This rule doesn’t only apply to Dressage, but everything under the USEF umbrella. I’m surprised more of the breed specific groups have left a long time ago, though I’m sure finances have something to do with it. All the stock horse breeds were rather smart to start their own groups and stay separate as far as I’m concerned.
Different world, but similar concept - I’m a dog agility judge, and I’m not allowed to judge anyone that lives with me or co-owns a dog with me, etc. In my organization, agility judges design and judge their own courses, so theoretically, someone living in my household could see what I was designing and be able to train specifically for that course. Technically, I am allowed to judge people that train under me, but since I don’t actually train anyone, it’s a moot point for me. Agility is judged more like the jumpers (or SJ in eventing) than hunters or dressage, so there shouldn’t be tons of subjectivity while judging (if you’re doing it right, of course).
And as for folks who board at the show site, lots (and lots and lots) of folks do agility in the same facilities that they train in, on the very same equipment - but the courses are new every trial, and just like with horses, just because you work the skills in a specific place every day doesn’t mean that your partner (equine or canine) will react the way you expect them to on show day! 
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In gymnastics, at the lower levels - coaches do judge. Was the judge’s assistant at a local meet; the judge had her own gym
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But you can typically do a ticketed warmup in the ring where you will show.
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Here’s how freakouts get traction, and how the news travelled to me (former Facebook member, and current member of the general horse public).
1.Big name dressage judge posts it on her Facebook page, and asks for everyone to make a comment on the USEF (or USDF ?) website. Time is of the essence.
2.Local dressage trainer reads the judge’s post, and reposts it on her own FB page, with her thoughts on how it will ruin dressage, and strongly urges everyone to comment to the appropriate organization…
3.Friend at my barn (non show person) reads local trainer’s post, and tells me about it the next day
and describes the uproar as described by the local trainer’s post, but she cant find the original links for information that were embedded in the post…
4. Next day I look at COTH dressage forum, find info on proposed rule, go to USEF and look up rule book with proposed changes in red, in the General Rules section, not Dressage section.
5. Next day I tell barn friend that the rule is for all disciplines.
6. Her response: " Well then I wonder why (local trainer and big name dressage judge) didn’t say that ?"
7. Freakout over.
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Why over? I understand it is being reworked but this rule as it stood could really wreck some of the smaller breeds.
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Add me to confused, I figure the freakout is over, or at least reasonably paused, after you followed up with the usef rule site and see it is offline for revisions, or you got the update about that online or on coth.
I don’t think that’s necessarily how the social media freakout always works, though.
When it’s making news in the first place, the bad news probably spreads far and wide. When it comes to the updates that don’t sound as alarming, those might not gain as much traction so that people will pass them along to everyone else.
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Yes I get that. But every now and then I hope for better, especially with an audience that is already present on a thread with all the information at their fingertips. Crazy, I know…
(Also, I was saying that the freak out ends WHEN those things are achieved, not that it was a given that they would happen! I’ve met the internets 
)
I think it is paused but until the revised rule comes out people will still be concerned.
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The freak out was over when these dressage folks realized the rule change wasn’t targeting dressage.
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Aha I see were you are coming from now!
But, wouldn’t it apply to them? So targeting them or not, wouldn’t they have to deal with it?
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I was wondering the same thing. Do the general rules not include dressage?
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They sure do. What Mardi1 was saying (I think) is that at first, probably because Janet Foy and other bigwigs in the dressage community raised a legitimate stink, many people thought the rule was targeting dressage, and were relieved to know that dressage was not in the crosshairs.
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I knew the rule change was unilateral but any member no matter the discipline has a right to voice their concerns.
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Yes, absolutely. As a USEF member (for now), I went to the website and voiced my concerns.
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Everything is in the crosshairs, so still a concern. Amazing the lack of reading for comprehension. I haven’t been a member of any association for years, but realize that the G rules apply to all disciplines in the book.
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And smaller areas. Where I am, there are so few trainers and judges that I’m almost guaranteed to be in front of someone I’ve trained with, even if it was just once to discover we weren’t a good fit. My trainer has actually asked me if I would be interested in becoming a judge since we have so few…But then I couldn’t judge her or anyone from my barn?
I guess I could just do unrated shows.
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I took it to mean the targeting was as to the clinic situation. The run of the mill HJ clinic would fall under the clinic exemption whereas a typical dressage (and as someone pointed out driving) clinic would not as most clinic instruction is one on one.
