What do you do when you have concerns about the direction your horse organization is heading? Call a friend, plan a road trip, and head to Orlando for the USHJA annual meeting held this past week in December.

(You can read an official report on the meeting here on the Chronicle: Young Hunters And Microships Get The Nod At USHJA Annual Meeting.)

I picked up Brooke Kemper from Culpeper, Va., last  Sunday after she was finished with the VHSA annual banquet and meeting, and we drove the 12 more hours into Florida with a little discussion about what to expect.

It was my second convention, her first. I had reservations, because my first experience was less than mediocre. It was several years ago in Miami. There was a lot of dissension and frustration. I felt lost. I never joined any committees and drifted away from that part of the sport.

Things changed for me a few months ago with the sudden raise in dues, and a little more investigation on my part into the inner workings of both the USEF and USHJA. I wasn’t really liking what I was discovering, I was realizing quickly that I wasn’t alone in my feelings, and these discoveries led me to the Hilton hotel just inside Disney World, where the meeting was held.

The first thing I noticed Monday morning as we were picking up our satchels, and packets of information, was that there were a heck of a lot more familiar faces than my last experience. Almost immediately we were greeted by several people, including Mary Babick, who appeared out of thin air to personally welcome me.

The first day was informative, and thought-provoking, with a lot of discussion from Bill Moroney and others concerning what we already know—the need for more entry level riders, the need for more communication, the need for growth from the so-called bottom of the pyramid. I strongly oppose that term, but it is what was used.

Studies were showing the organization had a mere 1% growth in nine years. (Any major CEO of a company is fainting right now.) More feedback is wanted, more analysis needed. Hhhmmm. Efforts are being made to have national recognition for classes at every height known to the horse world from 2’ on up. Might we see a 2’ final at an end of the year horse show? 

The remainder of the day consisted of the discussion and reading of 138 pages of rule changes. There were microphones scattered through the room to allow the audience to approach and voice an opinion or suggestion on any of the bazillion rule changes, and we all grew a little older through the process. Toward the end of the day, however I was feeling pretty positive that things were going to be pretty smooth sailing.

Then everyone had a good night sleep, realized how passionate they were about certain issues, and woke up the following day with a bit more fire and brimstone.  

After a brief general rule change modification update, we were broken off into little rooms to follow little joint force task committee discussions, or smaller forums concerning specific hunter/jumper divisions or areas in the sport.

The International Hunter Derby room was lively—at one moment I could use the term fireworks—the Thoroughbred meeting held enormous passion, the equitation covered some ground, and the jumper committee was at the mercy of a passionate horseman determined to set the record straight on over-regulation and computer rankings concerning the $25,000 grand prix classes. It was hard to keep up.

Just as we were catching our breath we were shuffled into the Town Hall meeting to discuss the Drugs and Medication Accountability. The USEF had sent a panel to address the new rule change, effective Dec. 1 of this year, regarding accountability of drug violates. However, as the attorney for USEF was giving us a hard lecture on how NOT to sue the organization because it is costly, ineffective (and they have never lost a case), I couldn’t help feel I was being lectured by the high school principal.

Taking a hard stand in the first five minutes of a Town Hall meeting is probably not the best tactic against horse people, and as I looked around at the people murmuring amongst themselves, I realized it was going to be fun.

I was not disappointed.

Personal grievances were loudly exposed at the microphone, security demands were passionately expressed from several people, handling of very publicized scenarios from this year alone were criticized, and even requests for certain committee members to be removed were brought up to the attention to all of us in the room. #nofear.

When it was finally over Brooke and I could do nothing but agree it was the most exciting day ever.

Wednesday of the convention did not happen for me, thank you horrible migraine/stomach bug. Brooke had to fly home to prepare for a horse show. I returned the final day Thursday to see the cameras set up for live feed with very few people in the audience. Filming the Town Hall meeting might have been way more productive.

Intentional? Well, probably. Cameras have been here all week, so there must be a very good reason other meetings and events were not on live feed, which I assuredly do not agree with.

