Has anyone else started reading the book “Off Course” that was just written and released about the USEF?

[OverandOnward]

I live in the same county as Sdel, and I think people are missing by a country mile what she seems to be saying.

Although in Texas, this county is closer to the east side and Louisiana, and there are many legacies from the Old South. In this county, as in much of the U.S., there are deep historical economic inequities as to why so many black horsepeople are nowhere near the income level of USEF rated shows. Even though generations of black horsepeople (and others of course) do ride competitively in other realms of horse.

If the USEF really wants representation now, the ‘rec league’ idea would bridge an economic gap for many people, and still keep the current rated shows.

Although in many respects the ‘rec league’ already exists and probably doesn’t need the USEF. Does the USEF need the rec league? I guess that depends on what the USEF wants to be.

[2bayboys]

@OverandOnward

Although in many respects the ‘rec league’ already exists and probably doesn’t need the USEF.

The rec league absolutely exists and in my part of the world it’s going strong. I spent the day today at a hunter pace. Huge number of entries. Everything from ponies to drafts to OTTBs to Tennessee Walkers to imported Irish horses. Everybody had a blast, did their ride with a team of friends, ate BBQ afterwards provided by the organizing club, and got some pictures taken by the resident photographer. No USEF membership or affiliation required or wanted. $50 per person.

I’ve found that when you step off the gilded hamster wheel of USEF shows, you can discover a whole world of fun and satisfying activities with your horse partner.

[f0rf31t]

I’m not even sure if “rec league” has to equal USEF.

I’ve personally never been a USEF member past the fan membership and even that’s not something I’ve had in the past year-ish at least.

When I was growing up - single parent household in terms of income but raised by mom and maternal grandma so not “single parent” in the “coming home to an empty house after school.” Grew up riding at a backyard barn with frankly dubious horsemanship skills, the limited showing I did was 4-H, county fair. The one and only time I had the opportunity to compete in dressage before I stopped riding for a combination of reasons, it was a schooling show over a decade ago now at the intro level and I was definitely not great at it. My OTTB didn’t have a whole lot of bend, even for intro level, I frankly wasn’t skilled enough a rider/trainer on my own and didn’t have a skilled instructor who could’ve coached me on how to really bring out the best in him (he was a good horse. Probably not like, gonna be a champ, but probably more athletic than my 19-ish YO self knew and my one regret as an equestrian is that I didn’t wise up to the type of barn I was at soon enough to move him out, but, alas, I didn’t wise up until after he died of colic.)

I don’t really, as an equestrian, even see “supporting the absolute lowest levels” as a USEF thing. I see that more as, “okay let’s get more 4-H and Pony Club and similar type programs for the youth. Let’s all broadly work to ensure people can find ways to be introduced to horses safely and learn the skills they need.” USEF exists purely, IMO for people with the means and connections to compete at that level. They can talk nobly all they want about trying to diversify the sport but they’re not the entry level, if they ever were, those days were long ago.

[f0rf31t]

In my neck of the woods, Midwestern USA, I’d say depending on the discipline your “rec league” is going to either be very western leaning, probably contesting, smaller shows, trail rides, or, if english, it’ll be the local schooling shows and horse trials.

[MHM]

In recent years, USEF has added a whole category called outreach, which does not require the exhibitors to be USEF members, I believe.

I think those classes can happen at either USEF shows or unrecognized shows, so people can show in some classes at recognized shows at a more affordable cost.

But obviously, owning or leasing a horse and showing is still expensive, even when you’re taking the more economical approach.

[Paint_Party]

@2bayboys

I’ve found that when you step off the gilded hamster wheel of USEF shows, you can discover a whole world of fun and satisfying activities with your horse partner.

So very, very true.

I remember a time in my life when I thought that if I weren’t competing at a USEF show, then I wasn’t really “showing.” Like, everything else was just meritless. Then I started exploring other disciplines, other ways of exploring horsemanship and other ways to simply have fun on horseback. Oh. And other ways to spend my money.

