If you’ve ever flagged down an official at a horse show to draw their attention to something that seemed off – a conversation between a horse and human that wasn’t going well, a loose dog, an equipment issue, or unsportsmanlike conduct – you may have wondered what that person could do with the information you provided.
In April 2025, the US Equestrian board approved changes to the Warning Card System to give Judges, Stewards, and Technical Delegates more tools and support to deal with behavior and minor rules issues in the moment instead of sending in a report and awaiting an investigation process after the fact. If an official is alerted to a minor offense on the show grounds and wants to intervene, they have the option to issue a written warning. Recorded Warnings are designed for minor offenses which should not be repeated. If an offense is more serious, the official may issue a Yellow Warning Card. The official may also choose to report the incident to the Federation after the show for additional investigation and further action.
Both types of warnings are recorded with the Federation and published online for a period of 12 months on this page.
If someone accumulates three or more Recorded Warnings or two or more Yellow Warning Cards in a 12-month period, USEF may levy a fine or seek a suspension of at least two months.
“The goal of both types of warnings is to give our officials a tool they can use immediately to correct behavior and clarify expectations. This immediate corrective action saves our members from the burden of administrative proceedings. Keeping a published record of these allows USEF, competition organizers, and officials to be aware that corrective action has been taken, but if repeated it may require further escalation depending on the severity of the conduct,” said Emily Pratt, Managing Director of Sport Integrity at US Equestrian.
You can find a list of Warnings on the USEF website here.
In 2025, officials issued a total of 123 warnings – 71 Recorded Warnings and 52 Yellow Warning Cards. Of these, 27% were for general rule violations, 17% were for unsportsmanlike conduct, 16% for loose dogs,14% for breed or discipline rule violations, 13% for equipment violations, and 13% for unethical treatment of horses. (Note: these percentages are only for Recorded Warnings and Yellow Warning Cards issued by licensed officials at licensed events after April 1, 2025.)
“Since the board approved the changes to GR1037, we’ve seen a substantial increase in the use of these warning systems, which tells us that officials find them useful,” said Pratt. “It’s also rare for someone to accumulate repeated warning cards, which tells us the system is working to educate participants to help them avoid repeatedly breaking the same rules.”