Lexington, Ky. – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has agreed to utilize Black Horse One (BHO) as a licensed official training and evaluation partner. This agreement, which starts in 2024, will assist US Equestrian in elevating the education and evaluation process for our licensed officials.
BHO’s online platform Equestrian Hub will allow judges to watch video recordings of athlete-and-horse combinations and input a score or placing based on their observations. Their inputted scores or placings are then graded against a reference judge, or judges, to determine if they are within the acceptable range.
“We are excited to partner with Black Horse One on this important initiative,” stated US Equestrian Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel Sonja Keating. “We are constantly looking for ways to evolve as a Federation, and I see this as a win-win for all involved.”
Current methods of training for all types of licensed officials include traveling to a competition to apprentice or shadow a judge, completing online courses or exams, and attending clinics.
“Our licensed officials will now have a way to upskill and obtain an objective assessment remotely,” stated Keating. “This is invaluable. Applicants will now receive immediate feedback on their scoring and will be able to learn at their own pace. Any opportunity we have to ensure judge applicants obtain the practical skillset to score or place a class correctly is something we must do.”
The need for USEF to offer a digital evaluation program was first expressed from our dressage community, so our Licensed Officials Department will work with the Dressage Department staff, USDF and expert dressage volunteers to finalize the evaluation protocol for future U.S. FEI Dressage Judge applicants. Additionally, USDF will continue to develop and host national dressage judge licensed official education, which will also utilize Black Horse One in the future.
“While the process will begin with dressage, we are excited at the opportunity to potentially expand the video evaluation tool for other breeds and disciplines, should they be interested,” stated Keating.
“We believe that Official’s education is an important foundation of our sport that benefits greatly from technological advancements. It is our honor to support US Equestrian with our wide offerings and we appreciate the opportunity,” states Black Horse One Chief Executive Officer Daniel Göhlen. “Aside from leading-edge software solutions for scoring, management and entries available through Equestrian Hub, BHO has always prioritized officials’ education. We will assist with accessible scoring and evaluation tools for both already licensed officials who want to practice or continue their education and those who are in the process of becoming licensed. We are thrilled to collaborate with USEF to further improve our solutions.”
Want to become a licensed official?
More information about the process of becoming a licensed official can be found on our website: https://www.usef.org/licensed-officials. Individuals with questions about the licensing process can contact the USEF Licensed Officials Department at [email protected].
Black Horse One
Black Horse One stands for innovative and reliable high-performance software solutions with a strong focus on equestrian sports. eDressage™, the revolutionary paperless judging solution for dressage, as well as Spectator Judging® and the international Degree of Difficulty System (DoD) are among several other cutting-edge software solutions for equestrian sports. Together, those technologies combine to form Equestrian Hub, a one-stop platform for Athlete, Officials, Organizers and Fans.
The software is utilized at all levels of the sport, from national up to the highest international, including World- and Continental Championships, Games, World Cup Finals as well as 5* events worldwide.