The last day was the Board of Directors holding up green cards or red cards regarding the rule changes and modifications that were worked on all week. There wasn’t any participation from the audience. It is a last chance for language to be clarified before all of these proposals head to the USEF for another round of negotiations next month.

Reminder: Any rules approved here today do not necessarily mean you are going to see them go through with USEF. Everyone’s hard work might be flushed down the drain in Kentucky in January. Painful process.

In a brief summary, the microchip proposal went through.

Incidentally, the scoreboard will now hold less value! How do you like that, the most unnecessary piece of equipment, which soaks up precious resources, does not need to be there as much as we once thought and in competition standards, it lessens in points. (Points need to be accrued for show ratings.) The Keswick Horse Show says thank you. 

The addition of a Young Hunter division is a major discussion here, not only on this day, but apparently the night before was lively, as well. My impression is that while the concept is ideal, the legislation is moving a bit too quickly. Personally, because I only have young hunters, I think it is a cool idea to gear toward age-specific classes, yet I’m worried this division will affect the first year green division, unless you have a desire to show at Devon or indoors.

Every year fewer and fewer of those first year horses are on those standby lists. This may not help it. Others might argue that it actually will help it.

Young hunters need more attention in this country, there is no question there, but the logistics of running age classes with height options, and rating options are complicated. It sounds like this division was created to discourage people from buying grand prix jumpers around the world and putting them in pre-green divisions, so once again, going after cheaters, but the vision for implementing is blurred by the original intent to prevent cheaters, so there is no real way to predict it’s success.

Additionally, offering this division as a C-rated rather than A-rated division would allow the division to be held more often at B- or C-rated shows. An A rating would make that less appealing for smaller shows to hold those classes. 

Jean-Yves Tola received a shout out for the Young Horse Show Series! He was quoted by Mary Babick as saying our regular rated horse shows need to be more INCLUSIVE! She is right! He is right!  I might have been the only one in the room that wanted to applaud, but whatever, yay YHS!

In any regard, it is looking like the whole proposal goes in for language modifications until January, but is basically approved. It was good news for the main person who spent the last two years working on this project, Geoff Teall, wherever he was on the day of the vote. Am I the only one that noticed his empty seat?

After a short break, I listened to more rule approvals, and by 10:30 a.m., the BOD wrapped up that portion of the meeting. Next new business. David Distler donned sunglasses for a brief moment to show appreciation for Vick Russell’s week-long plea for the $25,000 grand prix/computer ranking discussion and the need for another show standard to be offered. There is a big difference between a regional $25,000 class and a $25,000 grand prix at a premier-rated show.

Agreement was made that clarification is needed between each show standard. People want it to be a computer ranking list but don’t want to jump too high. David feels the lower the jumps, the lower the points given. That was the only new business, and it will be discussed and argued, and discussed again.

Of course, I am glad I came. Brooke is glad she came. There were a few moments I won’t forget. Brooke sought out Stephen Schumacher from the USEF Drugs and Medication committee following the Town Hall meeting to ask for clarification on several good questions regarding medication. He was patient, amazing really, to talk to. He also informed us that every receipt we receive from a drug test at a show has a bar code on the front. After a few weeks, we can go to the www.usef.org website and plug that bar code in, and we will see if our horse’s blood and urine samples have been tested and approved.

Good to know. Now if we could solve the transparency problem we would all be in better shape.

The other special moment happened by accident. The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show donated tiny squishy ponies to every attendee, which I discovered when I opened my complimentary USHJA satchel. I need these squeezable ponies for a therapeutic riding program I recently became a board member of, and by the end of the week word had spread like wildfire, and my satchel was full of them from other attendees of the meeting. Almost everyone came together to help me take back piles of squishy ponies for riders who will never understand anything as complicated as a show rating or green specifications, but have something common with all of us….the horse. #daymade.

I guess I will have to visit Kentucky in January. USEF convention anyone? Join me if you can.

Hunter/jumper trainer Deloise Noble-Strong runs her business out of her family farm in Upperco, Md. She follows in the footsteps of many generations of horsemen in her family. Deloise has spent time living in Belgium, Holland and Germany and imports, trains and sells many hunter prospects. She also speaks her mind on her personal blog, Deloise In America.