In June the U.S. Equestrian Federation issued a presidential modification to GR 1306, the so-called “amateur rule,” adding hunter, jumper and hunter/jumping seat equitation divisions to the list of breeds and disciplines that allow amateurs to teach beginner riding lessons, effective Dec. 1 of this year.
Amateurs who wish to teach must adhere to specific guidelines, including teaching under the oversight of a USEF competing member designated as a professional; limiting teaching to 20 hours a week; teaching lessons at only the “basic beginner level,” and only to students who have not competed and are not competing at any level. The amateur must also register with the federation and keep a log of the lessons they teach, which may be requested by the USEF.
Additionally the presidential modification allows for hunter/jumper amateurs attending an accredited educational institution, who are serving an internship position with that institution, to accept a stipend (at or below the federal minimum wage rate) and/or reimbursement of expenses incurred during the internship.
While the changes represent a significant departure from the previous rule, it’s the part allowing teaching of beginners that has many in the sport either disappointed or thrilled. We asked two amateurs to explain how they feel about the rule change.
Pro: Allowing Amateurs To Teach Beginners Hurts No One
By Heather Conway
In May of this year, the U.S. Equestrian Federation received a request from the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association board of directors to modify the “amateur rule” to add the hunter/jumper discipline to other divisions that allow amateurs to teach beginner lessons.
I welcome this modification as it will enable me to expand my involvement in an activity I love without jeopardizing my amateur status. The parameters set up are narrow enough that one cannot make a living teaching, but it may allow working adults like me to subsidize our passion.
I don’t believe this change is against the spirit of amateurism. “Webster’s Dictionary” states that the definition of an amateur is someone who takes part in an activity for pleasure, derived from the Latin word amare, “to love.” Riding and spending time with my horse is my escape from the stress and pressure of my life. I have no interest in taking students to horse shows, riding multiple horses a day for clients, or trying to find the perfect unicorn for someone else. I encourage kids at the barn to find a career that allows them to continue riding horses as a passion or hobby as they grow older and not make a living in the horse industry. I have seen too many people in this industry working 60-70 hours a week—including holidays—with limited, if any, vacations, who burn out in a few years.
A professional can be defined as “participating in an activity for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs.” Remuneration for riding lessons is a small part of an equestrian professional’s income. For this to be one’s livelihood, they rely on training rides, commissions and horse show training fees in addition to the lessons.
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The new rule limits lessons to no more than 20 hours a week, and it can only be with students who have never competed. No one is making a career by teaching beginner lessons under those guidelines. As these beginners progress to the point that they want to advance and potentially compete, there would be a natural progression to the professional instructor. Allowing the amateur rider to focus on teaching the fundamentals would benefit most riding programs, allowing the professional to expand their business, and creating a pipeline for the overall program.
Some people may argue that those who teach beginners should compete in open divisions. I challenge that argument. Spending my weekend at the barn teaching beginners to walk, trot, canter and maybe hop over some very low crossrails is not going to improve my riding in such a way that I have a competitive advantage over another amateur who is working a full-time job, balancing a career, horses and maybe a family. I am still struggling to get my rides in, canceling my lessons due to family or work obligations, and trying to figure out if my life allows me to show twice a month, once, or not at all.
Horse showing isn’t fair; there will always be someone with deeper pockets than me who can buy the fancy horse that can find eight distances despite the amateur mistakes their rider makes, pay their trainer to prep their horse, afford more lessons or more shows, and so on. I don’t think we are showing because we like the pretty $2 ribbons, but because we enjoy the sport; we measure our success against ourselves, and we like cheering for our friends who share our passion.
One could even say we should have two amateur divisions based on disposable income: one division for those of us who work full time, only have time for one or two horses and maybe two lessons a week; and a division for those who have the means to spend most of their day riding their string of horses with daily lessons. We can all agree that the more time one spends in the saddle, the better rider one can become.
Regarding the belief that this rule encourages “shamateurs,” I don’t think it creates more opportunities for people to break the rules. Shamateurs who make their living as horse professionals, teaching students, having a proxy take students to shows, or however they operate to bend the rules, will continue to do so. They would still be breaking the rules under the presidential modification regarding amateur status and should be held accountable when proven that they are operating as professionals.
The modification to the amateur rule will benefit adults like me who are always looking for ways to subsidize their horse addiction. Board alone is almost a second mortgage on my house; lessons and horse shows—times two since we cover my stepdaughter’s horsey passion—are a lot, even with a relatively well-paying career. Anything I can do to cover these expenses would be welcome.
