Last year U.S. Hunter Jumper Association President Bill Moroney described the association as an infant, ready to be nurtured and directed into an organization for the benefit of its members. This year, in his presidential address, Moroney described the many accomplishments the organization has achieved in its first full year and noted that now that infant is a toddler, growing strong.

“We equestrians are living in exciting times,” he said. “We have the ability to determine our path, leaving a legacy for years to come and ensuring the continued positive development and growth of our sport.”

This second annual convention, Dec. 5-8 in Miami, Fla., was a showcase for the organization’s first steps. The committees and task forces achieved many impressive goals, including a solid plan for the evolution of show standards, grassroots educational initiatives, such as “the clinic in a box,” and a mentoring program, as well as an overall “clean-up” of the rulebook.

The four-day convention included informative clinics, committee meetings and other forums that allowed free and open lines of communication between directors, committees and members. The USHJA now has 32,000 members, and about 250 attended the convention, from most of the U.S. Equestrian Federation hunter zones and jumper regions, even as far away as Alaska.

Helmets Again
As predicted, the helmet rule controversy was debated strongly in several committees and forums, and members opposed to the rule, which went into effect Dec. 1 and requires ASTM/SEI-approved helmets to be worn by all senior members competing over fences, had an opportunity to voice their opinions.

But in the end, the four rule-change proposals–by Patty Heuckeroth, Tony Workman, Margie Engle and W. Gary Baker–that altered the required helmet rule in various ways were not supported in the rules forums or in the committees. In addition, a proposal by the USHJA Amateurs Committee to delay the effective date to June 1, 2006, was opposed.

As part of the USHJA’s continuing education, Dr. William Brooks, a clinical associate professor at the University of Kentucky Medical Center and chief of neurosurgery at Veterans Administration Hospital in Lexington, Ky., held a seminar to discuss his own experience in treating head injuries, including equestrians, for the past 30 years. While he doesn’t prescribe one particular helmet, he noted that the ASTM/SEI-approved helmets are the safest currently on the market due to their construction and testing standards.

His presentation, titled “Tradition Is The Logic Of Fools,” explained the mechanisms of brain injury, comparing the brain and skull to a china clock in a box. He provided information on the symptoms of mild brain injury and described the dangers of multiple concussions and the degenerative nature of brain trauma, including a loss of IQ points after three concussions.

He cited the Forum in the Chronicle titled “I’d Have Been Better Off With No Helmet” by Dr. Ann Reilly (Nov. 18) as an example of the misinformation that abounds regarding ASTM/SEI-approved helmets.

“There have been no documented cases where an ASTM/SEI-approved helmet has been blamed for a serious injury or death,” he said. “No helmet is 100-percent safe. That’s true. But there’s no doctor in America who would prescribe any [specific] helmet. I give my opinion, but I don’t want to go to court.”

Opponents to the new helmet rule–including Heuckeroth, Baker, Jimmy Torano and Sherry Robertson–took the opportunity to express their opinions and ask questions. They were most concerned with the helmet slipping during a fall–with the harness holding the helmet on–resulting in facial or neck injuries.

Heuckeroth also said she didn’t like the way the rule was “railroaded” through last year in the name of safety when the issues hadn’t been fully explored. And she wondered if money was an issue in the decision-making process.

“There are 32,000 USHJA members, and even if just 20,000 of them are wearing this helmet, it equals millions of dollars for the helmet companies,” she said. “The ASTM/ SEI helmet should be highly recommended [by the organization] but should be a choice.”

Andrew Ellis, the USEF Safety Committee chairman, noted that since 2001, when the rule for juniors went into effect, there’s “not one documented head-injury death with ASTM/ SEI-approved helmets.

“This was a federation rule change that followed every applicable process,” Ellis added. “There was no railroading. It caught people’s attention because they don’t like it.”

Helmet manufacturers and distributors also participated in several meetings to answer fitting questions and provide information. Members spent ample time trying on the different brands and styles of helmets available at the convention, and they were able to.discuss their wants and needs with helmet representatives, as well as with knowledgeable helmet fitters, such as Berk Lee and Danielle Santos of The Tack Box in Middleburg, Va.

Creeping Dates
During the three rules-change proposal forums (general, hunter and jumper), a number of modifications and house-cleaning proposals dominated the slate, but several topics created major discussion.

The date-assignment system, which adjusts the calendar every five or six years for “date creep,” is currently in flux. Prior to 2004, the axis was Memorial Day, but beginning in 2005 the axis became the first Sunday in January.

