Have you watched it online yet? Maybe not this year’s but they have 2 years worth of it online including Hinneman I think.
Ok…I simplified it…
There are 22 criteria. Only ONE would realistically be met by someone not riding at FEI level…which is not your average AA…And this in an organization that is supposed to have its non-profit status based on education.
[TABLE=“border: 0, cellpadding: 0, cellspacing: 0, width: 896”]
[TR]
[TD]1[/TD]
[TD]· Current trainers who are teaching students at the FEI Level and who have trained several successful FEI Level horses[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]2[/TD]
[TD]· Current USDF Instructor Certification Examiners[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]3[/TD]
[TD]· Current USDF Certified Instructors at any level[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]4[/TD]
[TD]· Current FEI Judges and Current USEF Judges - “r”, “R”, “S”[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]5[/TD]
[TD]· Current Intercollegiate Dressage Association coaches[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]6[/TD]
[TD]· Current USDF L Program Faculty members[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]7[/TD]
[TD]· USDF L Program Graduates[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]8[/TD]
[TD]· Current USDF Instructor/Trainer Committee members[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]9[/TD]
[TD]· Past Olympic, World Cup, World Equestrian Games and Pan Am Games Riders[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]10[/TD]
[TD]· Members of the USEF HP Dressage Long List[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]11[/TD]
[TD]· Riders of all past USDF HOY top 10 winners at the FEI Levels[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]12[/TD]
[TD]· All past USDF Year End Award top 10 winners in the Adult Amateur and JR/YR Divisions at the FEI Level[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]13[/TD]
[TD]· All Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championships FEI Champions and Reserve Champions of Open Divisions[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]14[/TD]
[TD]· All USDF Gold and Silver Medal Rider Award Recipients <<<< Why not BRONZE?[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]15[/TD]
[TD]· Current USDF Executive Board Members[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]16[/TD]
[TD]· Qualified FEI Young Riders, current and previous year[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]17[/TD]
[TD]o Must have met minimum score requirements to compete at the NAYRC[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]18[/TD]
[TD]· Qualified FEI Junior Riders, current and previous year[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]19[/TD]
[TD]o Must have met minimum score requirements to compete at the NAJC[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]20[/TD]
[TD]· Brentina Cup qualified riders, current and previous year[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]21[/TD]
[TD]· Current and past participants in Young Rider Graduate Program[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD]22[/TD]
[TD]· Previous year USEF National Junior Dressage Championship Riders[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]
There are tons of AA’s that either have a silver medal or are “L” graduates.
Frankly, the thing with the L graduate is weird - there’s tons of people who couldn’t ride their way around 1st level with their L. It’s not anywhere near the same level of any of the other criteria.
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Not quite true - any time in recent history, you have needed at least 2nd level scores for the “L”. Now it is 65%'s at Second - 3, or 62%'s at third level. Plus it shows an interest in studying the sport - which is probably at least as relevant as riding skill to create a good learning environment.
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Getting 3rd level scores isn’t the same thing as being remotely able to teach either horse or human how to do 3rd level movements. I still maintain that it doesn’t fit in with the rest of the criteria about FEI levels, since it’s really totally unrelated to it.
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I was curious about our own barn group so I just looked at tomorrow’s lesson schedule to see who’d be in and who wouldn’t.
Twelve horses and six AA riders/owners on the schedule, and every one of them, including myself, meet the criteria listed upthread. The ten year old girl who is the only Junior in our barn has shown Second Level and she schools flying changes but not exactly FEI, and anyway she’s a kid and the discussion is really about how AAs qualify into the Trainers Conference.
So when you really look into these “special” events, I don’t think as many people are left out as is often presumed on the face of it. Six of us riding with my trainer tomorrow and all of us qualify (if we wanted to, could afford to, etc., attend).
I completely agree, and like Silverbridge took a look at my coach’s students’ records.
There are 18 of us with our silver medals. Of those, seven were either earned or finished on a horse with more advanced training than its’ rider.
The other eleven were earned on horses brought along by their riders under our coach’s teaching. None were ridden in full training by our coach, although she will do occasional tune-ups or get on to work through a specific issue.
These horses were and are a variety of breeds, backgrounds and ages. (Various Warmblood breeds, Thoroughbred, Morgan, draft/TB; former jumper, former racehorse, former combined driving competitor, etc.)
The common denominator is consistant, good quality instruction and lots and lots and lots of practice.
Some of us have discussed going to the FEI Trainers Conference, (and it does sound terrific!) but pesky things like work, families and farms have gotten in the way.
Until we can get to one, we’ll keep taking lessons and clinics and trying to ride better. That’s what has earned us our bronze, silver, and (two of us) gold medals.
P.S. Most of us keep our horses at home and either haul in for lessons or get a group together for coach to come to us. We’re all pretty hands-on, doing our own horse care, hauling, braiding, etc. It’s a good group.
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