Maybe in your region but up in here New England, the lower level freestyle regionals are full & then some. And frankly, if people are getting their panties in a twist because an average moving horse with an average amateur rider is out there puttering around to music and having fun, well, the problem isn’t the horse & rider. Seriously, what and who does it hurt?
If you don’t like doing something with no movements to choose from, don’t do it. Other people have a blast doing it.
@AltersAreUs , how hard would it be for @soloudinhere to take advantage of the posted ride times and elect to do something other than watch endless First level FS? One of the great things about dressage is the set schedule.
Take advantage of that, @soloudinhere and clean some tack, visit with friends, graze your horse. Please, no one wants you to suffer.
My point about not renewing memberships is that a non-profit association should be spending time and moneys furthering the association members’ interests.
The USDF is a “club” of dressage enthusiasts…and thus this association should be furthering dressage rider interests.
One could ask how raising the MFS qualifying score in any way furthers what the members are interest in?
Did I miss some nascent guerilla movement of dressage riders in the USDF who feel that they need to raise the qualifying scores?
Or was this idea some one(s) personal agenda because they think they are a big fish in a (very) little pond and can thus take over.
I hope the USDF membership takes note that this rule was submitted…and passed…the USEF rulemaking process WITHOUT the opportunity for public/member comment…and it was certainly done outside of the USDF Convention process for receiving member input.
If the postings on this forum are indicative, I think the USDF is diverging away from what the rank-and-file USDF members need or want.
This!!! All of us ammies out there toddling around for the fun of it are the ones that keep these shows alive. You think the FEI levels only can pay the bills? So anything that gives ammies inspiration to show, be it chasing a medal or wanting to come down centerline to music … all of that keeps the show scenes going and should be encouraged.
Personally, I chased 2nd level scores solely to ride a 2nd level freestyle on my old girl because I had so much fun riding the 1st level one I built (and took to regionals). I knew she was topping out, I knew her time left showing was very limited before her health would force retirement and because of that, I knew I wasn’t getting my bronze on her. Wanting to do that FS kept me showing for a least a year beyond what I would have otherwise.
I agree. The other thing to consider is that the dressage levels are designed for the training of the horse, and assume the rider is already competent.
Riders don’t progress nearly as quickly as horses do. If more options to show at the lower levels keep riders interested and participating while they learn - I’m all for it.
The thing that should irritate USDF members is that this rule change was pushed thru the “Extraordinary Rule Change” process…which is a lot different than the “Standard Rule Change” process.
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/4ynK…ed-by-board-of
Those of you who were around in the era of the proposed 3rd Level Qualifying rule, will remember that social media (including COTH) enabled the public outcry over that proposed change. That uproar scuttled implementation of needing qualifying scores to compete above 3rd level.
As I heard thru the grapevine at that time…TPTB were not happy campers that this proposed rules was defeated by an uprising of the great unwashed hordes.
My source (RIP) told me that certain powerful people were upset and would use going thru the route of using “Extraordinary Rule Change” process the next time they wanted to implement a qualifying rule. Seems like my source was correct.
I recall that the USEF’s Extraordinary Rule Change process provides for a way to skirt the comments step of a Standard Rule Change… but I cannot find that in the USEF web site.
If anyone knows how to get the text of the justification for passing rule, please post here and enlighten us smurfs.
This was the thing I am curious about and haven’t investigated. Why was this done in such secrecy, without comments, without coming up at convention, etc?
And is it too late to submit a rule change proposal taking it back to how it was at the next convention?
The rule change proposal is so sketchy. It acts like there is some inherent problem with the qualifying score for a freestyle at a regular show and qualifying for regionals being different. It reads like a “fix a typo” rule change.
From GR152:
The 2018 USDF Convention is in November in SLC. My suggestion would be that folks become loud and vocal about this and make their thoughts known.
When the 3rd Level Qualifying Rule was proposed, it became obvious that folks in the wide-open Western States were at a disadvantage because the huge distances involved in some of those states.
Finding enough shows to get a “qualifying score” was (a) very limited due to the limited number of shows or (b) prohibitive due to the distances to travel to some of these shows or © prohibitive due to the vacation that would be required to get to the shows.
It seems the USDF continues to live in some alternate world that has absolutely no grounding in the reality of what the average working person with one horse has to deal with.
The USDF is a member-supported association…perhaps the association should support its members…
Take a look at the various documents, including the words in USDF’s Strategic Plan for how they want to grow membership to be inclusive, then look at the actions the belie those words.
Hmmmmm…something’s not passing the “sniff test”…As Shakespeare said, “Something is rotten in the state of Denmark.”
Can anyone get a copy of the justification for this proposal?
FWIW, one of the most entertaining freestyles I’ve seen was done by a junior, on a POA, at TL, to music from The Pink Panther. She found lots of variations in the basic requirements and won the junior championships (and I know the judge, who gives NOTHING away in scoring). Another very entertaining freestyle I saw was at 1st level, an older women on an Andalusian, done to Herb Alpert music, including “Spanish Flea.”* Yeah, a GP freestyle is more interesting, but just because a freestyle is lower level doesn’t mean it isn’t worth watching.
*and many years later, that women did her Century Ride on the same horse, doing her 1st level freestyle. The horse had since the original performance moved up the levels, but he was older - as was she - and she felt the freestyle was a good celebration of their long relationship.
Where was the rule change announced?
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/xEtji6bcn5w/rule-changes-effective-12118
See page 119 which does in fact indicate that it is an “extraordinary” change.
Extraordinary Rule Changes do not have to be publicized according to GR-152…
…the five-day notice requirement may be waived upon the affirmative vote of a majority of the Board present with the reasons for the waiver stated in their meeting minutes
So it wasn’t announced? How does anyone know about it?
What an odd thing for USDF to do especially with no input from members. I don’t see how this justifies an Extraordinary Rule Change.
I have no opinion about the rule itself , I’m not a member, but if this is what USDF did, that is some devious method of working around the membership.
Oh, I see. It is buried on the USEF website. Wow.
Apparently, “they know what is good for us,” and like good little children, the members must accept their better judgment. icon for throwing one’s hand up in the air in frustration
Do you have my posts blocked?
No. I posted before I read. See post #116.
The posting on the USEF web site shows a “fait accompli”…a done deal…after the fact…after the rule was approved and passed. No opportunity to comment.
The USDF Convention this fall has an interesting section on November 29 that might provide a venue to voice an opinion…If anyone is going to go, please sit in and report back
Thursday, Nov. 29
I am sure that the above statement will be used to rationalize/excuse/justify their actions…just because there one score for qualify regionals…well. it is just logical that we should apply the same for MFS…
I guarantee that qualifying to show is just around the corner…the camel has the nose in the tent.
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