United States Equestrian Federation[1]
History
On January 20, 1917, representatives of 50 horse shows under the leadership of Reginald C. Vanderbilt met in New York City to draw together the horsemen and horsewomen of the North, South, East, and West in a unity of intention to maintain clean competition and fair play in the show ring.
The first annual meeting of the Association of American Horse Shows was held on January 29, 1918. By then, 26 well known shows including: Brooklyn, Bryn Mawr, Devon, Tuxedo, and Wilmington were elected to membership. A certificate of incorporation was adopted in June. In 1919, records showed that the Association listed 35 member shows, with 16 Association Medals.
By the annual meeting in January of 1924, the Association had extended its influence beyond the eastern border of the country, enrolling 67 shows.
Mr. Vanderbilt passed away in 1925, and Mr. Alfred B. Maclay was elected president.
Mr. Alfred Maclay engaged himself in the sport as an exhibitor, breeder, and judge. He devoted himself to his new presidential duties. Early in his administration, in 1927, the Association first printed the rules. It filled a six-page pamphlet which included the Constitution. Additional rules, more protests, the election of new members, and other matters occupied the attention of the Executive Committee in the next few years.
At the annual meeting in 1930 a suggestion appeared in the minutes that the Executive Committee should have a representative of the Association at every recognized show, to be appointed by the committee and to send a report on the show to the Association. This suggestion never became effective, but it revealed a need which existed even then and which finally found solution in the provision for American Horse Shows Association Stewards publicized in the 1948 Rule Book. Not until 1959 did the AHSA set in motion the machinery for licensing Stewards and adopt the rule first printed in the 1960 Rule Book.
February 1933 marked a milestone. The original name Association of American Horse Shows, Inc., was changed to the American Horse Show Association, Inc. Later the title was again amended to its present form. At this same meeting, two classes of membership were established: Show Membership and Individual Membership.
Many items filled the minutes for 1935. One interesting moment was the report of the Committee appointed to look into the matter of joining the International Equestrian Federation.
The Committee, subject to the agreement of the Cavalry Association, recommended that the American Horse Show Association take over the United State's membership in the International Equestrian Federation. Subject further to the agreement with the International Equestrian Federation that their rules apply only to the International Military classes, and the sending out of invitations for such contests, details to be arranged by a Committee to be appointed for that purpose - such membership to take effect after the 1936 Olympic Games.
By the end of Mr. Maclay's term in 1936, the Association had grown to include 183 Member and Licensed Shows.
Mr. Alfred B. Maclay stepped down on January 3, 1936.
The one year of Pierre Lorillard's presidency was not particularly eventful and the Executive Committee only met a few times. A new pamphlet containing the rules was prepared and submitted to the Annual Meeting in January 1937. At that meeting, Mr. Adrian Van Sinderen was elected President.
As the incoming president, Van Sinderen believed that expansion of the Association in organization, membership, functioning, and representation was vital to its existence. The office moved to 90 Broad Street, New York City.
By June of 1937, another Rule Book was published with several major changes. The United States was divided into 5 zones, each with a Vice President in charge and a Regional Committee of five members. The size of the United States constituted a real hurdle to be crossed in the building of an association of national scope.
In 1939 the first Van Sinderen perpetual equitation trophy was placed into competition. Horse Show magazine was created with a monthly circulation of 1,200 copies. There were 187 recognized shows, and 800 individual members in the Association. The Rule Book reached 168 pages. Mr. Van Sinderen acted as President until 1960.
In 1999 the American Horse Shows Association completed its move, a vision of then president Alan F. Balch, to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, to our "New Kentucky Home".
In 2001 the American Horse Shows Association changed its name to USA Equestrian, to better designate the member organization it had become. With more than 80,000 individual members, more than 2,700 member competitions, and 100 affiliate organizations, the Federation oversaw 26 breeds and disciplines of competition.
In 2003 USA Equestrian and the United States Equestrian Team developed a new organization, a single unified family woven together from the many parts of equestrian governance and leadership.
The primary objective remains the same, to uphold the welfare of horses, regardless of value, as a primary consideration in all activates. The United States Equestrian Federation requires that horses be treated with kindness, respect and the compassion they deserve; and never be subjected to mistreatment. The United States Equestrian Federation ensures that owners, trainers, and exhibitors or their agents use responsible care in handling, treating and transporting of their horses as well as horses owned and placed in their care for any purpose.
An extensive awards program with an incredibly large and beautiful trophy collection is the pinnacle of excellence many strive to reach. The USEF Rule Book has become the definitive guide to equestrian competition and the Drugs and Medications office, a cornerstone to the Federation’s regulatory process, is copied world wide.
The United States Equestrian Federation guides people to provide for the continuous well-being of horses by encouraging routine inspection and consultation with health care professionals and competition officials to achieve the highest possible standards of nutrition, health, comfort, sanitation and safety as a matter of standard operating procedure. By continuing to support scientific studies on equine health and stress-related issues through the Equine Health Research Fund, USEF helps to make strides in advancing the prevention and treatment of equine ailments. By increasing the methods for education in training and horsemanship practices and requiring owners, trainers and exhibitors to know and follow their sanctioning organization’s rules, and to work within the industry regulations in all equestrian competitions through the use of the Rule Book ensuring that all competitors, regardless of breed or discipline affiliation, are on an equal playing field, from the grassroots to the Olympic level.