But, as it turns out, the 2007 rotation and beyond will now be a huge problem because the horse show dates will move back a week. Some shows’ calendars will be greatly affected, such as those that use state-owned facilities, because they could become out of sync with other events held at the facilities. In addition, some won’t be held on their traditional weekends, such as Memorial Day (the Devon Horse Show in Pennsylvania) or Labor Day (the Hampton Classic in New York).

The Competition Management Committee proposed several rule-change proposals to address the problem, with a return to the Memorial Day axis. Under this rotation system, the dates move forward a week the year that Memorial Day moves forward a week. The proposals were for this change to be effective either in 2006 or 2008. After much discussion, the proposals were tabled for further analysis.

“This is a complex issue. This may not be the best plan. We should study the alternatives so we don’t pick another bad idea,” said Tony Hitchcock, former manager of the Hampton Classic.

The National Hunter Committee tabled the decision until the committee determines the number of shows in conflict. A survey was distributed with several questions related to this issue, and it’s hoped more show managers will respond so the committee can more fully understand the scope of the problem. This issue will be addressed at the USEF Convention in January.

Another hot topic is the mileage rule, and John Long, the USEF’s chief executive officer, proposed a rule change that added Florida to the states that currently allow 125 miles between recognized competitions. Current horse density numbers in Florida during the winter are in close proximity to those of the Northeast in the summer. (Florida has been among the states with a 250-mile mileage restriction.)

The USHJA Board of Directors voted to table the rule change proposal until July 2006 so that a task force can be appointed to study the situation.

“Our idea is to look at the entire country, and not just Florida,” said Moroney. “We want to spend the next four to five months researching to see if the mileage [rules] in every zone are correct.”

Additionally, the jumper rules forums addressed the number of refusals that a competitor could incur before being eliminated. In the past, three refusals at the lower levels was cause for elimination. Last year a rule change was made to limit refusals to two in all jumper divisions. Now the National Jumper Committee proposed a return to three refusals. After much discussion, however, they decided to table the rule change for further analysis.

Many people believe three refusals at the lower levels (Level 4/5 or below) should be allowed for training purposes. This rule change was further discussed in the National Jumper Committee meeting on Dec. 13, and will be addressed again by the USHJA Board of Directors on Jan. 2.

Tammy Masters, a trainer from Washington State, said she traveled to the convention to address this issue. “I find great value in the third refusal as a training tool,” she said. “With a young horse, the first refusal is often a surprise. The second refusal requires punishment, but [with elimination] you really can’t do anything because it’s over–you’re out of the ring.”

Jerry Dougherty disagreed: “I’m surprised there are so many strong thoughts. Many people approve the two-stop rule,” he said. “It’s not as frightening to watch and helps in horse welfare. You don’t see the frustration and abuse.”

Linda Allen, of the National Jumper Committee, noted that some top riders, such as Anne Kursinski and Margie Engle, don’t believe this rule is in the best interest of the young horses. “It’s not a good idea to whale on a young horse just to get it around the course after one stop. [The proposal] puts them in a tough spot,” she said.

On a similar note, the USHJA Horse Welfare Committee proposed to limit the use of a whip, to follow the FEI protocol, by adding one sentence: “The use of a whip by any rider at any one incident will be restricted to three lashes behind the girth.”

After a short discussion, it was apparent that a more detailed rule proposal would be necessary. “What do you do with a child who taps her pony on the shoulder as she goes around the course?” asked several members.

Glena Wirtanen, chairman of the committee, noted that it was an effort to address the welfare of the horse, and the committee would reconvene to reconsider the proposal and study similar rules currently used in other disciplines, including eventing.

After the National Hunter Committee considers it on Dec. 19, this proposal will return to the to USHJA Board of Directors on Jan. 2.

Under Breed/Discipline Dues, Bill Moroney proposed a rule change that affects elite riders, being proposed for the second consecutive year: “All senior competing international high-performance members, if called upon by the federation to do so, must donate no more than two days per competition year of their time to the federation for marketing, media and promotional activities and/or donate no more than two days of their time for to their discipline for educational activities. These activities would not affect an athlete’s amateur status. Athletes’ competition schedules and prior commitments will be taken into serious consideration by the federation prior to calling upon the athletes to fulfill their obligations to the federation and its members. The federation will assist with travel expenses and arrangements.”

Many people agreed that it was a good idea in theory, but Sue Ashe, mother of grand prix rider Molly Ashe, believed it was too restricting. “A rider may have a free date, but what if an owner wants their horse to do a class and it causes a conflict?” said Sue. “It’s a great idea, but we need to work on it.”

