I was delighted to hear that the horse welfare-focused town hall meeting hosted by the US Equestrian in June in Lexington, Kentucky, included “open dialogue on concepts including potential rule and policy changes aimed at improving horse safety and well-being.” This was the first in a series of such meetings, and I applaud USEF for tackling this multifaceted issue directly and publicly. The groundswell of heightened awareness about horse welfare and the ethical treatment of horses is nothing but positive.
Unfortunately, the town hall failed to address one of the most significant root problems of horse abuse: the overuse of horses in jumping-based competition for economic and personal gain.
Most USEF stakeholders have a conflict of interest in this discussion: The more that horses compete in USEF competitions, the more money is made by competition managers, trainers, riders, owners, veterinarians and USEF. Each entity benefits economically from horses being shown more, so there is an inherent bias in avoiding a solution to the overuse problem.
Too Many Competitions, Too Many Classes
USEF rules do not restrict the number of classes that a hunter/jumper horse can compete in per day, week, or month. The recently updated GR Subchapter 8-F Welfare of the Horse—specifically GR838.1—addresses overuse and unethical treatment of horses. But without an objective way to assess what constitutes overuse, it is a meaningless rule subject to varying interpretation. The matter is only really brought to the fore after a horse is injured. USEF maintains a record of every rated class a horse contests, so competition frequency can easily be monitored.
A 2023 USHJA rule change proposal attempted to cap the number of over fences classes horses could participate in at eight per day, a shockingly high number. However, due to challenges in execution and broad disagreement on what the limit should be—including whether it should vary based on fence height, class type or competition format—even that proposal was ultimately withdrawn following extensive debate at the USHJA Annual Meeting. It’s not surprising the proposal was deep-sixed, but it is now high time for USEF to enforce meaningful limits on the number of classes in which horses can compete on a daily and monthly basis.
The economics of the sport make addressing competition overuse challenging, because it is not in the interest of many of the parties involved to introduce class limits. Show managers make more money on entry fees with each class a horse enters, so it’s hard to see them supporting class limits.
Trainers make more money with each show a horse attends and each day a horse shows, so one can’t expect them to support class limitations. (Plus, when a horse becomes injured, the trainer’s quest to buy a replacement often begins, once again to their economic benefit.)
Veterinarians are also complicit in competition overuse because of the immense pressure they face to get horses back in the ring. Owners often prefer not to hear that their horse needs a few months off when an injection or other treatment can get them back competing more quickly. A veterinarian is somewhat beholden to the owner’s demands to achieve results fast. If a veterinarian is reluctant to treat the horse aggressively, the owner may well find another veterinarian who will. One cannot, therefore, expect veterinarians to support class limitations readily.
There is no union for horses, but there are examples of fair horse usage rules already in place, including New York City carriage horses, who are not permitted to work for more than nine hours in any 24-hour period (including waiting time). At U.S. Dressage Federation-recognized competitions, governed by USEF rules, horses are limited to a maximum of three classes per day from intro through fourth level and a maximum of two classes a day at Prix St. Georges level and above. Pressure to overuse horses is a recognized problem for which some practical solutions have already been found, including by USEF in certain disciplines.
Like other professional sports, there is generally no longer an off-season for horses. National and international competitions are held year-round, unlike in the past when the show season wound down after Toronto’s Royal Horse Show in November and restarted in Florida in February. During the winter, one- and two-day schooling shows were the only things on the calendar. Now, there are high-level shows all year. Keeping a horse out of the ring or resting it for a few months is hard when there are multiple pressures to show. Yet that is exactly what needs to happen.
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Supply-side economics predicts that the greater the quantity of classes available, the more classes horses will compete in. In addition, the more shows a horse competes in, the more competition fees USEF receives. USEF year-end awards also create pressure to overuse horses in competition. More placings mean more year-end points. The Fédération Equestre Internationale ranking list further exacerbates horse overuse because riders must constantly compete to stay high enough in the rankings to qualify for the most prestigious events. Even for our top riders, the pressure to stay in the ring is immense.
For those fortunate riders who have multiple horses, overuse is less of an issue because they can rotate their horses among shows. But for most others, there is a necessary tension between what is right for the horse and what the rider—who needs to gain experience, win year-end points, and/or maintain a ranking list position—wants.
