March 15, 2020
To: USEA Area VII Members and Competitors
From: The Area VII Chair
Subject: Update on the impact of COVID-19 on Area VII Activities
On March 13th I sent an email to everyone regarding the impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on our eventing calendar. If you missed it, it’s posted on the Area VII website and all of our FB pages. Please read the announcement.
Again, Area VII leadership and organizers are very concerned about the health and safety of our members and competitors and will take all necessary precautions to protect the health of our members and to prevent the spread of this new virus. We also expect you to make responsible decisions. Be informed by seeking guidance from appropriate State and Federal resources. Here is the link to an earlier USEF statement which also includes links to various government sites: https://www.usef.org/media/coronavirus-resources
Additional announcements have since been made by USEF and USEA. To clarify:
USEF statement 3/13/20: Effective Monday, March 16, 2020, all USEF owned events, selection trials, training camps, clinics, and activities will be suspended for the next 30 days. Additionally, 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.
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. Please be advised that the USEF strongly recommends that athletes do not compete for the next 30 days.
USEA statement 3/14/20: The USEA Board of Governors voted to suspend recognizing any competitions under its direct jurisdiction held in the U.S. at the Beginner Novice, Novice, and Training levels for a period of at least two weeks (14 days) starting on Monday, March 16. The suspension extends also to USEA recognized educational activities, Young Event Horse, Future Event Horse, and New Event Horse competitions.
The USEA Board of Governors will continue to closely follow recommendations from the CDC, as well as state and federal government, and will monitor the increase in numbers of diagnosed cases, deaths, and geographical spread of the virus to reassess its position before the conclusion of the suspension period on March 30.
Translation: No USEA sponsored activities (events, clinics, any education activity sponsored/endorsed by USEA) for AT LEAST two weeks, but the situation will be monitored and an additional announcement from USEA will be made on or before March 30th.
Our Young Riders have spring clinics scheduled in late April and the Adult Rider Camp is scheduled in May. Many have asked what this means for us. We don’t know yet but we are monitoring the situation and will make responsible decisions based on the information available, the conditions in our region and any local/regional public health advisories in effect. We will continue to assess the situation and will update our position as circumstances warrant.
Barb Jensen, our Young Rider Coordinator, will make an announcement by April 1 regarding the status of the April YR Clinics.
Maggie Rikard, our Adult Rider Coordinator, will make an announcement regarding the Adult Rider Camp well in advance of camp.
As your regional eventing leadership, the Area VII Council will continue to monitor the situation and will continue to update our membership by sharing announcements from our governing bodies on our website and our FB pages. Please visit our website at www.areavii.org frequently for any updates.
We also concur with the following USEF statement: 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.
Everyone please be informed, be safe and make good decisions for your health and the health of others.
Best Regards,
Cynthia Bayles, Area VII Chair