The proposal was passed, but because of an amendment to the language the National Jumper Committee must act on it again. It will then be addressed at the USHJA Board of Directors meeting on Jan. 2.

No More Bling Or Ring
Fashion gurus will be disappointed to learn that the USHJA Hunter Seat Equitation Task Force proposed to change the Equitation Appointments to read: “Conservative colored protective headgear with no additional adornments in accordance with GR318.3 is mandatory.”

This means the current trend to add crystals, stripes or rhinestones to helmets is on the way out, at least in the equitation ring. “It’s just gotten out of hand,” said Karen Healey, the task force chairman. There was no opposition in the general forum.

Another amendment to appointments now allows equitation riders to change equipment during different phases of a class. A rider may now switch bits for the flat phase, for instance. And under position, a new sentence will say, “When using two reins, it’s preferred that the snaffle rein be on the outside while the curb rein is on the inside.”

Because fallen rails in the equitation division have been a source of confusion for some riders, trainers and judges, the Equitation Task Force addressed this concern with additional wording under class routine: “In the event that a rail comes down, first score the knockdown within the context of the round. Unless the knockdown is caused by a major rider error, it should not be considered a major riding fault.”

A proposal to delete the rule change passed last year that prohibited mounted riders in the show ring from wearing cell phones or other transmitting devices was debated in several forums. Those opposed to the rule believe it’s impossible to regulate, while proponents counter that the rule has only been in effect a short time, so people need more time to understand it. (For instance, a groom jogging in a horse for a ribbon may still wear his or her walkie-talkie and not be penalized.)

“This is almost impossible to regulate,” said Louise Serio, chairman of the Open Hunter Task Force, which she said “would like to throw it out.”

John Rush, chairman of the Zone 4 Committee, noted that the rule passed because it’s a safety issue, that riders could suffer internal injuries from falling on a phone or walkie-talkie. Others believe that riders will wear communication devices everywhere else, including schooling over fences.

“It’s really more of a courtesy issue to the judges,” noted trainer Kim Stewart.

The Open Hunter Task Force and the National Hunter Committee, in conjunction with Zone 4, reached a consensus on changing the rule’s wording from “will be” eliminated to “may be” eliminated. If a rider has on so much equipment that it’s distracting, or a rider’s cell phone rings while he’s on course, the judge has the option to eliminate the rider.

This modification was addressed at the Dec. 19 National Hunter Committee meeting, where, if approved, it will go into the USHJA Board of Directors approved calendar to carry forward to the USEF Convention.

Footing, Insurance And More
The first show managers clinic, produced by Tom Struzzieri and the USHJA Show Managers Committee, received rave reviews. More than 100 people attended this clinic, which provided valuable information for both competition managers and exhibitors.

Speakers included Dr. Hilary Clayton, who discussed footing, and James Mitchell of Great American Insurance Group and Mary Moeller of Marshall & Sterling, who discussed different facets of insurance.

“I thought it had great attendance. And I think the best thing was that it didn’t just apply to show managers–the clinic applied to everyone participating in horse sports,” said Bill Moroney, the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association president. “There was a wide range of topics discussed. And people raved about the footing discussion. The clinic addressed liability and relationships with sponsors, to horse show office topics. It was a great educational tool for people.”

The show standards meeting on the final day (presented by Howard Pike) provided an overview of the efforts undertaken so far on such topics as the U.S. Equestrian Federation’s new licensing procedure, show standards, recognition structure, date assignment, mileage and competition evaluation.

A tremendous amount of work has been done and will continue, as the results of their analysis of an industry-wide survey to horse show managers is still being compiled. A more in-depth article is planned on this topic for early next year.

News And Notes

* Three new at-large members were elected to the Board of Directors: Louise Serio of Pennsylvania, Shelley Campf of Oregon, and Colleen McQuay of Texas. They’ll serve three-year terms.

* The USHJA will move into their new offices at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington in January.

* Beth Miner was awarded the Wide Rill Farm Trophy as USHJA Volunteer of the Year. She’s participated in equestrian sports for more than 30 years and served on the Board of Directors of the USEF and USHJA while devoting countless hours as a committee member and often as the chairman.

* The U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s leaders is currently in negotiations with Primedia (publishers of Practical Horseman, Dressage Today and Equus) to morph the current quarterly newsletter into magazine format. In the suggested three-year plan, the USHJA magazine would be published quarterly, then bi-monthly and eventually monthly.