Ideas for Growth

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Taylor Pence/US Equestrian photo

The sport of dressage is far from stagnant. From suggested competition changes to a big shift for para-dressage, there’s lots to weigh in on in the year ahead.

By George Williams, USDF President

Reprinted from the March/April 2024 issue of USDF Connection magazine

The 2023 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention, held November 29-December 2 in Omaha, Nebraska, was reminiscent of bygone conventions. Many attending enjoyed the benefits of being at an in-person convention, especially the opportunity to reconnect with fellow dressage enthusiasts. “Thinking out of the box” conversations happened spontaneously in meeting rooms, hallways, and of course in the hotel bar!

Here are some of the news highlights from Omaha.

Should dressage institute a “mature rider” competition division?

In one regional meeting, I sat in on discussions regarding two suggestions pertaining to dressage competition that have been making the rounds of the dressage community: that a “mature rider” division be added, and that sitting trot be made optional through Fourth Level.

The idea of creating a “mature” division was originally brought forward in 2019, when some USDF members circulated a proposal for a “55+ Master/Senior Adult Amateur Division.” In the face of pandemic-related challenges, however, the concept seemingly was forgotten. But just prior to the 2023 convention, a USDF member contacted the USDF Executive Board about the possibility of a division for an “older” age group.

As someone who is comfortably in that age bracket, I can legitimately ask: At what age would a rider be eligible to compete in such a division? If 60 is the new 40 and 70 is the new 50, where does “older” begin? At the board meeting held during convention, someone pointed out that dressage shows are allowed to offer other divisions, and so perhaps interest could be gauged through shows’ offering a division for an older age group.

Should sitting trot be optional through Fourth Level?

Similarly, the board felt that the concept of making sitting trot optional through Fourth Level could be field-tested at schooling shows.

Both of the above suggestions are big ideas. One could be a large undertaking with costs involved, and the other could be a major change in how we approach dressage. In my opinion, before we go all in toward instituting these changes, they need to be tried first with some type of pilot program.

USDF poised to become official US para-dressage affiliate organization.

Last summer, the current US Equestrian (USEF) national para-dressage affiliate organization, the US Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA), requested that USDF take over the role of para-dressage affiliate. The USPEA intends to transition to functioning solely as a fundraising organization for para-equestrians.

These changes would follow the global trend over the past several years—by both the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) and other national federations—of bringing para-equestrians increasingly under the umbrella of their respective disciplines. Integrating para-dressage with able-bodied dressage makes sense and is a natural step forward for our sport. As the official US Equestrian affiliate for dressage, USDF is the obvious home.

The USDF Executive Board has blessed this change in concept. USDF executive director Stephan Hienzsch and I have met with USEF personnel to discuss some of the broader-picture issues, such as governance representation, committee structure, affiliate agreements, and areas of responsibility. To be clear: Regarding international para-dressage competition, the model would be as it is today. Athletes involved in the Olympic movement, US Olympic and Paralympic Committee compliance, and those types of responsibilities would continue to fall to the USEF as the US national governing body for equestrian sport.

Since the convention, the USDF has formed a Para Affiliate Assimilation Task Force. The members are charged with looking at how to best assimilate para-dressage into our USDF governance structure. The task force will work closely with the USDF Bylaws Committee and will continue talks with USEF the affiliate agreement are deemed necessary. We are moving forward with the concept of having para-dressage come under the umbrella of USDF as the recognized USEF affiliate for dressage. We anticipate that the process will take approximately one year, with the expectation of bringing it to the USDF Board of Governors at this year’s convention.

USDF judge education introduces new initiative.

During the 2023 convention, a Judge Education Initiative Workshop was held for the stakeholders involved in judge education (including the USDF L Education Program) to introduce a new initiative with the working title of—you guessed it—Judging Education Project. This new venture will enhance our judge-education programs through greater use of virtual and in-person technological capabilities offered through Black Horse One.

An exciting aspect of this project—and one with a more direct benefit to USDF members—is that it will have funding support from The Dressage Foundation’s (TDF) Mary Anne and Walter McPhail Judge Education Fund. Mary Anne is a USDF Member of Distinction, a retired FEI dressage judge, a high-performance horse owner, a former competitor, and a major friend of dressage.

As part of USDF’s agreement with TDF and the Mary Anne and Walter McPhail Judge Education Fund, USDF will make three to four online educational modules available to our membership. These modules are designed to help non-judges to understand the judging process and judging methodology, to gain a better understanding of what judges are looking for in specific movements, and to help facilitate communication between judges and USDF members. A big thank-you to TDF and especially to Mary Anne and Walter McPhail: The Judging Education Project is a great example of what we can do when we all work together.

Safe Sport and GMOs.

One of the more important educational sessions at the convention was geared toward USDF’s group member organizations (GMOs). The objective of the GMO Safe Sport Forum was to create awareness among GMO officials and members of Safe Sport-related risk factors connected to sports clubs, and to offer strategies on managing these risk factors through learning about industry best-practice standards. The intent of the forum was not to scare GMOs, but rather to raise awareness of potential liability issues to help guide GMOs in their decision-making processes in today’s environment.

Dues increase approved.

Increased operating costs are a fact of life in today’s world, and one of the USDF Executive Board’s most unpleasant responsibilities is having to request that the USDF Board of Governors (BOG) approve an increase in USDF membership dues.

Depending on the membership category, it has been five or seven years since the last increase. As we all know, the cost of just about everything has increased in recent years. In order for the USDF to not only continue offering its current programs but also to implement improvements, a dues increase was necessary. In the end, after much debate, the BOG did approve the requested increases. I know I speak for the board and the USDF staff when I say that we appreciate how this might affect our members, and we do not take the need for increases in fees and dues lightly.

The BOG is also tasked with approving the annual USDF budget. Over the years I have learned not to take anything for granted, and so it is with the budget, which was approved for the next fiscal year. Now we can look forward to forging ahead.

Introducing the 2024 USDF at-large directors.

On the election front, 2023 was the year for the election of USDF’s three council chairs, who serve as at-large directors on the USDF Executive Board. Congratulations and welcome (or welcome back) to Activities Council ALD Sue Mandas, Administrative Council ALD Anne Snipes Moss, and Technical Council ALD Sue McKeown.

In its meetings, the Executive Board appointed the chairs of USDF’s committees and working groups. The complete list can be found on the USDF Website.

Saddle up for Houston.

The 2024 Adequan®/USDF Annual Convention is scheduled for December 5-8 in Houston, Texas. I hope to see you there!

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