The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) shared a competition calendar update Monday with regards to the first trimester of 2022. Unsurprisingly, the winter calendar in Florida is expected to be incredibly full.
In April, the USEF Board approved a resolution to “amend GR315 Mileage Exemptions to facilitate the collective review of all Mileage Exemption Requests for the first trimester of 2022 in the state of Florida.” The Winter Equestrian Festival (south Florida) and HITS Ocala (central Florida) dominate the landscape during this time and take precedence over show dates between January and April, but other shows have gradually popped up in the surrounding areas of WEF’s Palm Beach International Equestrian Festival and HITS’ Post Time Farm. Fox Lea Farm (Venice) and The Ridge’s Turf Tour (Wellington) have become popular events, particularly for those looking to develop young horses or simply find a more affordable, less congested option.
In 2021, the World Equestrian Center – Ocala kicked off its inaugural show series without USEF dates, after electing not to accept the dates USEF provided. After receiving approved USEF dates this summer, WEC then elected not to accept them, remaining solely with the National Snaffle Bit Association (NSBA). The Organizing Committee did not apply for USEF dates in the First Trimester of 2022.
USEF’s update stated the following:
“On April 30, 2021, when the USEF announced the opening of the collective mileage exemption application period for organizers seeking to conduct competitions during the first trimester in Florida, there were 35 licensed hunter/jumper competitions already on the calendar. As of the close of the mileage exemption application process on June 1, 2021, USEF has received applications for 29 additional hunter/jumper competitions from the following organizers:
- Fox Lea Farm — Venice
- HITS — Ocala
- TerraNova — Sarasota
- The Ridge — Wellington
These applications are being processed in accordance with GR315, which provides for the ability to collect recommendations and feedback from applicable parties to the requests, including all priority date holder competitions, USHJA as the recognized affiliate, and the USEF sport and competition departments.”
A final decision on the 29 applications will be made by September 1, 2021.
