~ RIDER STATUS ~
PROFESSIONAL
VS.
ADULT AMATEUR
VS.
JUNIOR RIDER / YOUNG RIDER
In the United States, dressage has different categories of riders based on age and amateur or professional status. Since some FADS show classes are split using these criteria, and since FADS Season End Awards may be split using these criteria, it is important to report the correct rider status when entering shows. The criteria are found in the USEF Rules at DR119.3, GR1306, and GR1307. The following is a summary of the rules.
DR119.3 for USDF and USEF Dressage Tests:
JUNIOR RIDERS: For the purposes of competition in the Dressage Division: Individuals are eligible as Juniors until the end of the Calendar year in which they reach the age of 18.
YOUNG RIDERS: Individuals are eligible as Young Riders from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 16 until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 21.
ADULTS: Competitors shall compete as adults from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach age 22.
ADULT AMATEURS: Individuals possessing current amateur certification are only eligible as Adult Amateurs from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach age 22.
YOUNG RIDERS: Individuals are eligible as Young Riders from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 16 until the end of the calendar year in which they reach the age of 21.
ADULTS: Competitors shall compete as adults from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach age 22.
ADULT AMATEURS: Individuals possessing current amateur certification are only eligible as Adult Amateurs from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach age 22.
GR1306 Professional/Amateur Status:
An Adult Amateur is permitted to do the following (only items related to dressage are listed here):
- Accept reimbursement for actual expenses associated with
conducting classroom seminars for a not-for-profit organization, therapeutic
riding programs, or programs for charitable organizations approved in advance
by the Federation.
- Act as a camp counselor when not hired in the exclusive capacity
as a riding instructor; assist in setting schooling fences without
remuneration; give instruction or training to handicapped riders for
therapeutic purposes.
- Appear in advertisements and/or articles related to
acknowledgement of one’s own personal or business sponsorship of a competition
and/or awards earned by one’s owned horses.
- Accept prize money as the owner of a horse in any class other
than equitation or showmanship classes.
- Accept prize money in Dressage.
- Accept a non-monetary token gift of appreciation valued less
than $300 annually.
- Serve as an intern for college credit or course requirements at
an accredited institution provided one has never held professional status with
the Federation or any other equestrian National Federation. In addition, one
may accept reimbursement for expenses without profit, as prescribed by the
educational institution’s program, for the internship. At the
request of the Federation, an Amateur shall provide certification from the
accredited educational institution under whose auspices a student is pursuing
an internship that he is undertaking the internship to meet course or degree
requirements.
- Write books or articles related to horses.
- Accept remuneration for providing service in one’s capacity as
a: presenter or panelist at a Federation licensed officials’ clinic,
competition manager, competition secretary, judge, steward, technical delegate,
course designer, announcer, TV commentator, veterinarian, groom, farrier, tack
shop operator, breeder, or boarder, or horse transporter.
- Accept reimbursement for any bona fide expenses directly related
to the horse (i.e. farrier/vet bills, entries). Travel, hotel, equipment, and
room and board are not considered bona fide expenses.
- Entries for non-under saddle classes in amateur sections at
hunter, jumper or hunter/jumper competitions, must be paid either (i) directly
to the competition by the Amateur or by the Amateur’s family or (ii) by someone
whom the Amateur or the Amateur’s family reimburses within 90 days of the last
day of the competition for which entries were paid.
- Accept educational competition or training grant(s).
An Adult Amateur is not permitted to do any of the following (if a person performs any of these activities, that individual is a professional):
- Accepts remuneration AND rides, exercises, drives, shows, trains, assists in training, schools or conducts clinics or seminars.
- Accepts remuneration AND gives riding or driving lessons, showmanship lessons, equitation lessons, trains horses, or provides consultation services in riding, driving, showmanship, equitation, or training of horses.
- Accepts remuneration AND acts as an employee in a position such as a groom, farrier, bookkeeper, veterinarian or barn manager AND instructs, rides, drives, shows, trains or schools horses that are owned, boarded or trained by his employer, any member of his employer’s family, or a business in which his employer has an ownership interest.
- Accepts remuneration AND uses his name, photograph or other form of personal association as a horseperson in connection with any advertisement or product/ service for sale, including but not limited to apparel, equipment or property.
- Accepts prize money unless permitted in paragraph 3d or 3e above.
- Rides, drives or shows any horse that a cohabitant or family member or a cohabitant or family member’s business receives remuneration for boarding, training, riding, driving or showing. A cohabitant or family member of a trainer may not absolve themselves of this rule by entering into a lease or any other agreement for a horse owned by a client of the trainer.
- Gives instruction to any person or rides, drives, or shows any horse, for which activity his cohabitant or another person in his family or business in which his cohabitant or a family member controls will receive remuneration for the activity. A cohabitant or family member of a trainer may not absolve themselves of this rule by entering into a lease or any other agreement for a horse owned by a client of the trainer.
- Accepts remuneration AND acts as an agent in the sale of a horse or pony or accepts a horse or pony on consignment for the purpose of sale or training that is not owned by him, his cohabitant, or a member of his family, a farm/ranch/syndicate/ partnership/corporation/business in which he, his cohabitant or a member of his family controls.
- Advertises one’s equestrian services such as training or instruction.
- Accepts remuneration AND acts as an intern, apprentice, or working student whose responsibilities include, but are not limited to, riding, driving, showmanship, handling, showing, training or assisting in training, giving lessons/coaching and/or schooling horses other than horses actually owned by him.
- Accepts remuneration in excess of rental fee for use of a facility, ring or school horses.
- Accepts remuneration for such use AND uses commercial logoed items while on competition grounds unless expressly permitted by applicable division rules.
Open Classes, JYR Classes, AA Classes and AJY Classes:
Licensed/registered show classes are usually designated as "open" classes. Riders of any status may enter open classes. Professionals and riders that are not USEF members must enter open classes. Shows sometimes have classes designated as JYR, AA or AJY for which only junior/young riders, adult amateurs, and junior/young/amateur riders may enter, respectively.