While I understand that USEF shows remain the primary goal for many equestrians, including quite a few of my good friends, the organization just doesn’t have anything to offer me anymore. AQHA and some of the discipline specific groups are better organized, more welcoming and quite frankly, more affordable.

So does USEF need to redefine itself to continue to remain vital? Perhaps. Yet it seems like USEF has tried (in various ways) to grow the grassroots and woo the rec league for decades without much success. After reading some of the sentiments expressed in this “book” and in some of the comments here, I can understand why.

As long as there’s a palpable sense of elitism and undercurrents of exclusion, USEF will continue to winnow itself down to being just a playground for the very wealthy, very privileged white folks. And maybe that’s what a certain percentage of the membership wants.

[f0rf31t]

@MHM

But obviously, owning or leasing a horse and showing is still expensive, even when you’re taking the more economical approach.

This.

This is what I think people on this thread miss - yes even “rough” keeping a horse, however one is defining that, and trail riding only, costs $$. The horse still has to eat, you still need tack and I doubt it’s like when I bought my saddle in 2012 as a college student for $100 (used Collegiate dressage saddle that a former boarder left at the barn, he was selling it himself as he didn’t need it) cash with a cheap new good-enough girth off of literally eBay.

The one time I showed dressage? The tall boots, which I still have, were hand-me-down black field boots from the days before zippers, that my long-since-former instructor couldn’t fit into and the boots had a hole where the leather and sole met on one of them, so I got them repaired and learned they had dry rotted, got told by the boot repair guy to keep 'em conditioned. Instructor didn’t need those boots so I just kept 'em since I was the one that spent like $25 to get 'em repaired. (Honestly I loved riding in those boots sometimes just 'cause. Wore 'em in lessons once in a while when I ultimately switched barns. They’re ooooold but the last time I rode a horse in 'em it felt like they had more grip than the Ariat half chaps I had that were leather on the outer side and suede on the part that was in contact with the saddle flap. Not super comfortable to just walk around in, though )

[Tackpud]

@MHM

In recent years, USEF has added a whole category called outreach, which does not require the exhibitors to be USEF members, I believe.

I think those classes can happen at either USEF shows or unrecognized shows, so people can show in some classes at recognized shows at a more affordable cost.

But obviously, owning or leasing a horse and showing is still expensive, even when you’re taking the more economical approach.

That’s actually a USHJA program and you don’t have to be a USEF member unless you’re competing at a USEF recognized show.

The USEF program is the opportunity classes at USEF shows where you don’t get year end points and you can’t show in recognized classes.

[Tackpud]

For general understanding, the 21% attrition rate usually includes the junior riders who drop their membership upon aging out. Many return later as adults, but their membership loss is accounted for during the year they become an adult age-wise and don’t renew their membership.

USEF does like to use the free memberships and the fan memberships in counting their overall membership since the actual competing membership number is a bit embarrassing

[dags]

@Paint_Party

As long as there’s a palpable sense of elitism and undercurrents of exclusion, USEF will continue to winnow itself down to being just a playground for the very wealthy, very privileged white folks. And maybe that’s what a certain percentage of the membership wants.

This. We don’t need to dredge up the absolute polar extreme of horse keeping (and associating it exclusively with black people) and proclaim that because these people aren’t being helped all of USEF’s DEI efforts are therefore a waste of time and money.

The helmet example is an excellent one. You know what gives helmet manufacturers the confidence to take the risk on a whole new production line? Signals from the governing body of their primary market that they would support, and possibly even get behind, such a move.

I have no such illusions that USEF is going to make horse sports accessible to those accustomed to keeping horses at $500/mth. There are, and should continue to be, 4h and pony clubs and rodeos for that. If all USEF does is educate our membership on ways to help people feel welcome in this sport then I will consider the DEI initiatives a success. That’s entirely different from holding them accountable for the death of B circuit opportunities.

[MHM]

Thanks.

[CHT]

A reason that I think USEF/EC does need to find a way to be at the grass roots level is because then they have SafeSport.

Many of my clients grew up “poor” for the sport. Poor kids are the ones that seem more likely to be a risk for predators trading riding for “favours” or being put at risk by being put on the horses kids shouldn’t be on.

