By William J. Moroney, Chief Executive Officer of USEF

At US Equestrian, we fully believe that the care and welfare of horses, both inside and outside of the competition arena, must be held to the highest standards and levels of ethical behavior. Good horsemanship and a positive image of our sport is, now more than ever before, of critical importance to our social license to continue to operate our sport. It is the duty of each one of us to do our utmost to preserve and safeguard the integrity of our sport.

Individuals who engage in unethical treatment of horses—regardless of location—are compromising the integrity of our sport and endangering its viability, sustainability, and public perception at a time when all equestrian sport, including USEF-governed breeds and disciplines, is under increasing scrutiny.

Situations such as those that have come to light recently via social media are unacceptable. US Equestrian has heard your concerns and appreciates the courage it takes to report alleged incidents of cruelty to and abuse of our equine partners. We understand and share your frustration that, in many instances, we could not act on incidents that occurred outside of the competition environment.
Based on your feedback and conversations that occurred during our annual convention, the USEF Board of Directors approved revisions to GR838, the rule addressing cruelty and abuse. The revised GR838 will go into effect December 1, 2024.

  • The revisions replace the phrase “cruelty to and abuse of a horse” with “unethical treatment of a horse” to more accurately reflect US Equestrian’s role as guardian of both sport and our horses.
  • Most significantly, the revised rule applies anywhere, regardless of whether the unethical treatment is in connection to or occurring at a USEF licensed or endorsed competition,

To be clear, this new rule does not mean that US Equestrian will be coming onto your property. We will not.
Rather, we will continue to rely on you to report incidents of unethical treatment of the horse. Once a report is received, US Equestrian will work diligently to interview witnesses with personal knowledge and authenticate any photographs, videos, or other physical evidence related to the alleged incident. This takes time. All allegations are taken seriously. While we are eager to hold wrongdoers accountable, fairness and the integrity of the process dictate that they have the opportunity to be heard and offer evidence in response.

The time has come for the US Equestrian community to strengthen our existing leadership on this issue for the betterment of horses and equestrian sport. This also means that each of us must model exemplary behavior at all times. We believe the revisions to GR838, coupled with the existing process and procedures, protect both our horses and our members.

In addition, on October 15, USEF announced:
Additionally, in January, several new rule change proposals will be considered by the US Equestrian Board of Directors that, if approved, will further strengthen our position on horse welfare. You can review and provide feedback on these proposals through the US Equestrian website at www.usef.org/compete/resources-forms/rules-regulations/rule-changes. For ease of review, please see the reference numbers below:

  • 060-24 GR840.a
  • 064-24 GR843.1
  • 067-24 GR1037.1
  • 066-24 GR702.1
  • 062-24 GR839
  • 065-24 GR840.1

This additional statement was issued by USEF Chief Executive Officer William Moroney and USEF President Thomas O’Mara on November 18.

As we look ahead, we continue to review opportunities to strengthen our protection of the horse, and to this end, several new proposed Extraordinary Rule Changes have recently been put forward for feedback and review before they are considered by the USEF Board of Directors at its Annual Meeting in January 2025. If approved, these rule changes become effective April 1, 2025. While there are several extraordinary rule changes being proposed, we are highlighting three of the more noteworthy proposals that are specifically related to horse well-being: 
•  Revisions to GR414 Prohibited Practices (Tracking #107-24) – This details a list of substances that individuals will not be permitted to have in their possession or use on the grounds of a USEF licensed competition due to the potential threat to horse welfare and the integrity of sport on the field of play.  
•  Injectable ACTH 
•  Injectable Adenosine 
•  Injectable Formaldehyde
•  Injectable Magnesium Sulfate 
•  Injectable Oxytocin 
•  Injectable Pentobarbital, except by a veterinarian for the purpose of euthanasia 
•  Injectable Thiamine 
•  Liquid Nitrogen 
•  Any prescription medication in any formulation without a label identifying the horse for whom it is prescribed, pharmacy, prescription date, and prescribing veterinarian, unless it is the possession of a veterinarian, and not yet prescribed or otherwise prohibited under these rules. 

•  Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (ESWT) (Tracking #090-24)  – Commonly referred to as Shock Wave Therapy, ESWT is a therapeutic modality intended to aid in the treatment of soft tissue and bone injuries. This rule change further clarifies that only a licensed veterinarian may administer ESWT on competition grounds or a veterinary assistant or technician under direct veterinary supervision. The use of ESWT on a horse as described above must be reported using an Equine Drugs and Medications Report Form.  The application of ESWT is limited to the back and dorsal pelvis areas of the horse and cannot occur within 12 hours prior to competing. The use of ESWT on the limbs of horses will remain a prohibited practice within 72 hours of competing.   

•  Revisions to EV112 The Use of the Whip in Eventing (Tracking #091-24) – This rule change is proposed to more clearly reflect the intent and spirit of the rule, which is that the whip should be used properly and not as a tool for unethical treatment towards a horse. 
A full list of all extraordinary rule change proposals can be found here. We welcome member feedback on these proposals and encourage you to comment by logging into your USEF member account, navigating to the Rule Changes web page, and then scrolling down to the listing of “Currently Active Non-Standard Proposed Rule Changes” and clicking on the comment button located next to each extraordinary rule change proposal.       

At US Equestrian, we fully believe that the care and well-being of horses, both inside and outside of the competition arena, must be held to the highest standards and levels of ethical behavior. These proposed extraordinary rule changes reflect our continued efforts to maintain that focus and ensure the sport maintains its social license to operate. Please report any behavior toward a horse that concerns you through our anonymous texting platform by texting 2USEF (28733), or by sending a report through www.usef.org.        

We thank you for your continued care of our horses and sport.