The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF or US Equestrian) is the national governing body for most equestrian sports in the United States. It began on January 20, 1917, as the Association of American Horse Shows, later changed to the American Horse Shows Association (AHSA). In 2001, the organization changed its name to USA Equestrian (USAE) and, in 2003 it merged with the United States Equestrian Team (USET). In 2017, USEF rebranded as US Equestrian. In 2019, USEF moved its laboratory services to the University of Kentucky.
US Equestrian keeps track of yearly points accumulated at individual horse shows throughout the year and gives awards based on these points at the end of the year. Horse shows governed under the USEF are given an AA, A, B, or C rating. Shows with an AA rating are the most prestigious and often offer the most prize money, whereas shows with a C rating are more local, usually awarding less prize money. Competitions recognized by the USEF must follow its rules and bylaws.
US Equestrian Athlete Lettering Program started by the United States Equestrian Foundation offers an incredible opportunity for junior-high and high-school equestrian athletes to receive a varsity letter, just like any other varsity high-school athlete.[1] The Program allows young equestrian athletes to be honored and recognized for their hard work and dedication to the equestrian sport.[2][3]
Board of directors
President: Tom O'Mara
CEO: William Moroney
General Counsel: Sonja Keating
External audit committees: Judith Werner, Thomas Brennan, Lisa Gorretta, Elisabeth Goth, Cindy Mugnier
History
On January 20, 1917, representatives of some fifty horse shows met in Manhattan under the leadership of Reginald C. Vanderbilt. Their intention was to unite in order to assure clean competition in the show ring. They formed the Association of American Horse Shows, which by its first annual meeting on January 29, 1918, included the organizers of 26 well-known horse shows. The association incorporated in June 1918. Membership grew to list 35 member shows in 1919, and 67 shows by 1924. By the time of Vanderbilt's death in 1925, the organization had enrolled almost 70 shows as members of the organization.
Alfred B. Maclay was the next individual elected president. Early in his term, in 1927, the association printed its first set of rules, consisting of a six-page pamphlet. The rules were revised continually and have been added to throughout the history of the association. When Maclay's term ended in 1936, membership included 183 shows.
Maclay was followed by Pierre Lorillard as president. He served a year before Adrian Van Sinderen was elected. Under Van Sinderen, the office was relocated to 90 Broad Street in Manhattan. By the end of Van Sinderen's tenure in 1960, the rule book had grown to one hundred and sixty-eight pages.
The need for show stewards, representatives of the association to be present at and report on recognized shows, was recognized in the minutes of a 1930 executive committee meeting. It was not until the 1948 rule book that stewards were written in, however, and not until the 1960 rule book that licensing of stewards was in place and recognized in the rules.
In February 1933, the original name, the Association of American Horse Shows, Inc., was changed to the American Horse Shows Association, Inc. At the same meeting, individual members were recognized in addition to show members.
In 1935, a committee reported on their investigation of the transfer of control of the United States' membership in the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) membership from the United States Cavalry Association to the AHSA. The transfer of membership took place after the 1936 Summer Olympics, and after that, in the United States, the FEI rules applied only to international military classes. By this time, AHSA membership had grown to include 183 members and shows.
By 1937, the new rule book reflected the growth of the association by dividing the United States into five zones, each with a vice president and a five-member regional committee.
In 1939, the association began publication of the monthly magazine, Horse Show, with an initial circulation of 1,200 copies. By this time there were 187 recognized shows, and 800 individual members.
In 1960, the association began sending licensed stewards to each affiliated show to report and verify that the show was following the association's rules.
In 2001, AHSA changed its name to USA Equestrian (USAE) to represent the organization's role more effectively in the United States. At that time, the organization had over 80,000 individual members. There were more than 2,700 member competitions, 100 affiliate organizations, and 26 breeds and disciplines were recognized.
In 2003, USA Equestrian and the United States Equestrian Team (USET) joined together to take on responsibilities as a national governing body and became the United States Equestrian Federation.
In 2017, USEF rebranded to US Equestrian under the new President, Murray Kessler, launching the new campaign "Discover the Joy of Horse Sports."
In 2019, USEF moved its laboratory services to the University of Kentucky premises.
Related Research Articles
A horse show is a judged exhibition of horses and ponies. Many different horse breeds and equestrian disciplines hold competitions worldwide, from local to the international levels. Most horse shows run from one to three days, sometimes longer for major, all-breed events or national and international championships in a given discipline or breed. Most shows consist of a series of different performances, called classes, wherein a group of horses with similar training or characteristics compete against one another for awards and, often, prize money.
The Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) is a nonprofit organization composed of men and women of all riding levels and offers both individual and team competition. Members of the IHSA participate in horse shows. Students compete at eight levels, from beginner through advanced, with horses provided to them. The organisation was founded by Bob Cacchione in 1967 and currently has +10,000 members in 47 U.S. states and Canada. 400 colleges and universities participate in the program, where college and university team participation is represented through varsity athletics, academic departments and club sports.
Equitation is the art or practice of horse riding or horsemanship.
Hunt seat is a style of forward seat riding commonly found in North American horse shows. Along with dressage, it is one of the two classic forms of English riding. The hunt seat is based on the tradition of fox hunting. Hunt seat competition in North America includes both flat and over fences for show hunters, which judge the horse's movement and form, and equitation classes, which judge the rider's ability both on the flat and over fences. The term hunt seat may also refer to any form of forward seat riding, including the kind seen in show jumping and eventing.
Anne Kindig Kursinski is an American showjumper and two-time Olympic silver medalist in team jumping, at Seoul 1988 and Atlanta 1996. Representing the United States, she was a member of five Olympic teams, forty-seven Nations Cup teams, and three World Equestrian Games teams. In 2017, she was inducted into the Showjumping Hall of Fame.
Saddle seat is a style of horse riding within the category of English riding that is designed to show off the high action of certain horse breeds. The style developed into its modern form in the United States, and is also seen in Canada and South Africa. To a much lesser extent, it is ridden with American horse breeds in Europe and Australia.
James Cunningham Wofford was an American equestrian who competed in many international competitions in the sport of eventing. He was most known as a trainer of both horses and riders, and as a retired president of the AHSA and vice-president of the USET.
Robert Jeffrey Dover is an American equestrian who has had international success in the sport of dressage. Riding from the age of 13, he began specializing in dressage at age 19 and competed in his first Olympics in 1984. He competed in every summer Games between 1984 and 2004, winning four team bronze medals. He also took a team bronze at the 1994 World Equestrian Games. Dover is the most honored dressage rider in the United States, and has been inducted to the United States Dressage Federation Hall of Fame. Outside of competition, Dover founded the Equestrian Aid Foundation in 1996 to assist others in the equestrian world, and hosted a TV show that searched for the next dressage star. From late 2009 to early 2011, Dover served as the Technical/Coach Advisor for the Canadian national dressage team. In April 2013, Dover was named Technical Advisor/Chef d'Equipe for the US national dressage team.
George H. Morris is an American equestrian. He won team silver in show jumping at the 1960 Rome Olympics and is considered a founding father of hunt seat equitation. He was chef d'equipe for the United States show jumping team, which won Olympic gold under his leadership, from 2005 until 2013. He also served as chef d'equipe for the Brazilian show jumping team at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Throughout his career, Morris has been a "proponent of the forward seat" and wrote several books on the subject, including Hunter Seat Equitation. Morris trained students at his Hunterdon Stables and traveling clinics, producing nationally and internationally successful riders, including Olympic champions. In 2019, after a United States Center for SafeSport investigation, Morris was banned for life from the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) due to sexual misconduct with minors. Morris is likewise banned from coaching international teams for any country.
The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is a national organization that registers Arabian horses in the United States. It also works with the United States Equestrian Federation to sanction horse shows and license judges for Arabian horses.
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Junior Hunter Finals is a two-day national championship held by the United States Equestrian Federation at two different coasts of the United States in the summer of every year. It is held for qualifying Junior Hunter riders who show at either the 3'3" or 3'6" height.
Bernie Traurig is an American equestrian known for his international success in show jumping, dressage and eventing, as well as his coaching and training career. He is the founder of Equestrian Coach, an educational website.
The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) is a nonprofit organization that gives youth in grades 4-12 the opportunity to compete in team and individual equestrian competition without the financial outlay of owning a horse. IEA offers competition across three disciplines: hunt seat, western, and dressage. Within each discipline, there are divisions for beginning through advanced riders. Riders compete on horses unfamiliar to them, and there are regulations for the placement of riders new to IEA to account for the unique format. IEA was founded in spring of 2002, and has since grown its membership to 14,500 members across 46 states. Teams can be formed through a school or riding stables.
The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) is one of America's most elite horse shows, founded in 1958. The event took place every October for more than 20 years in the Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, D.C. for two decades. The 2022 event took place at The Show Place Arena, in neighboring Prince George's County, Maryland. The event is highlighted by international level show jumping, top show hunters, and two equitation championships. The event is currently ranked as a CSI-5*-W International show jumping event, as well as a USEF Premier Hunter and USEF 6* Jumper show.
Lillie Carmichael Keenan is an American show jumping rider. As a junior rider she won the ASPCA Maclay Finals, the USEF Medal Finals, and the Washington International Horse Show Equitation championship, as well as the USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals and double gold at the North American Young Rider Championship.
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