US Equestrian is committed to creating and maintaining an equestrian community free of all forms of emotional, physical and sexual misconduct. US Equestrian members and participants have a mandatory duty to report suspected sexual misconduct to the U.S. Center for SafeSport.
The USEF Safe Sport Policy includes the new USEF Minor Athlete Abuse Prevention Policies effective June 1, 2019. These USEF policies and U.S. Center for SafeSport Code are aimed at protecting all participants in our sport.
McLain Ward discusses the importance of SafeSport Training
Anne Kursinski Safe Sport PSA
Report Sexual Misconduct to the U.S. Center for SafeSport
Make a report electronically to the U.S. Center for SafeSport or call (720) 531-0340, if you have a reasonable suspicion of sexual misconduct such as child sex abuse, non-consensual sexual conduct, sexual harassment, or intimate relationships involving an imbalance of power.
Reporting Misconduct to Local Authorities
Contact your local authorities if you have a reasonable suspicion that child sexual abuse or neglect has occurred. All reports of child abuse or sexual assault of a minor must be reported to local authorities and the U.S. Center for SafeSport. Reports of abuse not involving a minor may also be reported to local authorities.
Reporting Other Misconduct
USEF handles all reports of non-sexual misconduct, including harassment, hazing, bullying, physical, or emotional misconduct. Report to [email protected], or e-mail/call a representative on the Athlete Protection Team:
Teresa Roper, Safe Sport Program Coordinator
(859) 225-6915
[email protected]
Sonja S. Keating, USEF General Counsel
(859) 225-2045
[email protected]
Emily Pratt, Director of Regulation
(859) 225-6956
[email protected]
Call (866) 200-0796 for 24/7 crisis interventions, referrals and emotional support. This confidential and secure helpline is operated by RAINN, the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization. For more information on this helpline please visit www.safesporthelpline.org.
USOC Athlete Wellness Resources
The U.S. Olympic Committee athlete wellness resources are a group of mental health resources for the high performance athlete which include a national medical network, access to sport psychologists, the U.S. Center for SafeSport, the Elite Athlete Health Insurance Program, and confidential counseling year-round via ComPsych. Additional information including USOC contact information and program specifics can be found in the Forms and Publications area below.
Mental Health Aid
As part of our commitment to members and to their wellbeing, US Equestrian is partnering with the McLaughlin Young Group to offer free, confidential counseling services for mental health first aid.
US Equestrian members will now be able to access professional counseling services for personal, work-related, and family concerns for up to three visits or sessions through a third-party licensed provider. All providers are state-licensed, with a graduate degree and five years of post-graduate clinical experience. These experienced professional clinicians are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and 365 days a year. Members can reach a counselor by calling 1-800-633-3353.
This membership service is provided by McLaughlin Young, a specialist in providing services to non-profit organizations.
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline
The National Suicide Prevention LifeLine provides a national network of 160 local crisis centers and provides free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Required SafeSport Training is available free to all members through your Member Dashboard. Instructions are available here.
If you are a victim or a survivor of abuse and believe this training could be an emotional trigger, please contact Teresa Roper at [email protected], Sonja Keating at [email protected], or the U.S. Center for SafeSport at [email protected], before accessing the Safe Sport Training course.
As of Jan 1, 2019 every USEF adult member (18 years of age or older) with a Competing Membership must complete the U.S. Center for SafeSport Training.
A 30 day grace period to complete the SafeSport Training will be provided to all members who renew or join on or after December 1, 2018. Members joining prior to December 1, 2018 will have until January 1, 2019 to complete the training. Those who do not complete the training within the grace period will be ineligble to participate in USEF activities, including competitions.
Parents Training Course for equestrian athletes of all ages helps parents ensure their children have a positive and safe sport experience and is free.
The following categories of individuals are required to take the Safe Sport Training and complete a criminal background check:
- USEF Board of Directors
- USEF Staff
- USEF Licensed Officials
- USEF Testing Veterinarians
- U.S. Team Coaches & Technical Advisors
- U.S. Team Chefs d’Equipe
- U.S. Team Veterinarians
- U.S. Team Selectors
- Human Physio Therapists
- Competition Managers
SafeSport Training for non-USEF members is available for $20.
Safe Sport Directory
USEF’s Safe Sport Directory provides a searchable list of individuals who either voluntarily or by requirement have successfully completed the USEF Background Check Screening and/or completed all modules of the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s training course as required under the USEF Safe Sport Policy.
Banned List
A list of individuals that have been permanently banned by the U.S. Center for SafeSport or USEF for violations of the SafeSport Code of Federation Rules can be found here.
