Earlier today USEF announced: “Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all USEF owned events, selection trials, training camps, clinics, and activities will be suspended for the next 30 days. USEF strongly recommends that competition organizers suspend all USEF licensed competitions across the country for the next 30 days and that equestrians do not compete for the next 30 days.”
Jenni Autry, USEF Managing Director of Eventing, subsequently issued the following clarification.
“Dear all,
“Following today’s announcement from the USEF President and CEO regarding the COVID-19 Pandemic and USEF Licensed Competitions, I am reaching out to clarify how this will impact U.S. Eventing.
“Effective Monday, March 16, all USEF training camps, clinics and activities will be suspended for 30 days through Tuesday, April 14. All High Performance Open Forums scheduled during this time period are cancelled.
“The USEF strongly recommends that Organizers cancel all competitions running within the next 30 days, and the FEI strongly recommends that Organizers should cancel all events for the next four weeks. However, all USEF Licensed Competitions and U.S. FEI competitions can still run during the next 30 days if the Organizers still choose to run.
“For competitions that do run, no National MERs can be obtained during the 30-day period. However, all FEI MERs earned within the 30-day period will still count for qualifications, including Olympic qualifications. All FEI points earned within the 30-day period will still count for the FEI Eventing World Athlete Rankings. All prize money earned in both National and FEI divisions during the 30-day period can still be paid out.
“Please be advised that the USEF strongly recommends that athletes do not compete for the next 30 days. If you do choose to compete, it is your responsibility to monitor each competition’s current status. USEF recommends that you take immediate steps to limit your exposure to COVID-19 and practice social distancing. Click here to read recommendations to limit exposure.
“The USEF and FEI are closely monitoring the situation, which is evolving by the hour. Please check the USEF website daily for any changes. If you have any questions, please reach out to me directly via email at [email protected], on my office line at 859-225-2052 or on my mobile at 717-254-9630.
“Sincerely,
Jenni Autry
USEF Managing Director of Eventing”
The major takeaway: no competitions are automatically cancelled, and all MERs at FEI competitions will still count for qualifications. It’s only National MERs that are affected.
Go Eventing.
