website. More features and improvements will come in phase two. Make sure to let us know if you encounter an error and we will make every effort to quickly solve the problem.
Members, sponsors, and staff celebrated our 100-year anniversary with a reception in honor of outgoing President Chrystine Tauber. Chrystine has selflessly given back to the sport she loves and her contributions as a rider, official, volunteer, and administrator were evident when Murray presented her with the Sallie Busch Wheeler award for her unwavering dedication and outstanding service to the USEF and our sport. Her tribute video captured her successful career as a consummate horsewoman and dedicated volunteer.
Bonnie Jenkins, Executive Director of the USET Foundation (Foundation), led an in-depth presentation on the purpose, process, and procedures of the Foundation. The Foundation provides significant financial support for the USEF high performance programs across the FEI disciplines. Our Olympic and international competitive success is made possible by the combined support of the USEF members, Foundation, and United States Olympic Committee (USOC). We thank everyone for their commitment to excellence on the field of play.
The senior staff team provided insight into the inner workings and operations of the USEF with their strategic plan implementation presentation. Each team leader did a wonderful job of explaining his/her department’s completed, ongoing, and future work to support the strategic plan, and to fulfill our day-to-day responsibilities. In addition to identifying the tools we use to manage the implementation process and meet expectations, the presentation provided an opportunity to introduce volunteers to the staff, which administers the rules and programs created by our volunteers. Many, many people commented on how much they appreciated learning and understanding the magnitude and complexity of the work being done by each department. Additionally, members greatly appreciated hearing directly from our team members. We will continue to build out the strategies and tactics as new ideas develop and this will form the basis for ongoing strategic planning as we look to the next five years following 2020.
We hosted two revitalized celebrations to recognize member achievements. The Pegasus Awards Dinner on Friday evening proved to be one of the best ever. Honoree after honoree impressed the audience with their thoughtful and heartfelt acceptance speeches and references to the joy of horse sports! The amazing nominees, horse and human, were in a class by themselves. Our annual Horse of the Year Awards Dinner followed on Saturday evening and the room was filled to capacity with winners across every breed and discipline in the US Equestrian family. Many proud parents and spouses watched their loved ones cross the stage in front of our impressive collection of trophies to collect their awards. Following this night of honors, we held the first HOTY After-Party, which was a tremendous success. A huge number of your fellow equestrians and staff members stayed to party and dance the night away with a live dance band.
Council and Board meetings rounded out the week and significant advancements were made in the governance of our sport. Rule changes were approved that added a USEF licensed “R” course designer to assist the US Medal Finals judges with designing the track; the Saddlebred, Hackney, and Roadster constituencies put forth rules to further protect the welfare of their horses, as did the jumpers with regard to schooling techniques for young horses; eventing added language to increase the use of frangible pin technology; general rules were amended or added to provide for greater clarity with regards to cruelty and abuse situations, implement mandatory necropsy and reporting of collapses; and a proposal for competition management training was also approved. We are proud of the work done by our affiliates and US Equestrian committees to bring forward legislation to address serious issues in our sport in a responsible manner. Additionally, the Board received a very comprehensive report from the Ranking List Task Force, which was presented by it chair, Suzanne Porter. The analysis conducted determined that the formula is correct, but due to the changing FEI competition environment in and outside of the US, the task force recommended two amendments to how the class value is calculated. The amendments will establish a 1.1 multiplier for classes with prize money from $35,000 to $49,999 and will apply the bonus for FEI events worldwide. The task force was in complete agreement, as were the applicable committees and councils which reviewed the proposal prior to Board consideration. These amendments will take effect on April 3, 2017.
Major announcements also occurred during the annual meeting, starting with the notice to members regarding the recent penalties given to two members for the use of a prohibited substance in a horse during competition. This case was the first heard under the Board-approved penalty guidelines for cases involving drugs and medications. The second announcement was the decision by the USDA to limit amendments to their Horse Protection Act (HPA) regulations to Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses. The USDA proposed several amendments, which in the opinion of the USEF, would have negatively impacted the welfare and safety of our equine partners. Working with all of our affiliate organizations and outside legal counsel specializing in regulatory matters, the USEF submitted a 17-page comment accompanied by over 300 pages of supporting materials. In order to preserve our ability to litigate if necessary, the USEF comment asked for an exception to the regulations for the breeds and disciplines under our umbrella. We are very supportive of the final decision of the USDA and pleased that they recognized and acknowledged the exceptional work of the USEF to regulate and protect the welfare of our horses in several instances in the comments regarding the final rule. In the end, the exception was not necessary due to the USDA’s decision to limit the major components of the rule to Tennessee Walking Horses and racking horses. The third major announcement was the approval by the Board to move forward with the development of a new headquarters here at the Kentucky Horse Park. Building a new headquarters, which we will ultimately own outright, requires no down payment and will save hundreds of thousands of dollars each year that can be utilized to support member services and programs.
Our overarching goal this year has been to bring you a “new” USEF that meets your needs and the needs of our sport with a more collaborative and consumer-oriented focus. We will continue our path of implementing the strategies and tactics outlined in the strategic plan which aligns with achieving our goal. 2016 has been a year of great change for US Equestrian and we appreciate your engagement, feedback, and support.
Congratulations to all our members on a successful 2016, best wishes for continued success in 2017, and thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Bill Moroney