May 2022 Issue

Page 24 May 2022 EAST COAST EQUESTRIAN Press release The Standardbred Transition Alliance (STA) has launched a new program to help ensure the safety of Standardbred horses that are retiring from racing. Called the Placement Liaison Program Standardbred Transition Alliance Creates Placement Program (PLP), this initiative is fully endorsed by the United States Trotting Association (USTA) and is designed to streamline the pro- cess of placing retiring racehorses into quality aftercare programs. The process is simple: the racehorse owner completes and Press release Since 2020, the USEF Endurance Sport Committee has worked on building an accessible, sustainable endurance program to bridge the gap between grassroots endurance rides to the FEI level. The committee has released its five-point plan known as Endur- ance for Tomorrow, which estab- lishes the following five programs: 1. New national endurance zones 2. Annual Zone Qualifica- tion Championships 3. A biennial Zone Team Challenge 4. A USEF Endurance Na- tional Championship 5. USEF year-end and career awards, achievement programs, and revised ranking programs. The goal of the USA Endur- ance program is to develop op- portunities for participation at all levels of the sport, an increased number of events across zones, and collaboration with grassroots organizations and individuals. The program aims to promote a cooperative working relationship between US Equestrian and other national, regional, and breed organizations that have developed and supported American endur- ance riding for decades. New USA Endurance Zones and Zone Championships The proposed new National Endurance Zones consist of a northern and southern region within each of the four time zones in the continental U.S. Zone team events will provide more accessible oppor- tunities for endurance athletes to have team experience. These events will create more oppor- tunities to enjoy the sport and facilitate more riders entering the pathway toward potential future U.S. Endurance Team selec- tion. Additionally, annual Zone Qualification Championships will be a points-based program in which riders can earn points for US Equestrian year-end awards and potential long listing for team selection. USEF Releases Endurance for Tomorrow Plan Zone Team Challenge and USEF Endurance National Championship The Zone Team Challenge is proposed as a biennial event with divisions for Seniors and Young Riders/Junior Riders, at the 160 km and 120 km distances, respectively. Athletes will have the opportunity to represent their Zone on a team with three to five riders. The newly revised USEF Endurance National Champion- ship will welcome competitors who qualify at a Zone Qualifying Championship or completing an FEI-recognized ride at the same or greater distance. Both of these proposed championships will also include team competition opportunities at shorter distances to promote inclusivity and grassroots partic- ipation. New Year-End and Achievement Awards A series of new achievement awards will recognize athletes and horses for their accomplish- ments in the preceding season and over their careers. The proposed awards include the following: • Career Horse Mileage Recognition • Career Rider Mileage Recognition • Career Horse/Rider Combination Recognition • International Achievement Recognition • Top Three National-Ranked Senior Riders • Top Three National-Ranked Junior Riders • Endurance Horse of the Year Award • Endurance Rider of the Year Award • Endurance Best Condition Season Award • Endurance Iron HorseAward • Top Five Endurance Lite Riders • Top Five National Riders For more information on US Equestrian Endurance Programs, visit www.usef.org/compete/ disciplines/endurance. submits three forms, which can be found on the STA website. An STA Liaison processes the paperwork on behalf of the owner and becomes the first point of contact for the tran- sition process. The Liaison reaches out to STA accredited aftercare organizations to de- termine which would be a good fit for the retiring racehorse. The aftercare organization then takes the retired racehorse into their care with all paperwork in place and the rehoming process begins immediately. “We are very excited about this new program, which is huge for the future of Standardbreds,” says Don Marean, chairman of USTA District 9, director of the Maine Farm Bureau Horse Council and the Maine Harness Horsemen’s Association; and vice chair of the University of Maine (Orono) Board of Agriculture. “Having a point person an owner can reach out to who can physically walk them through the transition from racing is imperative to keep Standardbreds from ending up in trouble or in a kill pen. By eliminating the possible middle- man, retiring racehorses have a significantly better chance for a quality life after the track.” Jennifer Daniels, admin- istrator for the Standardbred Transition Alliance, held various roles with the USTA before tran- sitioning into Standardbred after- care in 2013. Having worked both in the front-facing side of the industry and in transition- ing retired racehorses to a new career, she was uniquely posi- tioned to help the STA identify both how to make the rehoming process easier and how to help (Continued on page 25)