Horse/rider registrations

I ride a AQHA mare. There are absolutely no over fences classes in my region of the country. I am considering jumping ship to USHJA & my local H/J association. Trying to sort out what memberships I need & the cost of them. Finally got the rules etc of my breed association, now I have to learn new ones. I am finding it confusing, & the websites less than user friendly to someone that is not a member…

  1. Do I need to register both myself & my horse with both USEF & USHJA?
  2. What are the costs associated with both of those?
  3. I know the people are annual renewals, but the horses? Lifetime like NSBA, or is that something I have to do every year as well?
    4 are annual memberships from the time of signing up, or the calendar year?

It didn’t sound like a big deal when I talked to my trainer about it, but when I sit down to try & get it done on the computer it seems less clear…

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  • Do I need to register both myself & my horse with both USEF & USHJA?
    Yes

  • What are the costs associated with both of those?
    USEF competing member is $80 per year see https://www.usef.org/join-usef. It is annual, running from Dec 1 to Nov 30.
    You will also have to do the Safe Sport Training in order to compete.
    I do not know the cost for USHJA
    USEF Horse registration is here https://www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/horse-services. I do not remember how much it is, but it is available as a lifetime registration

  • I know the people are annual renewals, but the horses? Lifetime like NSBA, or is that something I have to do every year as well?
    4 are annual memberships from the time of signing up, or the calendar year?
    Rider is Dec 1 to Nov 30
    Horse is lifetime.

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thank you

USEF and USHJA must both be anniversary registrations bc mine were both due on January 3.

It may be clear to someone coming into the system for the first time but USEF and USHJA have to be done separately as opposed being able to get it all done via the USEF website as one did in the past. Which means you could have different anniversary renewal dates.

The horse registrations for USEF and USHJA used to have the same number, but now they’re different.

There is a lifetime option for USEF and USHJA people memberships that I totally should have done as a junior but it seemed SO expensive.

What everyone else has said is correct! As someone who merely dabbles in A rated shows with my event horses and does not have a trainer who regularly competes on the USHJA circuit to guide me, I totally understand how overwhelming the alphabet soup can be!

Just chiming in that you should be able to show in your local h/j association shows without any horse or rider memberships. The only benefit to joining your local association would be for tracking year end award points.

Also, please be aware that your horse must be microchipped to compete at USHJA competitions. This often catches eventers off guard because we aren’t (yet- we will be soon) required to have microchips.

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Yes. I used to show on a very nice local circuit in Atlanta and was not required to belong to USHJA or USEF.

Also, the USHJA Outreach program is a really nice option if it’s available to you. In some areas, like where I live now, they have 2 day Outreach shows, where the entire show is devoted to Outreach classes. In some areas, like on the local circuit I mentioned above, they will have specific classes for which you can get Outreach points if you’re participating in the Outreach program. You have to join USHJA to participate, but the Outreach membership is free and no USEF membership is required.
https://www.ushja.org/competition/outreach

First, find out WHICH shows you’re going to. Like NoSuchPerson above, there are several local circuits where I am in North Texas that do not require USHJA/USEF memberships. It is only when you start going to rated shows that it’s required (think showing an open series vs an AQHA show).

Memberships in any organization generally allow you to be eligible for year end awards. Local circuits will still have the option for memberships generally, but they aren’t necessarily required.