Photo courtesy of ERA International
Great news is coming from the USEA this morning as they have announced the $25,000 fundraising goal for cross country safety research proposed by Ms. Jacqueline Mars has been met.
Ms. Mars generously pledged $25,000 to renew the Frangible Fence Study and set a goal for the USEA to match that amount by January 15. It took just a couple of weeks, however, to meet that goal.
The USEA will continue to fundraise with the goal of an additional $10,000 needed to fund this two-year study, and they have extended their heartfelt appreciation to members and supporters who have made this happen.
Dr. Suzanne Smith, a mechanical engineering professor at the University of Kentucky, will lead the study and is excited about the findings of the program. “What we did before really moved our understanding forward about how rotational falls can happen, but we haven’t yet expressed that mathematically so that we can use that understanding to help us create better fence designs. That’s the importance and the focus of this next study — to capture the understanding that we already have and then extend that into fence design,” Dr. Smith said previously.
The study is projected to take anywhere from 18 months to two years, and Dr. Smith hopes to have some initial findings to present to the USEA Safety Committee within the first six months.
We here at EN would like to take a moment to thank Ms. Mars, the USEA, Dr. Smith and everyone who has put forward by donating and/or spreading the word about this program. Only with further research efforts and education can our sport continue to progress, so kudos to everyone for recognizing its importance.
Go Eventing.
