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

A New and Expanding Organization

I grew up in a family that understood the value of being up-to-date with your equipment and how that helps you stay at the top of your game. My dad and brothers have always been my mentors when I want to know if there is a better, faster, quicker, more efficient way to do things. So, when some new and innovative ideas were presented at the first of two Board of Directors meetings I knew that the future for this organization would continue to be bright.

To begin with one of the first announcements that President David O’Connor made was the implementation of a Youth Council (for the first time in the history of the organization I might add!) headed by Chairman Matt Fine with co-chair Monica Christian. Picking the brains of our youth is what is going to better help us serve both the grass roots and the veterans in an ever expanding horse world.

USEF CEO John Long commented that already the youth committee had identified some of the key concerns with the organization including such things as it is “too expensive, there are too many cards, we need to get people to want to join not force them to join and that sponsorship is going to be key.”

He added, “We’ve got a real opportunity for change and so we need to take the Federation, your Federation in the direction that you want it to go.”

Long then discussed a few different topics beginning with where things stand with the World Equestrian Games. While he is thrilled and excited that they will take place at the Kentucky Horse Park, which is also home base for the USEF offices, he is also concerned that things aren’t moving as quickly as they should be.

“I am a little disappointed in the pace at which the organization is being put together,” he noted. “They’ve spent considerable time in sponsorship but they are a little bit behind the curve in terms of putting in place the organization underneath, which will make WEG really work.”

John feels it’s important that they work with horse people to organize these Games and feels certain that those announcements will be made over the next couple of weeks.

Long added, “There have been many of you who have inquired about non FEI disciplines being able to compete or being involved in the 2010 World Equestrian Games … this is exactly what they want to do – really celebrate all of the horse sports in America.” While the focus of WEG is always the seven disciplines (Show Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Reining, Vaulting, Driving, and Endurance) these Games will have an even wider representation of the horse sports in the United States.

Long talked about creating a grass roots network, “where we can fundraise in a way that we never have before. We need to go fishing where the fish are and we haven’t done that yet.”

There were numerous other topics discussed including the workings of the Strategic Plan Task Force Committee which is focusing on future development of the Federation. This group has outlined key areas (as explained by Brian Sosby, Editor of Equestrian Magazine). Brian listed the following as the group’s focus. First is a review of the Federations’ regulatory role with the need to keep the field of play sacrosanct; 2) a desire to simplify the current USEF Rule Book; 3) various areas pertaining to membership; 4) reviewing the needs of information technology (I.T.); 5) fund raising and high-performance needs; and 6) the development of a new all-breed horse show similar to the famous Westminster Dog Show.

The topic that hit home for me was when Alan Balch, who is on that committee, talked about Marketing and Communications. “That term is defined way too loosely. We all think we know what it means yet there are real weaknesses in the marketing area. We have to concentrate on equestrian sports in general. It is a huge investment and it can not be underestimated how much staff and money it takes ... Even when you have megabucks it is extremely difficult to climb that ladder of public awareness. We should set realistic benchmarks and have a very clear year by year plan.”

Balch verbalized what I and so many others in the world of PR know so well. Marketing is labor intensive and takes hours and hours following a focused plan to rise to the top of the many news items that are covered each day throughout the United States. We have a huge horse world in America but rarely get recognized in the main stream media. It’s not impossible to change that but in order to do this we must implement a plan that will involve a lot of time, effort and money.

Photo of John Long, and Alan Balch by Diana DeRosa