But it’s not all about the money; I have been fortunate enough to have been exposed to many phenomenal horsemen through the years, and I look forward to passing that knowledge on to those entering the sport we all love.
Heather Conway started riding on Long Island (New York) at a young age, showing in the children’s hunters on her less-than-traditional Morgan mare. She moved to Unionville, Pennsylvania, at the age of 13, and she switched her interest from hunter/jumper to eventing, Pony Club and foxhunting. After a 25-year break from riding, she became a “re-rider” when driving her stepdaughter to lessons wasn’t enough. When not working as a software consultant, Heather can be found at the barn with her off-track Thoroughbred mare, Mayday. She shows on the local Southeast Pennsylvania circuit, and she aspires to compete in Thoroughbred Incentive Program classes.
Con: Leave The Teaching To The Professionals
By Nancy Jones
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The line between an amateur and a professional in our industry has always been whether an individual is paid to ride and/or train horses or train riders. Allowing amateurs to train riders gets rid of that clear line.
Amateurs should not be allowed to accept remuneration for any teaching; allowing them to teach and be paid muddies what was a black-and-white concept. I fear it will be a first step in further loosening the parameters of the amateur rule, eliminating one of the most important factors in the success of many who make a living in the hunter/jumper world—the amateur owner.
While I have no doubt that many who choose to remain in the amateur ranks would be extremely well equipped to start riders in the sport, the rule appears to relegate the beginning instructor in our industry to a minor role—that no dedicated professional is needed to teach “up-downers.” While the entire horse world feels pressure from social license to operate (public opinion) and issues in horse welfare, and the U.S. Equestrian Federation and U.S. Hunter Jumper Association encourage education through numerous programs, such as the USHJA Instructor Credential incentive, why would we go on record as encouraging non-professionals to lay a foundation for our future?
Much as a preschool or kindergarten teacher has an enormous part in the future schooling of a child, the teacher who starts beginning riders has many responsibilities to present essential fundamentals of our sport, our standards and our reverence for our partners in the traditions of our world. There are plenty of other money-making options for anyone who is simply looking for additional funding for this increasingly expensive sport. An amateur who chooses to teach riding ought to be required to become a professional, and be treated and perform as such.
One of the points that has been mentioned to me repeatedly in conversations regarding this rule is: How will compliance be monitored? While this presidential modification mentions strict regulation dictating the conditions under which an amateur may be paid to teach, I also have questions and concerns regarding the stipulation of teaching up to 20 hours a week.
Twenty hours a week of group lessons could result in quite a lot of amateur earnings. Who will oversee the arrangement between the amateur and the professional who is sponsoring this teaching? What if last week’s lessons actually encompassed 21 hours? Will there be regulators in place to monitor safety, horse welfare and the actual number of hours? If the amateur is teaching at several barns, will one professional be in charge of overseeing all the lessons, even if not at the home barn? Does USEF have the manpower in place or the inclination to actually oversee this program?
Finally, I am more than a little shocked at how this rule change for our organization came about—through a presidential modification that bypasses the traditional rule-change process. When this rule was first adopted by other organizations in the USEF, USHJA asked that we not allow this rule to be applied for the hunter/jumper industry. What changed, and where was the fire?
Because of the presidential modification, this important issue was denied the discussion and vetting of our committees and our individual members. I, for one, really feel that our professionals should have an opportunity to weigh in on “amateur teaching” and all that this rule entails. Maybe some positives are being overlooked. And I guess I hope that it’s truly for the betterment of our industry, since this change has already gone through while many were unaware.
USHJA Amateur Sportsmanship Award winner Nancy Jones of Little Rock, Arkansas, has been involved in the industry since she was a child. A former English teacher, she has owned Applewood Farm, a hunter/jumper boarding barn, since 1980, and competed nationally on the premier circuit for years. She’s been on the USHJA Amateur Task Force for a decade, currently serving as vice chair, and she’s the former chair of the Zone 7 Committee, of which she is a member. A former president of the Arkansas Hunter Jumper Association, she currently serves as the chair of their Education Committee. She’s had her ‘R’ judges’ license since 2005.
This article originally appeared in the July 2024 issue of The Chronicle of the Horse. You can subscribe and get online access to a digital version and then enjoy a year of The Chronicle of the Horse. If you’re just following COTH online, you’re missing so much great unique content. Each print issue of the Chronicle is full of in-depth competition news, fascinating features, probing looks at issues within the sports of hunter/jumper, eventing and dressage, and stunning photography.
