In January, the US Equestrian Board of Directors approved a resolution authorizing a contemporaneous review of all Hunter, Jumper, and Hunter/Jumper Licensed Competitions in California for the 2023 competition year to create a more balanced, equitable, and sustainable competition environment for competitors and organizers alike. At the end of April, the Competitions Department communicated with applicants to advise them of the dates and ratings that were awarded through this process.
US Equestrian appreciates the tremendous amount of feedback provided by stakeholders since the start of this project. This feedback has been considered in the development of the 2023 calendar and informed the principles underpinning this project.
Key areas of focus in development of the 2023 California Hunter/Jumper Competition Calendar include:
- Recognizing competition organizer commitment to investment in facilities and holding organizers accountable to their Facility Performance Improvement Plans which were submitted as part of the application process.
- Commitment from organizers to host 28 weeks of FEI competition. (FEI applications are subject to review through the FEI Calendar Process and approval by the FEI.)
- 26 Regional, Channel 2 competitions.
- 59 National, Channel 1 competitions.
- 106 Rated Competitions.
- Addressing venue fatigue by limiting majority of events to 2-3 weeks in a row, with a minimum of one week break between events at the same venue.
- Limiting total number of events at each venue to ensure diversity of calendar.
- Coastal venues used more frequently in summer months and inland venues used more frequently in fall and spring months to address concerns regarding climate and temperature.
- Strengthening offerings of the winter circuit at Desert International Horse Park which was identified as the anchor of the calendar in California during meetings with organizers and competitors. This winter circuit will offer Premier hunter rating and FEI jumper competition each week.
- Resolving scheduling clashes between organizers to ensure opportunity for competition was available to competitors throughout the year.
- Limiting overlap of similarly rated events in adjacent geographic areas, with the exception of limited entry events.
- Some weeks will remain open on the calendar to allow for new events to enter the calendar.
A draft 2023 California Competition Calendar can be found here. Please note that the draft calendar is not final and is currently pending executed license agreements with each competition organizer.
US Equestrian values the amount of time all of the stakeholders invested in this process, and the many conversations that were had. As we collectively work towards strengthening equestrian sport in California, US Equestrian will continue to monitor the competition environment in the state and encourages competitors to reach out to share their experiences as they compete at events throughout the year.
Should you have any questions regarding the 2023 California Competition Calendar, please contact USEF Senior Director of Competition Licensing, Evaluation & Safety Katlynn Wilbers at kwilbers@usef.org.
Original article: USEF 2023 California Hunter/Jumper Competition Calendar Update | US Equestrian
