The Adequan/USDF All-Breeds Awards program recognizes dressage horses and riders across various levels and divisions. To be eligible for these awards, specific criteria regarding scores and declarations must be met. This program offers a pathway for horses registered with participating organizations (POs) to be recognized for their achievements in dressage competitions. Understanding the requirements, deadlines, and declaration process is crucial for owners and riders aiming to participate.
Eligibility and Scoring Requirements
To qualify for the Adequan/USDF All-Breeds Awards, horses must achieve a minimum of four scores from four different judges at four different competitions. These scores must be at the Prix St. Georges, Intermediate I, Intermediate II, or Grand Prix levels. A median score of 60 percent or higher is required for qualification. If a PO offers recognition for optional award divisions such as musical freestyle, adult amateur, junior/young rider, vintage cup, para-dressage rider of the year, and FEI five- and six-year-old, the award rules specific to that division must also be fulfilled. For a comprehensive list of rules and requirements, it is recommended to consult the USDF Member Guide available on the USDF website.
Score Submission and Verification
USDF automatically keeps track of all scores obtained throughout the competition year, so there is no need for competitors to submit scores at the end of the season. However, it is the responsibility of the competitors to monitor their scores on USDFScores.com to ensure that all competition results have been submitted and are accurately entered into the USDF database. This proactive approach helps prevent any discrepancies that could affect award eligibility.
Foals and Declaration Procedures
Owners of foals born in the current year who have not yet received their breed papers from their PO can submit a letter from their PO confirming the foal’s eligibility for all-breeds awards. The deadline to declare these current-year foals for the all-breeds awards program is September 30.
To verify if an all-breeds declaration is on file with USDF for a horse, owners can log into USDFScores.com and view their horse’s summary page. Alternatively, logging into the USDF website and using the Owner/Lessee Horse Portfolio Search provides this information. Access to this data for free requires a current USDF Group or Participating Membership and requires logging into the USDF website.
If a horse is not appearing in the Adequan/USDF All-Breeds preliminary standings, it is important to first check the USDF Member Guide and USDFScores.com to confirm that all scores have been recorded by USDF and that the minimum requirements for the award have been met. If all USDF requirements are satisfied, but the horse is still not listed, the owner should contact their PO to ensure that the horse has met their minimum requirements and that the PO has marked the horse as eligible for awards. The Adequan®/USDF All-Breeds preliminary award standings are updated weekly, so it is advisable to wait a week for updated rankings before contacting USDF or the PO.
Award Categories and Deadlines
Participating organizations (POs) are not required to award all possible categories. However, if there are enough horses meeting the minimum award criteria in the open category, POs must award first and second place in each level (Training Level through Grand Prix) of the open division, which includes all riders regardless of status. POs have the option to award up to five places per level. For optional award divisions, POs must award at least first place in each level they have chosen to recognize, provided enough horses meet the minimum award criteria. A list of which divisions each PO has chosen to award can be found on the USDF website under their contact information.
The deadline for submitting all-breeds documentation for the current year to USDF is August 1 of the award year; otherwise, late fees will apply. Current year foals have until September 30 of the current year to declare for the all-breeds awards program, and no declarations for the current year will be accepted after this date.
It is possible to change a horse’s all-breeds PO declaration by submitting the All-Breeds Awards Declaration Form along with applicable breed registry papers and a $50 declaration change fee by August 1 of the award year.
The deadline to notify USDF of any issues with a horse’s all-breeds awards declaration is September 30 of the award year. For official USDF year-end results or award standings, corrections will not be accepted after 5:00 pm EST on October 15 of the award year. For specific inquiries regarding the USDF all-breeds awards program, please contact allbreeds@usdf.org.
