I don’t know how to do a poll on this chat forum but I wanted to ask. If someone is convicted of horse abuse (anywhere, not just at shows), and the USEF takes no action, are you willing to cancel your membership? I am and that would prevent me from going to recognized shows which has been my plan.
Money talks and I think that a significant drop in membership would send a message.
Not a current member and I had no intentions of joining any time soon.
I quit a long time ago… Money is the only thing that will get through to these organizations and people. It is not " love for and respect for horses" ( I’m looking at you Gold Medal winner ) - basically the same thing as thoughts and prayers after a school shooting.
I let my membership from 2022 lapse and have no plans of renewing. I get zero benefit from it. ClipMyHorse is atrocious, and it just feels like my membership fees go to an organization that allows this type of behavior.
I’m still a member because I would like to earn my Silver medal before I quit. AFAIK, I’d have to be a USEF member for that?
If not, I’ll gladly quit the organization. it’s done nothing for me except “save” me those non-member fees at shows.
And, yeah, their commitment to the welfare of horses is a joke.
Not a current member, no plans to become one for many reasons in addition to and outside of abuse.
One thing - CURRENTLY the USEF has no jurisdiction outside of shows. So, the organization “not doing anything” about abuse outside of their jurisdiction would have no impact on my membership. Because they can’t.
ETA - now if a person is convicted of animal abuse in a court of law, that’s different. Not really wanting to get into the details here but if someone is SUSPECTED of abusive behavior outside of USEF sanctioned shows, there’s nothing USEF can do at this time. Gotta aim the outrage and the effort in a different direction in that case.
I am not a member and do not show USEF shows, because of the welfare and other issues. I support my local schooling shows where my horses, my clients, and myself have way more fun without spending $1,000 for a weekend.
When I evented a few years ago I paid a non member fee, maybe you can do that for each show without being a member?
Not any more. USEF calls it a “Show Pass” now, and you canonly do it once.
But, unless you were competing in eventing at Modified or above, there is no USEF membership required for eventing, just USEA. Once upon a time USEA had a non-member-fee option for Beginner Novice. Not anymore.
I am an Eventing TD. Luckily I have never personally come across a case of real abuse. But if I do, I can do more about it as a (USEF-member) TD than I could as a non-member/non official. Also, I spend a fair amout of time talking to riders and jump judges about what is and isn’t abuse. Education is important.
Oh ffs 
once per year?
https://Xwww.usef.org/show-pass ( you may need to remove the “X”. When I used the URL without modification it generated an error message.)
FAQ
Proof of membership and/or Farm/Business Recording must be made available to Competition Management and the Federation Steward/TD at a competition. Individuals unable to present proof of membership are required to complete this form and pay a Show Pass fee in the amount of $45.00. Points toward USEF Qualifying, Ranking Lists, or Awards Programs can only be accrued by USEF Active or Life members in good standing. In order for points to count toward Federation Horse of the Year Awards, the horse must be owned by an Active Member of the Federation or Recorded Farm/Business. As of 12/1/2022, only one Show Pass Form is allowed per competition year. If you have already submitted a Show Pass Form for the year, a competing membership is required. Please Note: Competing membership is required for Trainers/Coaches, and this includes parents signing as trainers.
If you are competing in anything that requires you to have Amateur status, you must be a competing member in order to have Amateur status and you would not be eligible for a Show Pass.
How does quitting make a difference? Even if there is a drop in membership (there won’t be enough to matter to them) they will just recruit new membership through other channels. And some people will go back.
I get the frustration of not being able to control the actions of the organization in such a serious matter.
But change comes from voices on the inside. Who can come up with appropriate solutions that are within the scope of the organization, and who have the people and political skills to sell them to the leadership.
Shouting and carrying on doesn’t work. Organizations become deaf to it. Pulling the strings internally is far, far more likely to make a difference. Of course it takes time, but quitting just burns time and is unlikely to change anything.
Haven’t we been trying to change this for years, decades? I only see things getting worse.
And before anybody mentions it, I’m not a member, but I have been a show photographer, and am currently a sponsor and frequent spectator. So I see plenty of what goes on without showing myself.
So I guess I’ll have to go from starter to modified 🤷 /sarcasm
I agree. Also, maybe because I’m a lawyer in my other life, I’m sensitive to the fact that organizations are aren’t the police and are limited in what they can do in lots of different ways.
Maybe we need Safesport for horses, but the fact is that we don’t have it now, and USEF’s rules severely restrict it’s ability to do anything about out of competition conduct. There are lots of good reasons (and some bad ones) why it makes a lot of sense to leave investigation of that conduct to law enforcement, and only act based on their final determinations.
Maybe now is the time to change that. Perhaps the powers that be can get funding to design Safesport rules and training, and incorporate abuse into the Safesport process itself. That seems infinitely easier than starting from scratch and designing a process within USEF, but I’m not sure what sort of appetite there would be for that, given that it is a problem unique to one discipline.
Honestly, I can’t see where my ability to show recognized has anything to do with horse abuse. I don’t abuse my horses.
Do you have any idea how expensive it would be to investigate all the allegations? I work in associations. We take action after court proceedings because we simply don’t have the budget to investigate independently.
Honestly, no. Primarily because I don’t see any legal or financially reasonable way for a sport organization to police what happens on private farms. For all the heinous stuff people report observing at a horse show, i personally think that things are worse “back behind the barn”. And no, I am not condoning or making excuses for anyone. i personally think that the push has to come from the grass roots. Only train w/ ethical trainers; call out bad behavior when you see it; only buy from reputable trainers/breeders… It has to come from us - what’s acceptable and what’s not.
And yes, i think this is a big ask for all of us. I am not saying I charge in and call people out. It will be hard and counter to the current culture of averting eyes. I guess I’m saying it has to be grassroots cultural change, not from an organization. IMHO, all USEF can do is give more teeth to enforcement at shows.
If you want an organization to be outraged with, go after the FEI.
But we all would do better exercising our outrage by working to strengthen and enforce the actual laws governing animal welfare in this country, rather than expecting a voluntary organization whose jurisdiction only extends to their members and the shows it runs to do it.
And, if you see something, say something.
Just because it didn’t work in the past doesn’t mean it won’t now and in the future.
I’m pretty much disgusted by all the righteous folks who continuously tell us all about what they are seeing but then don’t do a damn thing about it.
There is no “they,” only “we.”
I do not disagree with this, but the problem, or I guess one of the problems is that everyone has a different opinion on what abuse is.
Heck, I learned here that there are people who think lunging at all is abuse.
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