My first reflex on reading it in that email was an eyeroll, but apparently bonified is now in the OED as a nonstandard use. Language evolves and all that. As a former Latin nerd, I will stick with bona fide, even if my autocorrect doesn’t like it.
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I guess it’s like “woah” … people misspelled “whoa” so many times the language nerd powers that be finally just sighed and let them have it.
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I noticed the Rulings and Findings were just updated on the USEF website: https://www.usef.org/compete/regulation/rulings-findings
As a horse person, this drives me nuts.
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She snuck in the next day as well after being thrown out the first time the day before. Weird.
In fairness the VIP areas at Thermal look easy to just casually walk into. Who amongst us hasn’t done that at some event somewhere? And in general the showground security is very lax. So it’s a surprise when you see how deadly serious they are about their little vip area.
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I had to get an escort to enter the Thermal VIP to pick up copies of a magazine that some of my photos were in. But I wasn’t trying to be sneaky.
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Who did this? Out of curiosity I pulled up the USEF site but don’t want to go through every PDF (isn’t there an easier way to be nosey? 
)
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Now I feel like I have missed out on something, having never done that.
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I will admit that “bonified” makes me think of something else entirely. 
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THIS.
This is the most corporate BS I’ve read in awhile. Literally putting all the onus on members and not actually stating what they themselves can and should be doing as an authority. They would have been so much better saying “we hear you; we hear the concerns; we’re going to talk about this and have a more official response by BLANK” and deliver something with more thought and care a few weeks later.
Someone mentioned in the comments section of social having a SafeSport but for equine well being, and I am 1000% behind that. That would be a relatively easy thing for USEF to come up with and implement in 2026. Cover nosebands, the whip rule, excessive lunging, how to file a complaint, the complaint process, etc. Doesn’t have to be exhaustive but just the BASICS for pete’s sake. Not everyone is going through the entirety of that mf handbook.
You wanna know why I make all the companies I work at do onboarding training? Because nobody reads the handbook. The sign it and forget it. So we have a handbook, we do trainings that back up that handbook, and we have all accountable leaders be well-versed in due process for violation of the handbook.
If USEF wants to run itself like a corporate business, fine. But my god at least do it somewhat close to right and not as a mom-n-pop shop.
[ends vent]
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Karen Piper.
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Member training for equine wellbeing is so obvious, and so easy. But I have to add that they would need to make the guardians of juniors take it as well. Let’s make it much harder for unscrupulous trainers to get by Mom and Dad just because they are clueless. There is no way most parents would stand for it if they really knew what to look out for. USEF should also point out clearly that a lot of things are not just about horse welfare, but a safety issue for children riding these overly medicated horses. Wake up the people paying the bills!
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SafeSport for horses is a great idea, and usef should do it, but I find it highly unlikely that an organization that turns a blind eye to the things we see today is going to create a training that actually tells people what mistreatment is. There’s no way they are going to come out and say that some of the harsh bits used in the jumpers, LTD, and the rampant use of calming supplements is mistreatment. Perfect prep was a sponsor of theirs ffs (unless I’m remembering incorrectly).
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Yes people talk about the horses, but it’s so scary to think about all of the children, juniors, and amateurs that have no clue and could be putting their lives at total risk. It’s terrifying quite frankly and a matter of time until something very very bad happens to a human.
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Andy Kocher is not allowed on USEF show grounds.
I just want to point this out again since there are 32 “likes” to your post , a post that is not accurate and is an unfortunate example of people spreading misinformation online.
Please be responsible and take the time to make sure what you are posting is true before you post.
Anyone suspended by the FEI is also suspended is by their National Federation. Reciprocity of suspensions works both ways, and has for years.
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A gentle reminder that the origin of USEF was AHSA, which is American Horse Shows Association. Not Horse Association or Horse Owners Association. It is about Horse Shows. Just look at the things that create a higher rating for horse shows. Not exemplary stabling, but a Jumbotron.
They aren’t talking about these things because they saw a video, they a talking about them because we saw the video.
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There was a recent post here of someone riding a clearly not-sound pony and the people who pointed it out (nicely) and made some (gentle) suggestions were told to mind their own business and many people jumped in to defend the poster riding the lame pony. There is a lot more of that in the horse world and it’s a far larger problem than jumpers being ridden in the show ring with bits people on the internet don’t like.
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But is that pony at a USEF show? If yes, why aren’t the judges/stewards already doing something? If it’s clearly lame and those in charge at the rated show aren’t doing something, then there’s a reason, and I’m going to guess it’s that the pony is under the “care” of a BNT that the stewards/judges don’t want to penalize.
If the pony isn’t showing rated shows, then the people around it wouldn’t be taking this training anyway.
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Yes, it is really unfortunate when people who aren’t of members of USEF and don’t understand or can’t be bothered to learn the rules, complain about USEF (which can and is being prodded by its members to do better.)
I’ve never seen people who complain at length about USEF, who are not members of USEF . People who only compete in schooling shows, and care about horse welfare should complain about the schooling shows that they attend, those that have no rules about any welfare issues as far as tack, have no drug testing, and have no other horse welfare rules in place.
It seems that some people only seem to complain about USEF shows. The local shows with no enforceable rules are a terrible example to compare with rated shows. At least some shows have enforceable rules and are not free for all yahoos.
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