2008 AREA I ANNUAL MEETING
The 2008 Area I Annual Meeting took place on January 5, in
In addition to the general meeting, the Area I Council met to discuss issues facing Area I in 2008 and beyond, and organizers of Area I sanctioned events met to discuss changes in USEF rules, safety concerns, and other issues. The following summarizes the 2008 annual meeting:
Everyone welcomed Jane Murray who has graciously offered to
take over as Area Chairman and handle the remaining year in Joe Silva’s term as
chairman. Jane inspired us all with her
fresh energy, organized approach to providing constructive and viable
solutions, and leadership. Jane
indicated she will be focusing on strategy and long-range planning for Area I,
taking into account that Area I is no longer the
A new approach to the work of the area council was discussed and Jane has outlined a preliminary structure and role definitions. Stay tuned for the details on this new council.
Safety and rider responsibility were paramount concerns. Unfortunately, a number of riders across the country have competed using another person’s medical armband, and have sustained concussions or other serious injuries. Incorrect medical information complicates the ability to provide acute care, and can result in death for the injured rider. It is imperative that competitors use their own medical cards in armbands when competing. To that end, the USEF is now imposing a $100 fine if a competitor is found to be wearing someone else’s armband, regardless of whether the competitor has been injured. Several ideas were considered during the annual meeting to facilitate ensuring competitors are wearing proper medical cards, from spot-checking, to banning competitors for a year if they’re found with the wrong information. It was decided that spot-checking would be too tedious and a turn-off for volunteers, which are hard enough to come by as it is. We hope the fine imposition will be sufficient deterrent to those considering using someone else’s medical armband.
Regarding concussions, organizers were encouraged to notify USEA ASAP if a rider has suffered a concussion. Another safety concern was many competitors traveling alone to competitions: should they have an accident, who would take care of them, their horse(s), their trailer? It was agreed that adult riders who travel alone to events should let the organizer know of a friend at the event who can take charge of helping that rider or their horse/trailer should an accident occur.
An additional safety-related concern was the jump from
Training to Preliminary levels. If
requirements to move up to Preliminary from Training are changed, they could
probably impact the transition from Novice to Training, making that leap more
difficult. Currently, there is a
National Qualifying Rules proposal under consideration: Training riders must
have dressage score below 50, four clean XC rounds at an XC speed of 470 mm,
with time faults up to 90 seconds, in order to move up to Preliminary. The consensus at the annual meeting was that
ALL divisions should reduce XC speeds, rather than increasing Training
speed. Courses in
Entry forms have changed.
Now, a trainer must provide his/her address on the form. To clarify the distinction between trainer
and coach: A trainer is responsible for the horse, including drug test results.
The trainer must be someone 18 years or older, and MUST BE ON THE GROUNDS
during competition. A parent or guardian may sign as trainer. The trainer’s signature does not mean s/he
avows the horse/rider combination is capable of riding at given level. The
coach is responsible for the rider.
Beginner Novice through Preliminary riders constitute 96% of event starters in
Area I. Drug and starter fees are now
the SAME for all divisions. For combined tests, no drug fees are required.
The Area I calendar continues to be a source of concern given the decreasing number of upper level events and riders. Jane said that the Area I Council will make this issue a priority of their work in 2008 with and impact on the 2009 calendar.
Young Riders can’t declare themselves “amateur” until they are 22 years old. They must ride in either YR (JR) or Open divisions.
Rider Representatives and their roll were considered. It has been suggested that all levels of events have Rider Reps. A form is being developed for rider reps to fill out and send to USEA. A list of well qualified riders could be circulated and event organizers can ask two of them who are coming to the event to take on that role. The names would be posted for competitors as ombudsmen if they have a problem with a fence etc.
The award criteria for year-end awards were discussed, and it was agreed to keep the current system in place, in which placings in the top 6 events for each competitor are considered, rather than including all events any given competitor attends for the year. This makes it fairer for those who do not leave the Area during the winter months to compete down South.
Finally, we discussed holding future annual meetings in
locations other than