A U.S. Equestrian Federation licensing dispute has put the future of the Horse Shows By The Bay series in jeopardy.

Alex Rheinheimer started the July Williamsburg, Mich., hunter/jumper circuit outside Traverse City in 2004, and by 2014 the circuit had grown to four weeks with 1,100 horses. The U.S. Equestrian Federation withdrew Rheinheimer’s three-year renewal application for the HSBTB shows to start in 2015 for lack of facility.

Rheinheimer declined to comment directly on the licensing dispute, as she’s preparing for a USEF hearing on the matter. She has also filed a complaint with the American Arbitration Association.

Alex Rheinheimer has been running Horse Shows By The Bay since 2004. Photo by Molly Sorge

Longtime HSBTB secretary Julie Agar circulated a detailed letter explaining the efforts to secure that show’s licenses. 

“I didn’t authorize Julie’s letter, and I had no idea anything was going out, but she’s spot-on,” said Rheinheimer.

Rheinheimer, as the sole owner of Horse Sports By The Bay Inc., has been leasing the Flintfields Horse Park from owner Karin Flint since 2007. According to Agar, in the spring of 2014 Rheinheimer signed a contract to purchase a new property in the area on Supply Rd., but she was also in negotiations to lease or buy Flintfields, which she had listed as the location on her renewal application to the USEF. Unbeknownst to Rheinheimer, however, Agar says Flint contacted the USEF in May 2014 to say she wouldn’t be leasing the property to HSBTB.

According to Agar’s letter the USEF informed Rheinheimer in August 2014—nearly a year after she first applied—that her license for 2015 would be considered incomplete until she secured a new location. When Rheinheimer switched the location of the shows to the nearby Supply Rd. address and submitted her plans for the property, her application was denied with the reason given that the land wasn’t suitable for a premier-rated show.

Flint declined to comment to the Chronicle while the dispute is ongoing. The USEF also declined to comment on the licensing dispute until after the hearing. The Federation did speak about the licensing process in general, saying that showground owners who are not license-holders do not have any say in whether a license is approved.

Flint and Stadium Jumping Inc, are listed as co-licensees for two back-to-back shows scheduled in Williamsburg, Mich., July 8-19, with a $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby scheduled for July 18. Stadium Jumping produces competitions like the American Invitational (Fla.), New Albany Classic (Ohio) and Lake Placid (N.Y.) series.

“We were called in by the venue owner,” said Stadium Jumping’s Matt Morrissey. “The plan is to run four shows, and we’re currently licensed for two. I do know there was a disagreement between the license holder and the venue owner. It’s a tough situation.” 

The USEF Rulebook does not specify a length of time prior to the show that a facility must be ready. The Federation may send inspectors to check potential showgrounds at the applicant’s expense, but it’s not clear whether this was done with HSBTB’s new proposed facility on Supply Rd.

“What we’re trying to do is confirm when an application comes in and check to see that they comply with the show standards that apply [in section HJ 100-300 of the Rulebook],” said USEF Executive Director of Administration and Finance Lori Rawls. “That begins with the facility. We’ll have our radar up about whether a venue needs an inspection.” 

There is a clear procedure by which a license holder may keep its dates even if it doesn’t run for a year, but USEF General Counsel Sonja Keating pointed out that this only applies if the license-holder has a current license for that year.

Bob Bell, who chairs the USEF Competition Management and the USHJA Competition Management Committees, pointed out that the Federation regularly licenses shows that aren’t ready to host competitions on the property until shortly before the competition. He noted that show managers who rent facilities fear this dispute could have major implications for license holders who don’t own their own facilities.  

Horse Shows By The Bay won a 2012 USHJA Members’ Choice award and has been ranked in the top 25 horse shows by the North American Riders’ Group for the last three years. In 2013 the series was also given a top-10 status by the National Show Hunter Hall of Fame. The show has sold out for the last several years, and according to Agar, Week 3 sold out two days after entries opened.  

“I think the Federation should be bending over backward to help a priority date holder, especially when it’s an outstanding event,” said Bell.

But according to the USEF, accolades don’t come into play in the licensing process.

“There’s nothing in the rules that say if [a competition has] won an award or been a great show they get a pass from meeting criteria or standards,” said Keating. “There are certain criteria that has to be met, and the quality of the competition doesn’t exempt those shows.”