As we prepare to grow the sport within USDF, we want to hear from you. Read this reprinted article from the May/June 2025 issue of USDF Connection magazine to learn more about the committee that made our para-affiliation possible.
By Jennifer Baumert, USDF Para-Dressage Committee Chair
As most USDF members know, the USDF is now the US Equestrian Federation (USEF) affiliate organization for para-dressage. When the US Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) decided to focus solely on fund-raising, it asked the USDF to assume the affiliate’s responsibilities.
As an initial step toward broadening its horizons, the USDF has formed a Para-Dressage Committee. The mission of this committee is to “foster, encourage, and advocate for the full integration of para-dressage into the USDF structure and mission in a way that effectively embraces and represents the true ‘parallels’ of dressage and its benefits, as well as serving as a resource to outside entities on para-dressage-related topics and opportunities.” Whew! That’s a lot.
I will be chairing the new committee, with Ross Creech serving as the USDF staff liaison. Our committee members are Carole Lee Laulis (Region 1), Bettina Longaker (Region 1), Lehua Custer (Region 3), Eleanor Brimmer (Region 3), Fiona Howard (Region 3), Jean Kraus (Region 4), Holly Bergay (Region 5), Kristi Wysocki (Region 6), Joan Williams (Region 7), Megan McQueeney (Region 7), and Christina Wentz (Region 9).
My involvement with paradressage started in 2020 as a coach for five-time Paralympian Rebecca Hart. Together we traveled to competitions, including the 2021 Tokyo Paralympic Games, where Becca was a member of the bronze-medal-winning US team. I was instantly inspired by all the athletes, coaches, and horse owners, and by Michel Assouline, our team coach. So far, my only involvement in para-dressage has been at the high-performance level, so I look forward to expanding my experiences through the USDF committee.
If any of you USDF members out there have questions, suggestions, or ideas regarding para-dressage, I encourage you to reach out to the committee members so they can bring your thoughts and ideas to the table. After all, the primary goal of the Para-Dressage Committee is to increase inclusion of para-dressage within the USDF structure, and your participation will be an ideal beginning. You’ll find the committee list and contact information here.
Other committee goals include the enhancement of para-dressage offerings and participation at USEF-licensed/USDF-recognized dressage competitions. We also want to establish and clarify a national pathway for para-dressage athletes to progress through the sport. We want to make it comparable to the pathway that’s currently available to able-bodied dressage athletes.
The committee will be reviewing and updating all para-dressage athlete, instructor/trainer, and licensed-official education. It will serve as a resource for guidelines and best practices specific to paradressage, as well as on other topics of interest that serve the committee’s overall mission. Among our objectives are advocating for para-dressage interests and helping to guide its integration within and into the USDF’s framework. We hope to serve as a resource for, and work in tandem with, other entities within the USDF structure to promote and further para-dressage education and interests.
Funding will be a part of our efforts. The committee will liaise with USPEA, USEF, The Dressage Foundation, and other entities to develop, identify, and establish opportunities that promote para-dressage inclusion, recognition, and interests on behalf of the USDF.
We plan to propose new para-dressage initiatives that further the committee’s mission and further integrate this discipline into the overall USDF structure and community. Part of that effort will be developing educational and outreach materials so that USDF group member organizations (GMOs) can promote and integrate para-dressage into events on a local level.
The committee will hold its first meeting soon, and we expect to establish some concrete objectives for 2025. Remember to contact your representatives, and stay tuned!
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