Each organizer must create an Emergency Response Plan specifically for a COVID-19 incident or outbreak. This plan must include local medical resources and address outbreak protocols, including medical evaluation, isolation, quarantine, and reporting. Click here to view a document containing guidelines and suggestions to assist you in creating an Emergency Response Plan. Organizers are required to train competition staff, volunteers and licensed officials regarding the procedures and requirements associated the Plan. If an outbreak occurs, an organizer must notify the USEF, all participants and competition staff. 

The WHO Risk Assessment Tool is meant for application to individual events or competitions, so a new risk assessment will need to be conducted prior to each event. Even though on the surface a competition may appear to be the same, there are elements that will likely vary at each competition which can impact risk factors.

If social distancing and/or mandatory requirements are not followed at a competition, it must be reported to the Competition Manager and/or Steward/Technical Delegate at the competition. These matters should be handled immediately at the competition, if possible. USEF Stewards and Technical Delegates will inform individuals when they are in violation of the mandatory requirements. Competition Organizers will be responsible for facilitating the removal of an individual if they do not cooperate with the request. The Steward or Technical Delegate must report instances of non-compliance to the Federation in their USEF Steward/TD Report.

Any person who has a temperature of 100.4° F (38° C )or higher or has symptoms of COVID-19 cannot enter the competition grounds. Additionally, except for healthcare personnel who have treated patients using appropriate medical-grade PPE during the course of performing professional duties, anyone who has been in contact with a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 14 days cannot enter the competition grounds.

Yes, the use of face masks or face coverings will be required at all times on competition grounds. As stated in our COVID-19 Licensed Competition Action Plan, we are requiring organizers to enforce the use of face masks or face coverings on venue grounds. All staff, grooms, trainers, and participants will be required to wear a face mask or face covering at all times while on competition grounds (including members of your own household), except when mounted on a horse or seated in a horse-drawn carriage or cart. Please do your part and wear your face mask/face covering as required. Face masks and face coverings must fully cover the nose and the mouth while being worn.

Competition organizers are responsible for providing PPE to their competition staff, volunteers, and officials. Participants are responsible for their own PPE and that of their support teams. Organizers are not required to provide masks to competitors, though it is recommended to have extra masks on hand for those who arrive without one, as they are required to be worn when not mounted on a horse or while seated in a horse-drawn carriage or cart.

The USEF will not be providing PPE, disinfectants, or thermometers. Competition organizers are responsible for having sanitation stations throughout the grounds with either soap and water, hand sanitizer, or both. Participants are required to wash hands often and adhere to other sanitization practices throughout the day. It is incumbent upon them to bring supplies as well.

Competition organizers must report any limitation on entries to the USEF and provide notice of such limitation on the competition website or in the prize list, as well as at the competition office and at each competition area. Limiting entries must be done on a first come, first served basis regardless of the scope of the limitation.

The mileage rule is still in effect. Not all competitions requesting to reschedule on the calendar are causing mileage conflicts. For those that do have a conflict, we do have the ability to alter timelines and certain aspects of the process to make it more efficient. This will be a fluid environment throughout 2020 as federal, state, and local regulations may impose limits on the number of people attending an event, which may result in the need for additional competitions.

Competition organizers must follow federal, state, and local requirements as well as the recommendations and guidance from the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If a competition does not adhere to governmental requirements, USEF can revoke its sanction of the event but it cannot shut down the event. The competition could continue to run as an unsanctioned event unless the local or state authorities shuts it down.

You can find the updated waiver in the USEF Licensed Competition COVID-19 Toolkit or by clicking here. Competitions are encouraged to include the name of their event and to replace the generic equine liability statute language with the state specific language. For assistance, please contact the USEF Legal Department at [email protected] 

No, it is a stand-alone agreement.

Yes, the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act was approved and recommended by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in July 1999. To date, it has been adopted by 47 states as well as Washington, DC and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Illinois, New York, and Washington are the three states that have not adopted the UETA, though each has adopted its own law governing electronic signatures and records. Competition organizer must ensure compliance with the applicable law governing the enforceability of the electronic signature.

Yes, it is available on the website and can be accessed by clicking here.

All individuals on the entry form must sign the agreement, as well as competition staff, volunteers, and licensed officials.

We encourage you to work with your local and state health authorities to discuss the potential operation of a competition in your respective area. We recommend you provide the USEF COVID-19 Action Plan and your WHO Risk Assessment along with a description of equestrian sport to demonstrate how you are able to provide a safe environment. To further support your efforts, we have also provided an open letter from Bill Moroney to explain USEF and licensed competitions to state and local authorities.  Lastly, we have provided a document titled Equestrian Sport: Experience with Risk Management and Communicable Disease Outbreak Mitigation, which may be helpful when working with local and state health authorities.

USEF will continue to monitor the environment and may impose a suspension again if the circumstances warrant it.USEF will continue to monitor the environment and may impose a suspension again if the circumstances warrant it. It is in the best interest of everyone to comply with the safety requirements to keep our competitions as safe as possible. If our community becomes known as an environment with safety issues, there is a possibility local/state governments may impose additional restrictions.

It is mandatory that you arrange all judges’ and officials’ areas in a manner that ensures there is a minimum distance between individuals of six (6) feet or more.  This means you might have to seat your officials, as well as scribes, assistants, etc. outside of a judging booth or other enclosure. 

In the event that is absolutely impossible to arrange seating that will maintain social distancing between officials, a solid, rigid divider must be placed in the location where social distancing cannot be maintained and it must be of sufficient size to reduce the risk of respiratory particles from being spread.  For example, if two judges have no other option but to sit side-by-side, a barrier (such as Plexiglas or thick, rigid plastic that is securely attached) must be installed between the two.  A barrier would also need to be installed in front of both judges if anyone will be approaching the judges from the front (i.e. a runner).  If a judge has no other option but to be seated directly in front of a scribe, the barrier must be placed behind the judge and in front of the scribe.  The use of such barrier does not eliminate the requirement to wear face masks or face coverings.

Seating officials and scribes within a vehicle is not encouraged, unless the vehicle is large enough to accommodate a minimum of six (6) feet of distance between the individuals.  In the event it is absolutely impossible to arrange seating elsewhere that will comply with social distancing, a solid, floor-to-ceiling, rigid divider must be securely placed between the front seat and the back seat of the vehicle with the judge and scribe separated by the barrier.   The use of such barrier does not eliminate the requirement to wear face masks or face coverings.