The Board of US Equestrian approved amendments to two rules at its Aug. 26 board meeting dealing with blood on horses, hunter Channel II points, and mileage. Those changes are viewable here.

 

GR 843: Blood Rule

After additional adjustments and discussion following the mid-year board meeting, a change to GR 843 regarding blood on horses in competition has been passed.

 

The rule is intended to protect horse welfare while acknowledging that a variety of situations may result in the presence of blood on a horse. According to the updated rule, blood caused by the rider/handler or equipment requires the horse to be eliminated from the relevant class. The new rule language also states that the presence of blood on horses will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a licensed judge or ground jury.

 

USEF recognizes that horses may sometimes bite their tongue or lips in the normal course of work. If minor blood is spotted in a horse's mouth, the new rule allows the licensed judge or ground jury to rinse or wipe the horse’s mouth and permits the horse to continue if there is no further evidence of blood. If bleeding continues, the horse will be eliminated.

 

If a horse is eliminated during a class that is a qualifier for a championship or another class, they may compete in the championship if the bleeding issue is resolved. If a horse is eliminated in the work-off, a championship, or in a jump-off due to blood, they will be eliminated from that phase of the class and placed based on the score they had at the start of the work-off or jump-off round.

 

Each breed and discipline has its own chapter of USEF rules, separate from the General rules. If breed or discipline rules contain stricter language regarding blood in competition, or have additional requirements and provisions beyond this general rule, the more restrictive elements of the breed or discipline’s rules will take precedence. The General rule will take effect Dec. 1, 2025.

 

Please see this list of Frequently Asked Questions about the new general blood rule.

 

GR 314: Channel II Points and Mileage

 

Also at the Aug. 26 meeting, the board approved a rule change to GR 314 allowing points/money won earned in Channel II (Regional hunter and Jumper Level 1-3) competitions to be applied to both Channel I and Channel II HOTY awards. The same rule change will also limit prize money to $5,000 per class at Regional rated competitions and $25,000 in prize money per class at Jumper Level 3 competitions held in conjunction with Regional competitions. Also, no more than three concurrent hunter rings will be permitted at Regional competitions.

 

This rule change was developed based on feedback from competitors, show organizers, and the United States Hunter Jumper Association to increase the diversity of event ratings and levels to better meet the developmental needs of horses and riders, keep costs at Regional competitions low, and recognize horse and rider achievements.

 

The mileage portion of GR 314 will also undergo changes with respect to hunters. The new version establishes a mileage boundary between Regional and National/Premier rated hunter competitions. This edit was made to account for changes to the Channel II points; if points won at Regional hunter shows are to count for both Channel I and Channel II national Horse of the Year awards, the board felt a mileage boundary should be established between Premier/National and Regional competitions.

 

These changes to GR 314 will go into effect Dec. 1, 2026, and will begin impacting the 2027 competition calendar.

 

Presidential Modification HU168.1 and HU 169.1

 

Finally, a presidential modification went into effect Aug. 21 for HU168.1 and HU 169.1 to waive the requirement for having the full qualifying criteria and Official Specifications posted on the Federation website 30 days prior to the start of the qualifying period for the USEF Pony Hunter National Championship and USEF Junior Hunter National Championship, effective August 21, 2025, through the 2026 competition year. A standard rule change will be proposed for 2026 approval.

 

In the past, the full qualifying criteria and Official Specifications for the USEF Junior Hunter National Championships and USEF Pony Finals were finalized before the qualifying period began for the future year, and before the current year competition took place aligning with HU168.1 and HU169.1. However, during the current year championship, we receive valuable feedback, especially with the continued growth of the USEF Junior Hunter, Pony Hunter and Pony Jumper National Championships. A timeline change was proposed to continually improve these USEF championships and provide the ability to impact the following competition year with any needed adjustments based on this feedback. This change in timeline has been well-received by competition management and the USEF National Hunter Committee. It is also aligned with the approach to championship criteria for the FEI disciplines. However, at the time these criteria and official specifications were released for the 2026 Pony Finals and Junior Hunters, the preexisting rules for the timeline of posting finalized specifications for these championships were not addressed.

 

We have published preliminary qualifying information for the USEF Junior Hunter National Championship and USEF Pony Finals on the USEF website. The full specifications are actively going through the review process now.

The proposed 2026 qualifying periods for the Championships are as follows:

• USEF Junior Hunter National Championship: May 1, 2025 - April 30, 2026
• USEF Pony Hunter (Regular) National Championship: July 2, 2025 - July 1, 2026
• USEF Pony Hunter (Green) National Championship: December 1, 2025 - July 1, 2026