Exhibitors, show organizers, officials and basically everyone else involved with horse shows have raised plenty of questions about how things will look when competitions resume. Many of the answers still are to be determined while the Covid situation evolves, but a lot of work is being done at the governance level in an effort to inform the membership as much as possible.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation had its say on the subject earlier this week (https://nancyjaffer.com/things-will-be-different-when-the-shows-come-back/). USEF has issued its action plan and tool kit for the return of showing, along with a mind-boggling, intricate decision tree of how to determine whether to go to a “mass gathering.” One would hope that people who take part in shows are equipped to figure that out for themselves, but USEF wasn’t about to leave any stone unturned.
Two days later, it was time to talk about what’s coming up with the U.S. Hunter Jumper Association, the USEF affiliate that oversees hunters, hunt seat and jumping seat equitation, as well as jumpers to Level 4.
A number of items are still under discussion, but there was plenty worth mentioning as USHJA President Mary Babick presided over a webinar that drew approximately 260 people. Here are some of the key takeaways:
- Jogging hunters for soundness will be done only as the horse trots into and out of the ring, rather than being led in after the jumping.
- Paramedics will not be required at Premier shows because these medical workers are busy elsewhere during the pandemic. However, the shows will still have Emergency Medical Technicians.
- USHJA will be offering virtual hunter clinics, with judge Chris Wynne in May and trainer Jeff Cook in June.
- Shows can limit entries on a first-come/first-served basis in order to insure enough room to observe social distancing.
- The USHJA’s foundation has a feed aid program that can help stables having trouble feeding school horses because they have difficult financial circumstances, since many facilities aren’t able to give lessons during lockdowns.
- Green hunter reinstatement will be discussed with the board on Monday. Meanwhile, rider/trainer Robin Rost Brown will be getting opinions about it from riders.
- Someone wondered about the wisdom of renting a hotel room when attending a show. Mary said her barn is going to Saratoga, if Gov. Cuomo lets the show go on, and she is planning to rent a house for her group. That way, they can disinfect it themselves and be sure it is clean.
- There had been suggestions that the indoor shows might move to Florida, enabling distancing in the outdoors. Mary said she had heard rumors about it, but that was all at this point.
- Shows can ask those attending to wear masks, but not require it. No need to wear masks when riding, as you are more than socially distanced, but those who want to will be able to do so.
- The 24-hour rule that horses must be in show stabling before the International Hunter Derbies will not be waived.
- Those who want to compete in the Platinum Performance/USHJA Green Hunter Incentive Championship and the Platinum Performance/USHJA International Hunter Derby Championship do not have to earn qualifying points; they just have to be enrolled.
- Because shows will need more personnel for sanitizing and enforcing social distancing, Mary expects costs of showing will rise. But she also added, “Don’t make shows police you.”
- If your temperature is greater than 99.9, stay home. Ditto if that applies to a person in your household.
- Expect shows to handle density issues by assigning ride times, the way dressage shows do, so people don’t have to hang around the ingate and schooling area, as well as the rest of the showgrounds.
- To keep tack virus-free, spray it with alcohol after use. It doesn’t harm the tack, Mary said.
- There is nothing in the rulebook that says hunters have to be braided (except side-saddle horses). So shows can have a no-braiding rule for their venue if they feel it is necessary for safety. A USEF presidential modification is in the works so side-saddle horses won’t have to be braided. Meanwhile, there is concern about braiders not being able to earn a living.
- The USHJA’s Emerging Athletes Program schedule is being re-done, with early clinics pushed to later in the year.
- Some people felt there shouldn’t be zone points this year because states are reopening at different rates. An example given was Zone 6, which includes six states, including North and South Dakota, which have had little in the way of Covid cases, to Minnesota, that has more.