The power of many, joined together as one... activities
VISION STATEMENT
The vision of The United States Equestrian Federation is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.
MISSION STATEMENT
As the National Governing Body (NGB) of Equestrian Sport in the United States we will inspire, encourage interest in, and regulate equestrian competition by ensuring the safety and well-being of horses, regardless of value or competitive level; ensure the enforcement of fair and equitable rules and procedures up to and including the preparation for the Olympic Games; and, endeavor to advance the level of horsemanship in the United States. Our mission is to govern the sport in compliance with the laws of the United States and the Constitution and Bylaws of the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), and in addition, to provide vision and leadership to equestrian sport in the United States, to promote the pursuit of excellence in equestrian sport from junior and grass roots programs to Olympic Games and international equestrian competitions (hereinafter “sport” or “ equestrian sport”). To accomplish this mission, our members and staff, working together will:
(1) Serve as the NGB for equestrian sport in the United States and member of the USOC. The United States Equestrian Federation as NGB shall comply with all applicable laws and USOC requirements, including without limiting the generality of the foregoing, compliance with the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, as amended, and with the USOC Constitution and Bylaws.
(2) Serve as the National Federation (NF) for equestrian sport in the United States and member of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI). Work together with the FEI in its mission to protect competition horses from any form of abuse, extend the universality of equestrian sport, and promote its visibility to the public.
(3) Protect and support the welfare of horses by inspecting, monitoring and testing to deter use of forbidden substances and other cruel, unsafe and/or unsportsmanlike practices and by adopting and enforcing rules to prohibit such practices.
(4) Promote and encourage physical fitness, promote sportsmanship and public participation in equestrian events and activities in the United States, and educate members and the public with respect thereto; assist organizations and individuals concerned with the development of programs for athletes in equestrian events; and provide services for members’ common benefit.
(5) Protect the right of any athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official to participate in athletic competition in equestrian events; and provide an equal opportunity to amateurs, coaches, trainers, managers, administrators, and officials to participate in amateur athletic competition without discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, age, sex, or national origin and with fair notice and opportunity for a hearing to any amateur athlete, coach, trainer, manager, administrator, or official before declaring such individual ineligible to participate.
(6) Provide the strongest possible U.S. representation internationally in each of the FEI disciplines, including providing a selection process for each major event.
(7) Disseminate and distribute, or otherwise make readily available to equestrian athletes, coaches, trainers, managers, administrators, and officials, in a timely manner the applicable rules and any changes to such rules of the Federation, the USOC, the Federation Equestre Internationale (“FEI”), the International Olympic Committee, the International Paralympic Committee, and the Pan American Sport Organization; and provide for the swift and equitable resolution of conflicts and disputes involving its members.
(8) Provide a body of rules with which to govern equestrian sport at the national level, along with an effective means of enforcing them, and a judicial process that is fair to competitors while providing for optimum integrity within the sport.
(9) Encourage and support amateur athletic sports programs for disabled and/or handicapped individuals and the participation of disabled and/or handicapped individuals in amateur athletic activity, including, where feasible, the expansion of opportunities for meaningful participation by disabled and/or handicapped individuals in programs of athletic competition for able-bodied individuals.
(10) Provide effective and timely communication to every level of athlete, official, and organizer within the sport.
(11) Develop interest and participation in equestrian sport throughout the United States and work with affiliate associations, breed and discipline organizations, and other organizations to encourage participation.
(12) Serve as the coordinating body for equestrian activity in the United States; exercise jurisdiction over international equestrian activities, and sanction international equestrian competition held in the United States; promote the sponsorship of international equestrian competition held inside and outside the United States.
(13) Coordinate the calendar of competitions to assure FEI level competitive opportunities domestically; enhance the level of national competition in all FEI disciplines; and provide for varying levels of regional and national competition in a wide variety of disciplines to increase the breadth and depth of the sport throughout the country.
(14) Train and license officials.
(15) Assign recognized status to those equestrian competitions whose operations have been certified by the United States Equestrian Federation to further the interests of equestrian sports in the United States in order to serve and promote the best interests of recognized equestrian competitions and expand and enhance the image of equestrian sports.
(16) Encourage and support research in the areas of sports medicine and sports safety for both the human and the equine athlete and disseminate information that is developed.
(17) Establish national goals and encourage attainment of those goals.
(18) Aid the USOC in its mission to help U.S. athletes achieve sustained competitive excellence while inspiring all Americans and preserving the Olympic ideal.
(19) Select and recommend to the USOC individuals and teams to represent the United States in the equestrian disciplines in the Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic Games.
(20) Select and designate individuals and teams to represent the United States in equestrian international athletic competition (other than the Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic Games) and certify, in accordance with the applicable international rules, the eligibility of such individuals and teams.
(21) Foster the development of the athletic facilities for use by equestrian athletes training for equestrian competitions and assist in making such facilities available to such athletes.
(22) Provide equitable support and encouragement for participation by women and minorities.
(23) Provide and coordinate technical information on physical training, equipment, its design, coaching and performance analysis.
(24) Promptly review every request for sanction to hold an international competition in the U.S. or to sponsor U.S. amateur athletes to compete in international competition outside the U.S. and determine whether to grant such sanction in accordance with the USOC Constitution, Article VII, Sec. 2.
