USEF Approves Rule Extending Jurisdiction Over Horse Abuse Outside of Competitions, to Homes
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June 21, 2024
The United States Equestrian Federation board, driven by Cesar Parra’s treatment of horses, has approved a rule to extend jurisdiction over horse abuse outside of competitions to include home facilities.
The new rule approved at a board meeting Thursday takes effect Dec. 1, the official start of the USEF competition year.
“Horse wellbeing,” according to a proposal to make the rule change, “is paramount to USEF and this proposal modernizes the horse abuse rule.
“This proposal is intended to achieve the following:
“(1) expand the scope of USEF’s jurisdiction to include horse abuse that occurs outside of competition, including at home facilities;
“(2) clarify examples of what constitutes abuse in our sport;
“(3) mandate reporting of horse abuse; and
“(4) clarify that competition management and officials are empowered to eliminate, disqualify, and issue warnings for horse abuse at competitions.”
The USEF includes some discipline and breed organizations that have rules covering training and equipment that may not meet standards applied to dressage and some other international sports.
The federation has emphasized for many years that the current rules prevent it from taking action against horse abuse outside of competitions.
However, the exposure by video of horse abuse by dressage competitor and trainer Cesar Parra based in Jupiter, Florida led to the USEF following the lead of the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) to conditionally banParra effective Feb. 1 this year.
The FEI has taken over “disciplinary proceedings” against Parra, according to an official notice this week reporting the status of cases.
Witnesses have informed dressage-news.com that the proceedings include Internet calls by officials based at FEI headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.
The USEF is reported to have dropped follow up interviews from its initial look at the issue.
The German national federation and some breed organizations took prompt action suspending two dealers involved in horse sales to Parra.
The USEF also came under fire for failing to impose a FEI suspension of a horse ridden by Parra that won the small tour championship at Dressage at Devon that was found to have a banned drug. The failure to impose the suspension was uncovered by a private lawyer a year after the FEI notified the USEF of the decision. The USEF has never explained its failure.
A civil suit against Parra has been filed in federal court over ownership of the same horse.
