I think it’s obnoxious that this is turning into not just “Read the entire rulebook” which is a totally fair thing to expect every show-calendar year, to “Read the entire rulebook before every show” which is ridiculous.
We’ve got a “highly educated” person who can twist herself into a pretzel pretending a baucher can create leverage, but she’s not educated enough to provide a standard that can actually be enforced for noseband tightness. Give me a break.
Ah that would explain the whack job nonsense
I’m a little confused as it seems the only two illegal crown pieces are those pictured. The OPs appears fine. We are making a lot of assumptions and I don’t think it’s very clear.
OP, did you email them about your crown piece?
What happened to their standard policy of not rolling out changes until Dec 1st…? 
That only matters when there is real abuse 
Here’s the text of the amendment:
Crownpiece. The crownpiece of the bridle must lie immediately behind the poll and may extend forward onto the poll, but it may not be fitted to lie on the vertebrae behind the skull (Figure 121.6). The crownpiece may be padded and it may have elastic inserts. Any padding must be smooth and continuous across the poll while on the horse, and rectangular or in the same shape as the crownpiece. Padding may extend no more than 1.5 centimeters beyond the dimensions for the crownpiece as indicated in DR - 29 © USEF
2024 Figure 121.6. The only material contacting the horse’s head must be the leather, leather-like material, or elastic, of the crownpiece or the additional padding material. Any piece of tack or equipment that impairs the ears to move freely is not permitted.
You have to go here to see the pictures: chrome- www.usef.org/forms-pubs/F3p8pgrWgAo/dr-dressage-division
That’s the one for which my friends at Regionals got in trouble. The rule is being interpreted as “any crown piece that is not one piece underneath over the poll.”
Thank you
Clayton is very local to me. I see her all the time at shows. She may have “big credentials” in the field of biomechanics, but after watching her ride for years (not a fan) and being the focus of her anger when I was “too close” to the show ring when she was a million miles from the arena (not a million miles but at least 100 feet) from the rail of her ring, outside the exterior ring fence, sitting quietly in a chair, I don’t take anything she says particularly seriously.
So I can’t find any rule change about a bridle crown piece that becomes effective on 10/1/24. Can I please have a link to the rule change mentioned? Thank you.
Edit: found it. It is a rule clarification regarding how far outside the outline of the crown piece is permitted for padding.
If you look at page 30 of the link in this post (a few above yours), you can see it.
Thank you. The bolded text represents what is changed and that only refers to the extra padding they some people stick under the crown piece. Nothing about the type of crown piece that is allowed has been changed.
Please see my post on how I got a yellow card thanks to my crown piece. It was given to me this weekend (Oct 4-7). I was eliminated AND yellow carded.
I think the bolded above is the key thing. I know someone at regionals who too was surprised and had to buy a new crown piece while at the show. I would think a professional would pay attention to the rule changes.
Rule changes are publicized before they go into effect and USDF members have the opportunity to comment.
Any professional who was surprised by this clearly isn’t looking at proposed rule changes.
And here’s the rule on noseband tightness
Seems pretty enforceable to me, do you think otherwise? The problem here is that either it’s not enforced at tack checks or people loosen it before the tack check (looking at you a certain BNT in SoCal).
Not a physicist myself, but I can see how a Baucher can create leverage since by definition it has a lever arm.
Frankly, I’m surprised how many “trainers” don’t read the rules.
No you must be looking in the equipment annex. Which of course makes sense, but that hasn’t been updated since July.
Below is where to find the document (pictured) and here is a link https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/ihMxyFnyJgs/dressage-rule-changes-effective
It’s also in DR121 currently on the USEF website.
Later in the same document, at the end of that rule section, it is identified as being associated with the BOD meeting 06/17/24 Effective 09/01/24. Granted the tracking of changes to effective dates in the pdf is less than obvious.
Note that I’m not defending the rule; I just can’t stir up sympathy for a “professional” who was surprised by a rule change.
I’m also surprised that tack manufacturers aren’t more on top of rule changes, but then, they get to sell more tack…
Does anyone know if this impacts the Fairfax bridle? The padding is smooth over the poll, but there are padding “bumps” on the sides.
Does the padding extend more than 1.5cm on any side? If not, it appears legal to me.
Id send a picture in to the dressage person at usef.
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