U.S. District Court Judge Susan C. Becklew has granted a motion for summary judgment to the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and to three show manager co-defendants, in an anti-trust brought by two other Florida show managers. In issuing the ruling on May 9, Judge Becklew affirmed the USEF\’s responsibility for coordinating and regulating competition through the its rules, including the mileage rule.

The case began in August 2002, when Dr. Douglas Weiland, the principle of JES Properties, and Michael W. Gallagher initially filed their complaint in Florida, under the Sherman Anti-Trust Act. They subsequently filed two more complaints before this ruling.

Weiland began running unrecognized shows at his Cypress Trails Farm in Odessa, Fla., in 1998, but he\’s been unable to run shows there since 2003 because of zoning restrictions. Gallagher had been running rated and unrated shows near Tallahassee and sought to develop an equestrian community based around those shows.

But neither could run A-rated shows from January to March because of the mileage rule\’s 250-mile-radius restriction. Gene Mische of Stadium Jumping Inc. and Tom Struzzieri of Horse Shows In The Sun each run AA-rated circuits in Wellington/Tampa and Ocala during that period and are protected by the mileage rule.

Mische also allows David Burton to run shows at Littlewood Fences under the waiver agreement that USEF allows. But neither Mische nor Struzzieri would grant waiver requests from Weiland or Gallagher, so all three were named as co-defendants.

Wrote Judge Becklew in her 38-page decision: “USEF, as [national governing body for equestrian sports], utilizes the mileage rule to achieve several pro-competitive functions. There is no eveidence in the record that in denying [Weiland\’s and Gallagher\’s] waiver requests, {Mische and Struzzieri] as members did any more than abide by USEF\’s rules in operating their respective horse shows. Furthermore, under the January 2005 rule changes, [Mische and Struzzieri] will not have \’unfettered discretion\’ to waive the mileage rule because USEF \’shall determine whether it is in the best interest of the sport to either deny or grant the waiver and under what terms the waiver shall be given.\’ Therefore, the court finds that under the facts of this case, the mileage rule does not result in unreasonable restraint of trade.”