Champions, Records and So Much More Make the Annual USEF Convention A Must Go To Event

A special story by Diana DeRosa

When Abigail Wexner’s Authentic was announced as the Horse of the Year at the Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year Awards dinner everyone present gave rider Beezie Madden a well-deserved standing ovation. This event was part of the USEF Annual Convention held at the Seelbach Hilton Hotel in Louisville, KY, January 10-14.

As I listened to the clapping and then to Beezie’s speech it reminded me of why I come to the USEF Convention annually. It’s the event where the heart of the horse community congregates once a year, bringing all the key representatives of all 24 breeds and disciplines together under one roof to honor the year’s best. During the week in the various committee meetings and forums they gather to discuss the proposed rule changes and whether or not they make sense and should be passed.

The Convention concludes with the meeting of the Board and in one room you have the nation’s finest horsemen all together deciding the future of both the organization and its affiliate members. It’s an impressive display of the most knowledgeable horsemen in our industry coming together to decide how history will unfold for the horse sports we love so much.

At times the Convention can get boring or tedious but when it’s all over you leave with a feeling of warmth knowing that some very worthy horsemen and women were honored while at the same time these champions of our sport were paying attention to how we can make our horse world bigger, better and fairer. The organization’s goal is to allow each breed and discipline to grow independently with the guiding influence of the USEF as its umbrella.

This year Madden was only one of the many who were recognized for their incredible accomplishments. She also received the Equestrian of the Year Award. Trainer, author, and horseman George Morris received the Jimmy Williams Lifetime Achievement Award, one of the highest if not the highest honor the USEF presents annually. You’ll be reading about all these awards either at Horsesdaily or on the USEF web site which allows me to take a detour and focus on the topics that caught my attention.