“Poor” kids are also less likely to have parents that will stick around while they ride.

The education and safeguarding (although still a work in progress) that comes with the national associations needs to reach those kids/young adults too. Everyone deserves protection to help with diversity, inclusion and most of all, safety.

[ThreeWishes]

Yep. That was interesting. Yikes
This. “We don’t need to dredge up the absolute polar extreme of horse keeping (and associating it exclusively with black people) and proclaim that because these people aren’t being helped all of USEF’s DEI efforts are therefore a waste of time and money.” That was. ALOT. And btw. Thank you for trying. No matter how much it falls on deaf ears

[Sdel]

@2bayboys

I’ve found that when you step off the gilded hamster wheel of USEF shows, you can discover a whole world of fun and satisfying activities with your horse partner.

Yes….but the thread is USEF and it’s inclusivity goals. I assume they want to target riders who show and not just spectators. If you price everyone out of your shows, you are by definition not diverse or inclusive.

In my neck of the woods the “rec league” is AQHA and all it’s spinoffs: english and western. There are no hunter paces to my knowledge.

In my experience youth sports are almost exclusively fueled by college scholarship opportunities these days. Especially for the minorities. How does USEF compare there? I know of at least a few riders who have left English completely over college scholarship opportunities. They have a hope of getting one in western disciplines whereas they have zero chance of getting any scholarships from their English riding.

High school and college rodeo teams are a thing and more accessible here than any English showing. My instructor tries really hard to keep an IEA team simply because it opens up her lesson kids more showing opportunities and a cheaper price point than what is available otherwise. And they have been going to UDJC for the same reason. The theme….needs are not being met by USEF and so the diversity is going where they can actually be included.

[f0rf31t]

@CHT

The grass roots level is because then they have SafeSport.

Yes but - again depending on what the grass roots are I’m pretty sure most of the youth-oriented orgs have to conduct background checks.

Which, yes, has the flaw of only catching people who have actually committed a crime, but.

[enjoytheride]

The answer appears to be, yes, and I think we all know why.

[Pennywell_Bay]

@aohunter0629

Yeah I said it and stand behind it. The organization doesn’t even enforce those added to the SafeSport list nor the poor horses being abused and drugged, and DEI is a priority? DEI completely is in conflict with SafeSport rules anyway so that’s very interesting.

One of the key reasons DEI is essential is because it brings in diverse thoughts, experiences, and perspectives to elevate or reshape the existing paradigm through different forms of experiences. The very issues you highlight as priorities are precisely why DEI matters.

[cristalle]

@Ghazzu

@Sdel

rich privileged convicted felons and aged drug addict

Hmm. No shortage of those in public life. They’re everywhere on the news.

Yes to this. You can’t even get away from them by changing the channel.

[Calvincrowe]

Chiming in from the far corner (upper left on the map!) of the US: the ‘rough backyard horse keepers’ exist everywhere, and here where minorities are well, very minority (hoo boy is the PNW white!), those are almost exclusively of the western style of riding. There is a thriving scene for all the western disciplines at all levels here including the USEF level. We mustn’t forget that the USEF also oversees western events as well. So the DEI initiatives are there too, because showing and training at the highest levels of ANY of the USEF disciplines is expensive and often exclusionary because of the economic toll.

All the issues we discuss about SafeSport abuses, training abuses or practices, drugging, etc are found in the western world, too. As are the biases we have toward equestrian disciplines-- the stereotypes and misinformation abound among horse people! I know I carry some based on my observations of local horse competitions.

As far as the “rec league” for English disciplines and stepping out of the rated H/J world, the region one lives in certainly limits one’s access. Again, finding a show that isn’t rated here is hard, involves lots of driving distance, and are few and far between, I appreciate the Outreach shows. Opportunity classes only go to cross rails in the PDX area. There are about 5-6 ‘local’ shows per year here…and the last time I attended, last year, were poorly run and just a bit less money than rated.

[MunchingonHay]

Thank you for the correction

Case in point still. A broader audience was reached using social media to expand the horizon of the masses regarding equestrian sports.