I have seen this done, although it was not an issue with D&M or safe sport.
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I do not think that this is entirely regarding the signature as “trainer”. Other NGA sports require a parent to be a member, which entails a fee AND Safe Sport Training, in order to sign a waiver on behalf of their minor child. I think USEF is just catching up. No other sport allows the coach to sign the waiver on a minor’s behalf.
But this rule change isn’t requiring all parents become members. It is only requiring that the person who signs the entry blank as the trainer and coach etc. be a member. So I don’t think this is about getting all parents trained, though I personally agree that having all parents trained would be a helpful thing to do.
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@vxf111 - Ah, ok, now I get it! Right, that would be a direct path. As a trainer, that’s the only way that I would sign - if I had care/custody/control.
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As a parent of 4 who all played sports including 1 who rides and plays volleyball, I cannot fathom any parent saying they are straight up “too busy” to take the SafeSport module. It just isn’t that hard. If you are a sports parent (baseball, football, volleyball, lacrosse, etc.) you spend hours in the car including sitting in said car waiting for your kids. Taking the online course may not be your first choice in how to spend that time, but if I can find the time, anyone can.
Now, any extra fees people have to pay, CBoylen is 100% on it. When it costs upwards of $600 (including stall fees) just to walk in the gate before you pay braiding, training and class fees, it’s just onerous.
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It is onerous. It has always been expensive to show at rated shows. Hunter shows seem to be more expensive then Eventing or Dressage and people are definitely being priced out.
The demise of the good B and C shows contribute to this.
I feel for the kiddos that dream of showing in USEF shows, I really do, however if $80.00 more per year is beyond their means then that is that. I’d think it a good life lesson for them to reflect on the fact that they are very lucky to have a horse, and to find other ways to enjoy their good fortune.
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I looked up the rule change, you are correct. I wonder how USEF does not have the same requirement as other NGAs.
. To be eligible to compete at Federation Licensed Competitions, coaches, trainers, and legal guardians
signing as coaches or trainers on behalf of their minors must be Senior Active Members in good standing, as
defined herein. BOD 9/26/22 Effective 12/1/22
G
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I can’t help but feel like this requirement, in reality, impacts a relatively small number of competitors. We’re talking about junior riders who keep horses at home or attend a show without a trainer, have access to the training and quality of horse to attend rated shows, and have a parent involved enough to sign as a responsible party for the care of the horse, right? The extremely few people who I know that fall into this category are not hard up for cash and the parents are not disinterested in the horse endeavor.
I realize things were different in times past, but I just don’t see a lot of kid/non-riding parent teams with home-kept horses popping into rated shows here and there. I definitely read this as plugging a hole in the drug rules. Hopefully it can have positive impact there.
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@CBoylen and @StormyDay both have clients that it will affect, so obviously there are people in this situation and they lack either the time for Safe Sport training or the ability to come up with the $80.00. I can’t imagine that the sample of two trainers here whose clients will be affected is somehow an anomaly. There must be more people and trainers that will also be disappointed/inconvenienced by the new rules.
I hope that if the kiddos dreams are to show rated once, that somehow they can find a way.
If they can’t, it is sad, but it won’t be the end of the world. They can look forward to life with horses as they get older and some day, as adults, make their dreams come true.
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Not $80. In fact, according to this document off USEF, it beggars the imagination as to why anyone wouldn’t join if they planned to do 2 shows, since 2 show passes apparently does cost $90. So now they are saving $10.
I’m assuming that show pass cost has gone up, but it’s not an $80 difference, it was probably closer to $20.
I do agree with the show fee angst though, it is death by a thousand cuts. In fact I long for the halcyon days when only USEF and USHJA got my nickels. Try the following:
FEI
USEF
USDF
ADS
NFHR
GDCTA
NDPC
FLWHIPS
But you know what? It mostly pales in comparison to a show bill, or even a clinic bill. And trust me, CDE and dressage with no trainer fees is a straight up bargain compared to the lunacy of the hj world. But even these disciplines are still for the financially well off. My kingdom for a horse was the truest thing ever said, because it accepted the idea that you damn near had to have a kingdom to afford horses. 
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There is a webinar about the rule changes on the USEF website.
Hmm. They will credit $45 from the single show pass toward the $80 USEF membership fee.
I’m through the part of the webinar that addresses the new rule requiring USEF membership for those who sign as coaches or trainers. It seems that the U.S. Safe Sport organization is requiring USEF to make that change. They want all coaches and trainers to have the Safe Sport training.
Safe Sport will be auditing some USEF shows to check for compliance with all Safe Sport requirements. I don’t think that’s new.
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Auditing like showing up in person at shows to observe? Or just checking the USEF records to make sure everyone at the show has done the safe sport training?
I got the impression it would be more like a business audit but some of the requirements would need a person on the ground to check. Apparently all shows must “directly communicate” to anyone they can identify in advance who will be participating in their show, whether USEF members or not, that by participating in the event they are bound by the U.S. Safe Sport code and the MAAPP policy, and posters are required to be in visible areas.
The direct communication must be within 30 days of the start of the event. There are other requirements that must be met, too much to write here (for me anyway.)
There was also talk of people showing who were not up with their S.S. training and how they cannot be allowed to show.
There were a couple of comments and questions that threw the webinar panel for a loop.
I think it’s already in every prize list.
Was the webinar live today? Or was it a video?
It was a video. I don’t remember if including it in the prize list was enough. Especially for vendors etc. The “direct notification” has to be within 30 days so if the prize list came out earlier, it wouldn’t count.
USEF does send auditors to shows randomly to check compliance. I’ve had a couple arrive where I’ve been the steward and they just check in with me and then do their own thing. I can imagine if they are sending people just to check Safe Sport compliance they’re in for a real surprise - the secretaries are really on top of that already.
The direct communication about the MAPP policies is a bit trickier - they can email people who have entered prior to the deadline, but they can also refer to the signs posted on the grounds when people check in.
The wording of this is interesting. Note, “parent” is not listed - coach, trainer, legal guardian are, but parent is not.
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For what it’s worth, I was that kid who did two rated shows a year.
I remember having to explain to my Dad that I needed an AHSA membership/day fee just to show up. God bless him but the only way that man would additionally take an online class so that he could not attend some very expensive activity he was sending me on would be if I logged in and took the class for him.
As for all these fkn fees on the one or two shows a year plan, cboylen absolutely nails it. I am absolutely that rider. I wanted my bronze in dressage so I waited until my horse was schooling fourth at home and then found two back to back one day shows on a weekend, trailered once, rode exactly six tests and got exactly six scores.
Only rated dressage tests I have ridden to this day.
There are SO MANY MORE people in the one or two shows a year demographic than people who can just stay on the road for $10k a month. If every single fee is justified by amortizing it over the average cost of a winter season in Florida, then the one or two a year folks will eventually find the fees not worth it for one or two a year. I know I’m there already, and I can’t be the only one.
Eventually the rated circuit will just be the same 35 billionaire families going on the road together. (I suppose at that point the fees will be $200,000 a year, which USEF will collect from its membership as per usual and then turn right around as per usual to spend on sending the billionaire kids to Europe to ride on the teams, so at least when it gets to that point those 35 families will be funding their own Europe trips.)
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