2011 E-Newsletter August Issue!

Welcome to the August issue of the 2011 e-newsletter! Use the navigational buttons to the left to browse through the different sections of the newsletter. You will find an email link to the author at the bottom of each article if you wish to contact them to ask for more information.

August 2011 Print-Friendly Version

Director for Licensed Officials Department

After 12 years of service at United States Equestrian Federation as Director of the Licensed Officials Department, Mary Smith retired at the end of April. Mary and her husband Bill moved back to Minnesota to be closer to their family, and to be a larger part of their grandchildren’s lives. We hope you will join the staff of USEF in wishing Mary the best in her retirement!

Longtime Assistant Director Diane Shawback has been appointed as the new Director of Licensed Officials. Please contact Diane or the Licensed Officials Department Staff, either Abigail Cook and Jan McKinney for all your questions or requests. Diane can be reached at dshawback@usef.org or (859) 225-6971.

Clinic Schedules Now Available Online

The 2012 and 2013 Clinic Schedules have now been posted online. Application forms will be made available as clinics open for registration. You can view them by clicking the links in the menu bar to the left, or via our main website under Education.

If you have any questions about clinics, please contact Amanda Bassett, Assistant Director of Education.

Learner/Apprentice Guidelines

Please be sure to contact both the Competition Manager and the Official for permission to serve as a learner/apprentice prior to the competition. Learner Judges must obtain permission from the manager and judge prior to submitting the Learner Judge card to the Federation. Be prepared to tell them a little about your background and why you are interested in pursuing a license. It is best to request permission from the authorized Official and competition manager by sending an email. Remember that Managers and Officials are not likely to return long distance phone calls.

Once you arrive at the competition, it is a good idea to stop in at the competition office to introduce yourself to the competition manager and to the Steward/TD.

Learner Judge Card Now Online!

Attention, learner judges and competition manger – Learner Judge cards may now be applied for online. The online application is found in your online User’s Area, accessible by clicking the link for Online Forms, under the Other Options heading. Learner judges, simply select the link for Learner Judge Card Application and the online form will guide you through the process.

The process automatically sends a confirmation email to you as well as an email to the competition manager requesting their formal approval. Competition managers need only log into the User’s Area to confirm approval of the learner judge card.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the Licensed Officials Department.

GR1317 Reminders

• It is essential that all Accident/Injury Reports pertaining to possible or suspected head injuries/concussions/loss of consciousness be submitted to the USEF by 6 PM the day following the end of the competition as required by GR1317. This allows USEF staff time to contact the rider to ensure that information pertaining to the medical release has been received and understood.

• Medical release notes received at a competition must be treated in the same way as detailed above, being submitted to the USEF office by 6 PM the day following the end of the competition so that there is no confusion about whether a rider has been cleared to go on to the next week of showing at another competition.

• If a possible head injury or a medical release is called in to the USEF office or to the weekend emergency line, please be ready to provide the competition name and USEF number, the rider’s name and USEF number, the relevant date(s) (date of injury or date of release), as well as your name in case there are any questions and any other pertinent information.

• Please note that the USEF determines Medical Suspensions based upon the answer to question 16 of the current Accident/Injury Report Forms. If this question is answered “yes” without being followed by medical clearance then the injured competitor will be placed on the USEF Medical Suspension List and must provide a medical release note before being allowed to return to any other USEF competitions. Please review the Accident/Injury Report forms closely to note whether this question was answered in the way that you expected if it was completed by the Safety Coordinator or qualified medical personnel at the competition. It is helpful to explain the implications of answering this question to anyone who will be completing the forms or providing medical care at your competition in order to assist them in understanding their role in the USEF rules.

Designation Of Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List Horse

Remember that, if a show has classes the results of which will be included in the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List, for each class in which riders are permitted to ride more than one horse, the rider will designate their Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List horse prior to the beginning of the class, and ride this horse first in the competition. In each case, it will be this combination on which he/she will earn points.

• For riders with more than one horse, if they do not designate their Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List horse prior to the start order being determined, his Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List horse will be the first horse he rides in the class.

• For riders with more than one horse, if they scratch their Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List horse before the start of the class, for the points to count, the next horse he is scheduled to ride in the class will move into this place in the jumping order, and will become his Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List horse.

A copy of the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List Declaration Form, as well as other information about the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List, is included on USEF’s website at this address: http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alljumping/sjInfo.aspx.

In addition, Stewards are required to complete a form supplied by USEF’s Show Jumping High Performance Division and return it to Ryegate Show Services. This form will serve to verify that the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List class(es) was conducted under the criteria set forth by USEF. Copies will be sent to the horse show and the Steward prior to the competition, and is also available on the USEF’s website at this address: http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alljumping/sjInfo.aspx.