At a non-competition gathering of equestrians — case in point, the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association’s annual meeting — the array of issues feels daunting. Even days starting with 7 a.m. sessions hardly seem long enough to tackle them.
From horse welfare and a new hunter division, to safety issues and allowing mules in hunter classes, the abundance and range of topics was overwhelming.
But conventions like USHJA’s in Orlando, Fla., this week are designed to deal by making everyone aware of the challenges while considering solutions in an effort to move the sport forward.
“We are a participation-based organization,” said USHJA President Britt McCormick, who believes that even in the age of Zoom video conferencing, there’s a benefit for getting industry representatives together in person for discussion, debate and rewriting rules as necessary.
The range of USHJA’s responsibilities is far-reaching.
“We touch everything from the affiliate level to the Outreach level to the high performance hunters, high performance jumpers and equitation,” Britt outlined, then mentioned education safety, and horse and human welfare.
The meeting format encouraged conversation and “is getting more inclusivity, more people are stepping up, more people are speaking. The community is coming together. This is why we don’t go virtual. We are a lobbyist, but as the national affiliate, we are also an advocate for each group.”
The mission of USHJA, according to Britt, is “anything we can do, from membership to licensed officials to competition to try to make things better for the members. That’s been the driving force.”
USHJA President Britt McCormick.
He told the more than 177 members attending that his goal was “to get feedback from you on where we’re going, how we’re getting there and why we’re doing what we’re doing. ”
The Texan added, “Trying to make everybody happy is almost impossible, but I think we’re doing a pretty good job.”
Those who made the trip to Orlando certainly were not shy about having their say; lining up at the microphones to express their concerns, as opposed to sending an email or making a phone call.
A big project for USHJA involves revamping and reforming hunter and equitation judging.
By the end of April, it is expected task forces will come up with a plan for education “so we can have a clean start and best practices in place by December 2026,” Britt said. The concept is to “get training consistent across every part of the judging, from applicant to Big R.”
USHJA is the largest affiliate of the U.S. Equestrian Federation. The Federation’s CEO, Bill Moroney, and president, Tom O’Mara, were on hand to address a concern that has become a frequent topic on social media: Whether show horses are being overused. That’s important for many reasons, with animal welfare and social license to operate at the top of the list. This is an ongoing project for USEF, as it digs deeper into the subject and gets more relevant numbers.
At this point, the USEF defines overuse as a noticeably observable decline in performance, physical capability, movement or mental well-being that can be combined with resistance, exhaustion and decline in jumping style, among other factors.
The Federation honchos came equipped with charts and diagrams, as well as an explanation of why it will take a while to come up with both an answer to the question of whether overuse is widespread and then, if necessary, what to do about it. Bill cautioned that the public might believe horses are competing in shows more than the statistics demonstrate their actual level of activity .
The USHJA board disapproved a rule proposal that would have limited the number of over-fences classes in which a horse is allowed to participate during the course of one day.
The Federation CEO cited the dark side of social media, which means it’s necessary to deal with “a lot of assumptions that get made out there that become urban legends and actually are chipping away at our ability to enjoy equestrian sport.”
USEF statisticians dealt only with numbers from USEF shows, not unrecognized fixtures. Bill also cautioned, “We have no information on what your warm-up routines are,” or what activities the horses is involved in on non-competition days.
The USEF staffers found that the maximum number of classes in 2024 logged by hunters competing at heights of 3 feet and below was 348; for those jumping over 3 feet, it was 265. In terms of competition days, the maximum in the first category was 14 appearances in the ring, and seven in the second category.
Jumpers competing in 1.10 meter and below classes were in an average of 27 classes per year at a rate of one class per day. However, this group recorded maximums of 39 classes per competition and 258 for the year.
For 1.15 to 1.35 meters, the average jumper competed in 25 classes for the year, at the rate of one class per day. The average jumper competing at 1.40 meters and above competes in 26 classes per year, at a rate of one class per day.
While the average competing hunter may be attending between five and 10 competitions per year, there are horses appearing at double or even triple that rate. However, it was pointed out they represent less than 2 percent of all competing hunters and jumpers.
Dr. Steve Schumacher, the USEF’s chief veterinary officer, answered questions about drug testing. He told his audience that if they had problems during the testing process, they should contact USEF. The right people can be reached at 1-800-633-2472 or by email, medequestrian@usef.org.
At a meeting of the Safety Committee, it was noted that there still is no confirmed data on whether the inflatable vests that are so popular either help or harm those wearing them. The USEF has raised money for research on the subject, but Tom O’Mara explained the price is in the high six figures for an effective study on the subject.
Among the rules passed by the board was a vital one requiring every show to have an AED (automated external defibrillator) in working order. The device can restart the heart when it has stopped.
Will Haselden, the father of 14-year-old Ryan Haselden whose heart stopped while she was competing in a jumper class, was emotional telling the story of his daughter’s traumatic incident during the meeting. He praised Fox Lea Farm in Venice, Fla., where the incident occurred, for having an easily accessible AED that saved his daughter’s life, and noted the importance of providing the device at every show.
The board voted in favor of adding a 3-foot, 3-inch green hunter conformation division to the rulebook. Those speaking in favor of the addition think it boosts the horsemanship aspect of judging horses in terms of what should be looked for in competition prospects.
Rules passed by USHJA need to be voted on by the USEF board at its mid-year meeting in 2026 to become effective.
The board needs to have more discussion on a rule that would enable video review in hunter classes; the Hunter Working Group wanted it available only for major faults, and at the judge’s discretion.
Oh, and what about those mules? Having already earned the right to compete in eventing, jumpers and dressage, they will be able to add hunter classes to their resume, as the USHJA board voted in their favor. Although director Glenn Petty recalled an incident at a North Carolina show where ponies scattered when a mule approached, as director Charlotte Robson pointed out, mules already are on the showgrounds in the other divisions.
(To read about the USHJA’s Evening of Equestrians, click on this link.)
An often-expressed concern is the age of those in leadership, with many having been involved for decades. There were members of a slightly younger contingent being seated in key roles, but looking further ahead for a fresh take, Kameron Berry 15, and Isabella Pan, 20, have their eyes on becoming part of the governance scene. They attended with help from the Alvin Topping governance grant.
Kameron Berry and Isabella Pan.
“I really like seeing the point of view from all the different people,” said Kameron, who attends an online school, leaving him flexibility for barn time at Bee Cave Riding Center in Texas.
“You’ll think you’re on one side and then you’ll hear the other side and you’ll switch. It’s very fun to see where you fall at the end of it,” he pointed out.
“I think there should be a lot more young people coming into this, because we are the next generation to take this over Anyone can sit on a horse, but you also have to know the business side of it.”
Isabella, 20, a North Carolina State veterinary school student, was happy to be “part of the conversations” at the meeting, “learning how policies are made as well as being able to ask questions. The community in USHJA and USEF is so welcoming and so open. I’m grateful for the opportunity to be able to sit in and listen.”
Three friends in their 20s also made an appearance. Judging from their enthusiasm, they may well find themselves on USHJA’s board of directors at some point. They are Johanna Moseley, 27, a professional from Louisiana who came up through the USHJA ranks and is the mother of two; Emily Goodman, a 22-year-old amateur and Caroline Ritter, 27, who runs a stable in Naples, Fla. Caroline nicknamed herself “the sponge,” because she soaks up knowledge at opportunities like the USHJA meeting.