Because I was that kid. It’s not the money. It’s me nagging my parent to do this. It’s one more little hurdle. If this is about Safe Sport, create a free membership category for this group - parents signing for minors. Why is this Safe Sport issue only for this particular situation? Parents not signing as trainers, but are still parents of minors showing, don’t have this requirement, correct? That’s a way bigger group of parents. C’mon USEF, try harder. Remember, these changes affect everyone: dressage, Arabians, …
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If this is “not about the money” why create “a free membership category for parents signing for minors”?
This is not all about Safe Sport. It is also about being held accountable for the condition in which the horse is shown.
If a child is showing consistently at USEF shows, the parent who is signing as the trainer of that child has an obligation to join the organization and abide by its rules, as does every other trainer who signs for a minor.
If the child’s parents feel that the USEF membership fee ($80.00) and the Safe Sport obligation (free) take too much effort, then the child doesn’t show USEF rated shows. That is the parents decision. Much as we may feel sorry for the kiddo, it’s not USEF’s fault.
Parents set the boundaries, whether it’s the parental financial limit or the time limit they can/will spend on their child’s USEF showing.
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I have not yet read through this thread in its entirety, but as an amateur-owner in good standing with multiple horses recorded with the organization, I have filed more than one SS complaint since its inception and have heard/seen jack squat come out of those very valid, evidence-based complaints, so yeah, “cleaning up our sport” is going great, and I’m sure that Jane Doe’s membership money from her kid doing the children’s equitation twice a year is really going to help that.
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No , it won’t, and I don’t think that Safe Sport was the impetus for the rule change. I think USEF wants more income and perhaps to plug a minor hole in the D&M regs.
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Also, replying to myself here in hope that some people will research or consider who @CBoylen is and what she knows about our sport. There are few people on this board more qualified to espouse their opinions and there ain’t many on this thread, to be honest.
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It’s good to see her back here.
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The reason I’m not happy about it is because I have students that will be put at a disadvantage by this rule.
An example of one of my students; student A works a job at a local coffee shop to afford her horse. She has two other siblings, and to be fair to everyone the same amount of money is given to each ‘after school activity’ per child. It doesn’t cover the cost of her horse. She boards at a backyard barn. She has to save up for every show she wants to attend. To her, $80 is a big deal.
For me this rule has zero effect. But I can see it being just one more hurdle for the most important people in the sport; the young riders.
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You left out all the local associations, in N. Cal. There were at least 3. The show manager told me that all those fees are just “pass through” fees for the organizer, bring them nothing and actually cost them in time and labor collecting them.
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I also left out the local associations in Southern California ,which is my local area, for the simple reason that they didn’t show up on my example. I guess PCHA no longer charges a fee? Some of our county-level ones do. And you’d have NorCal up north for which we really don’t have an equivalent.
Is it the availability of only one $45 show pass per year that will hurt her, or is it the $80 annual fee (for whomever signs as her trainer) to belong to USEF?
I hope for all the kiddos showing at rated shows on a shoestring, that friends and/or family now have a new idea for a birthday or Christmas/Holiday present.
You know the show pass fee goes to USEF also right?
Completely agree. At least 1 parent of a Jr. member should be required to take Safe Sport. Though it’s my understanding that USEF member horse owners are required to take safe sport so I would hope that the parents would fall into that category, but I’m sure many list their kid as the owner.
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The annual fee for the adult.
That’s now $80 more she has to save up if she wants to show rated. Usually I’d say why bother, just show locally. But she really wants to show rated before she ages out.
Yes. And as I stated it is to keep my name OFF a membership list but still allow me to support my local show venue. It is to not avoid any other rules. I support the Safe Sport intention, though it is another cumbersome organization that I am not sure can accomplish its mission.
USEF is actually missing an income stream by requiring a membership - they should charge some exorbitant amount per show for non members and can still require proof of Safe Sport Training for a non member. I also happen to agree that if your minor child is a competing member at least one parent should be a member in order to act on that child’s behalf within the organization.
This is a genuine question, since I don’t know the answer.
Are there other sports for minors that require a parent to become a member of the organization, and pay a separate membership fee?
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Good question - Just checked with my niece who has children competing in swimming. A parent must be a member and take Safe Sport - it has been a requirement for about 3 years.
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In USEF’s case, a parent that is signing as the trainer of the horse is taking more responsibility than the parent that is a spectator only.
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Yes, so it’s different from just the parent who is attending the soccer match, not coaching it or being responsible for the care of the kids.
That was why I asked that question, to see if the other sports are comparable regarding requirements for the parents to be paying members of the organization, since another poster seemed to think it should be a requirement for all the parents. Not just the ones who are in charge of the horses at home.
It’s interesting that the parents of the Swimming kids are required to take Safe Sport training.
I think that USEF would have a hell of a time getting all the junior’s parents to be members and to take the training, if the push back here (to having the parents who sign as trainers be members and do the Safe Sport training) is any indication.
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I won’t swear to it, but I think the safe sport training has been available for free on the website for a few years for any parent who wanted to take it. If they were not interested enough to take it for free, I don’t know how likely they would be to take it as a requirement for their children to compete, even without having to pay for the parents to be members.
Or maybe the parents would sign in and have the kid take it for them, which would not exactly be the intended idea, but might still be useful for the kid’s own sake, I guess.
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