Unfortunately when you see totally incorrect information laid down, you have to rise to protect future readers so they do not become perpetually misinformed. You know how that happens. I think we have made the case, but sadly someone will still see the misinformation and carry it forward.
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Is there a time frame for having accepted payment for horse-related training applicable to amateur status? Like, you cannot have received renumeration for training/exercising horses in the past 10? 20? years?
And, can anyone, whether they be amateur or not, participate in Training level classes?
And, are Open riders and their horses scored to the same ideal by judges in low levels?
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It doesn’t matter the level, if there is an open/jr/aa split then you compete against those with the same status as you. The standards for the level and the directives are as stated in the test. Your placing may be lower in any given division depending on the quality of other horses and riders in the division.
Some level 1 shows will have Opportunity classes where you do not need to be a member of USEF/USDF and therefore don’t have a status. The maximum level for those is 1st level, I believe?
i’m not really concerned about placing, but rather scores. Are Open teams (horse/rider) scored to the same ideal as Amateur teams?
OH…and are rider and horse even called a team in dressage? If not, what do you call the combination of horse and rider?
And…how far back in time does the renumeration rule extend?
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In answer to your first question, I believe it’s 2 years from the last time you received renumeration for training/lessons/etc.
Training level is open to all. It’s up to the show management as to whether they hold different classes for different status. Or in the case of some shows I’ve seen, everyone rides in the same class, ribbons are then given according to status (AA/Open/Jr/YR). Many times in these types of classes, you will see AA’s with higher scores than some of the Pro’s. So everyone in that class is scored by the same judge.
All judges should be scoring according to the directives of the test. No matter if the rider is an AA, Pro or Jr/YR.
Now what we find around here where we have a lot of schooling shows (usually judged by L Graduates) are scores that are generally 5% points higher than that same rider combination will receive at our recognized shows. And that was the case even before the L program came into effect, ‘r’ and ‘R’ would tend to be more generous at the schooling shows than they were at the recognized shows.
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Thanks! Two years 
so i’m golden! It would be strange to be non-amateur when i’m actually a newbie to this.
also good news…so they’re
scored by the same judge to the same mental ideal… to the same standard.
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Well, for some Pros there is a bit of a halo effect but for the most part, yes, the judges do tend to have their mental image of what each level test should achieve and every rider/horse combo is scored accordingly.
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Thanks for edification. so, final question…
In dressage…which is, (as with most equine sports), a synergistic interaction between rider and horse, is there not one term used to describe the combination of horse and rider? (in dogs we call us a team)
Don’t we all think of it as an “us” when you ride a horse?
edit to say: i am a different me when i ride Robin than when i ride Castillo. A different me than when i train Steve than when i train Warlock. The horse and i make up a different entity. a different team.
It is a “horse/rider pair” when referred to in rules, etc. generally the comments will also refer to a “pair” eg “talented pair” or “attractive pair” when the comment is not applicable to just one half.
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“Pair” ah …good! i like it.
It’s appropriate, a much more intimate construct than the word ‘team’.
the technical term, per the rules, is entry. each horse/rider combo is an entry. If a horse is ridden by more than one person, each entry has their own number.
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Yes- 1 year. But a hearing is needed to change back to Ammie. It’s not as easy as people may believe. I’ve had friends who who’ve had go through this process. Not very fun.
Yes - of course. Although, from what I understand, this works a bit differently in Europe.
The standard should be the same. However, this topic is a highly debated one. There’s the way it “should be.” And, then, there is the way “it is.” (Sometimes.) If judges handed out 55’s to “pro’s who are showing clients’ horses, that would be bad for business- all around. There are “politics,” in every sport. To an extent. This said, the best one can do is ride well and hope the judge (or judges) is/are very well versed & has/have a great eye for correctness. Hope this helps!
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You just write a letter detailing what you’ve been doing instead, have two other members do the same, attesting that you are not doing any activities that made you a pro in the first place, and get them all notarized. When I did it I hired a notary to come to our summer barn party - we took 15 min away from the drinks to get everyone’s signatures and then i mailed them in the following Monday. It’s an inconvenience, but not that hard (especially now with a notary at every bank). If the person can provide a reasonable explanation for how they have been earning a living (e.g., they have an office job now), it’s pretty straightforward.
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That seems pretty painless! A friend of mine had quite a more involved process. Then again, I believe her ordeal took place in 2013 (ish.) Possible rules have changed. Or, perhaps, she didn’t get the “testimonials,” notarized. The “process,” section for a status change (from pro to ammie) mentions needing a hearing. However, this may not apply in all cases. Do you know if the notary signed letter was the key to avoiding a hearing?
I did it around the same time, and I don’t know the impact of the notary on whether a hearing would be required (but the documents say they must be notarized, so I’m sure that would have slowed things down tremendously). I would also imagine it depends what your friend had been doing since - if she had switched gears completely to a full-time office job, that may have been an easier sell than, say, something else in the horse world but not riding/training, or not working and just living off savings. I’m speculating, but maybe that made the committee scrutinize a little harder? Also, both recommendations have to be active USEF members, so if one had not been an active member, that could also have slowed it down, etc. Bureaucracy at its best 
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So true! She became a show organizer! 
Ok, I’m the mere typing of that sentence, I now realize why she may have had a more difficult time. Oops! Thanks for the info, though! Definitely good to know!
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I see professionals, on clients horses and their own, getting 55-60 scores all the time, so I’m not sure that holds water.
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“Not every one requires remuneration .”
the only one I see that does not require remuneration is the advertising of training or lessons. All of the rest require somebody gets paid, whether it’s the individual or a family member/co-habitant/family business.
So it’s a little misleading to say that there are activities which make you a pro without being paid. Clearly a barn manager can be an amateur and you can advise someone for free.
Please just say you were mistaken.
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