Since starter has become a USEA recognized division, I just realized my daughter may need tall boots…
According to the starter rules, dress is in accordance of USEA rules subchapter EV-9 which (maybe I’m an idiot) but I can’t find that in the rule book.
I did find under EV114 dress that is says no half chaps.
So my question is, will my daughter need tall boots to compete at starter? She has paddock boots and suede half chaps right now.
You don’t need tall boots, but if your daughter wears paddock boots with half chaps, half chaps must look like boots. So suede or fringes, etc. won’t due. The half chaps should look smooth and carry a decent shine. I used these several years ago:
https://www.doversaddlery.com/petrie-half-chap/p/X1-350881/?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiMmwBhDmARIsABeQ7xSnnSNauMYDnr7y3RsgBFeLhyqYGsdKzL4M44NB3bREqKb-qonj-mcaAhyeEALw_wcB
Seems like you may be looking at the wrong rulebook? EV114 is the medical information rule. The 2024 eventing rules can be found here: https://www.usef.org/compete/disciplines/eventing/content/rules
EV-9 states that half-chaps must be black or brown smooth-grain leather worn with matching boots, for all three phases.
I just read the rules under Dress, and NOTHING says tall boots are required.
It was a long standing pet peeve of mine that, according to the rules, dress boots were illegal for many years. I brought that up to Malcolm ages ago at the annual meeting in St. Louis. Yet the last time I looked, it hadn’t changed. (Haven’t competed since 2019 though.)
I don’t remember dress boots having been illegal at any time in the last 40 years.
Thanks! I may have been looking at Last year’s when I refreshed it the current one came up. I guess I will have her do leather half chaps and paddock boots and call it good!
She can wear short boots (without half chaps), tall boots, or short boots and matching half-chaps.
What is not allowed is short boots with non-matching half chaps.
SUBCHAPTER EV-9 DRESS
…
“Boots. Black, brown, or other dark hue, modest piping of a different color is permitted. Full chaps are not permitted. Half-chaps must be black or brown and full grain, smooth leather with matching leather boots.”
To clarify, dress boots have NEVER been illegal, but the rule used to be poorly worded, as it assumed everybody “knew” (mind readers?) that “boots” without modifier meant dress boots, and that only “field boots” and “jodhpur boots” needed a modifier.
With the new wording, there is no mention of either"dress", “field”, or “jodhpur” boots.
For reference the OLD rule (through 2022) read
“Boots— black, brown, or other dark hue, modest piping of a different color is permitted, field, jodhpur or a black or brown full grain smooth leather leg piece and matching leather boots. Chaps and/or half-chaps are not allowed”
There was a major reorganization of the rule book between 2022 and 2023, which is why the rule numbers are now very different. They claimed they didn’t make any “rule changes” in the reorganizaation, but they clearly changed the boot rule to get rid of the previous bad wording.
The NEW rule reads:
“Boots. Black, brown, or other dark hue, modest piping of a different color is permitted. Full chaps are not permitted. Half-chaps must be black or brown and full grain, smooth leather with matching leather boots.”
Well, when they specified field and jodphur…
I am not disagreeing with you. It was very badly worded.
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