Fair Treatment, Fair Maximums
However, horses have limited life spans. The length of a horse’s competitive career depends not only on its physical conformation, but even more on the quality of its management throughout its active years. Overuse is a significant cause of injury that curtails many equine athletes’ careers. The show environment is challenging—both physically and mentally—and simply getting to competitions can also include long journeys for our equine friends.
Clearly, there should be some limit on the number of competitive rounds a horse is allowed to do; it is both ethical and responsible. But how might that work? There are ways that USEF can encourage sensible and reasonable limitations on equine competitive stressors. Developing a rule that accommodates the need to show while capping the number of classes the horse competes in would address the issue.
Most USEF stakeholders have a conflict of interest in this discussion: The more that horses compete in USEF competitions, the more money is made by competition managers, trainers, riders, owners, veterinarians and USEF.
When the USHJA withdrew the class-capping rule in 2023, one sticking point cited was that because entries are submitted in advance, some horses are entered in more classes than they will actually contest and then scratched from some closer to show day. However, USEF tracks entrances into the ring and the subsequent results, which eliminates confusion on this issue.
At a minimum, USEF could discourage overuse by tracking the daily number of classes and monthly number of shows a horse contests. It could decide that points gained outside of reasonable use parameters would not count toward year-end or ranking points, or combinations could be ineligible for prize money. It could notified owners if their horse exceeds fair use limits.
Obvious overuse is currently prohibited by USEF regulations under cruelty and abuse prohibitions, but enforcement is on a case-by-case, subjective basis and is after the fact, which is unfortunate for the horse involved. Encouraging appropriate use with these measures strikes a decent balance but remains a retroactive solution.
Class Limits Are The Way Forward
If we really want to tackle the overuse issue, class maximums are the way forward. So, how might this work? A greater number of classes would reasonably be permitted at the lower levels; for example, a pony competing in hunter and equitation classes can comfortably contest more classes per day than a grand prix jumper. A basic formula could be introduced to govern the various jumping levels, with varying limits on permitted class numbers.
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Reasonable maximums for the following could be codified as follows:
- Number of shows in a month
- Number of consecutive days of showing
- Number of classes per day based on course height
For example, a general restriction of three shows per month could be implemented, with a maximum of three consecutive days of showing permitted, and—dependent on fence height—a maximum number of jumping classes per horse per day:
- Course above 1.30 meters: Two classes
- Course 1.20 to 1.30 meters: Three classes
- Course below 1.20 meters: Four classes
These are not draconian limitations; they would still allow horses to compete in a generous monthly maximum of 24, 36, or 48 classes, depending on the level. We could also hammer out a fair formula for horses competing across the different levels. While there is room for debate, the principle is simple: we can’t keep pounding our horses into the ground.
It’s high time we challenged ourselves to ensure horse welfare is safeguarded from all angles. Even if instances of overuse are few, for affected horses, it is unacceptable. We all have differing experiences, so active participation in USEF’s town hall meetings is essential to gain perspective and opinions from peers. Limitations on competitive rounds may provoke some pushback, but it moves the welfare dial in the right direction. Horses are not bicycles whose parts can be replaced if worn out or broken. They deserve to have meaningful protections against overuse, and USEF is best positioned to spearhead this progressive step.
Armand Leone of Leone Equestrian Law LLC is a business professional with expertise in health care, equestrian sports and law. An equestrian athlete dedicated to fair play, safe sport and clean competition, Leone served as a director on the board of the U.S. Equestrian Federation and was USEF vice president of international high-performance programs for many years. He served on the USEF and U.S. Hunter Jumper Association special task forces on governance, safety, drugs and medications, trainer certification, and coach selection.
Leone is co-owner at his family’s Ri-Arm Farm in Oakland, New Jersey, where he still rides and trains. He competed in FEI World Cup Finals and Nations Cups. He is a graduate of the Columbia Business School in New York and the Columbia School of Law. He received his M.D. from New York Medical College and his B.A. from the University of Virginia.
Leone Equestrian Law LLC provides legal services and consultation for equestrian professionals. For more information, visit equestriancounsel.com or follow them on Facebook at facebook.com/leoneequestrianlaw.
The views expressed in opinion pieces are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect those of The Chronicle of the Horse.
