Licensed Officials

MSEDA OFFICIALS TRAINING PROGRAM

Have you ever thought of becoming a MSEDA Judge or Technical Delegate? 

In 2005, the MSEDA Official's Committee redesigned the Training Program for those individuals interested in obtaining a MSEDA license as a judge or technical delegate.

We invite you to look over the program and encourage everyone who is interested to apply. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help you get started!

MSEDA is currently the only regional association in the country that conducts and maintains a licensing program for Eventing and Dressage officials. The program is modeled after the US Equestrian Federation and USDF-L programs in which the candidates must exhibit a level of proficiency and a knowledge base by completing practical skill requirements, apprenticing under USAE officials and taking a final written and oral exam. Each year, MSEDA officials are required to attend continuing education forums.

This program ensures that our regional competitors receive the benefit of trained judges and technical delegates at all of the MSEDA sanctioned shows. Additionally, by licensing officials and maintaining a sanctioning process for competitions, MSEDA helps ensure that competitors are provided with competitions whose standards and rules that are up to date and comparable with national standards. If you are interested in becoming a MSEDA licensed official, please read the following information.  

The goals of the program are:
 

  • To allow for flexible scheduling on the applicant's part in order to facilitate their acquiring a MSEDA Official's License.
  • To provide a program to satisfactorily prepare applicants for MSEDA licensing.

Program Overview: 

  • Applicants must first complete an application and submit the required fees.
  • They must fulfill prerequisites for enrollment prior to their acceptance into the program.
  • It is suggested that these prerequisites be met prior to sending in an application but not required.
  • Field work and on site requirements must be met by all applicants prior to taking the final exam
  • The final written and/or practical exam must be completed and passed to obtain a MSEDA license
  • Applicants must complete the licensing program within 24 months of their application to be considered
  • Any and all requirements of the program may be waived by the Officials Committee for special circumstances.

Prior to being accepted into the Training Program, all applicants must meet some specific prerequisites regarding their experience level. Riding proficiency is not required for all licenses. Alternative sources of experience are also valid and should be considered as valuable by all applicants.

PREREQUISITES OF THE PROGRAM:
Listed below are the prerequisites for each type of license that applicants must meet prior to enrollment into the program.

For Application as a DRESSAGE JUDGE: 

  • Must complete the application form and submit appropriate fees
  • Must show proficiency to Second Level by any of the following means:
  • Submit 3 tests from 2 different USEF Judges with scores of 60% or better

    Or
    Have experience in training a horse to Second Level or above and requires documentation
    Or
    Have experience in teaching students to Second Level or above and requires documentation
    Or
    Have comparable experience and requires a written description and references
For Application as a DRESSAGE TD: 

  • Must complete the application form and submit appropriate fees.
  • Must have a background in Dressage through training, riding or volunteering and requires a written description of your dressage background.

 
 
For Application as an EVENTING TD:

  • Must complete the application form and submit the appropriate fees.
  • Must show knowledge of Rules and Competition and be able to evaluate jumping courses for safety and their appropriateness by any of the following means:
  • Have completed 2 USEA Training Level Horse Trials and requires documentation

    Or
    Have experience in training a horse to the Training level and requires documentation
    Or
    Have experience in teaching students to the Training Level and requires documentation
    Or 
    Have comparable experience and requires a written description and references 

  • Must have worked with an Organizing Committee in the Organizing and running of a Horse Trials and requires documentation

For Application as an EVENTING JUDGE:  

  • Must complete the application form and submit the appropriate fees.
  • Must complete the requirements for both Dressage Judge and Eventing TD

After an individual has submitted the application form and met all of the appropriate prerequisites then they will be required to complete some field work. This field work is required to ensure that the applicant has had sufficient experience and exposure to the wide variety of situations that occur at competitions. It is suggested that the applicant seek out the most experienced and willing Officials to either apprentice with or practice judge with. It is the applicant's responsibility to contact these Officials and make sure they are interested and willing to help. The MSEDA Officials Committee will be happy to offer suggestions of Officials that are willing and experienced in training of learner judges and technical delegates.

FIELD REQUIREMENTS OF PROGRAM:
Listed below are the field requirements for each type of license.

For DRESSAGE AND EVENTING JUDGES:  

  • Must sit with a minimum of 2 USEF "R" or "S" judges for a total of 16 hours.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain the USEF Official's cooperation and permission to do this.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain permission from the Show Committee to do this
        AND  
  • Must practice judge under at least 2 different USEF "R" or "S" Judges for a total of 16 hours.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain the USEF Official's cooperation and permission to do this.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain permission to apprentice from the USEF if needed.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain permission from the Show Committee to do this 
        AND  
  • Must scribe at least 10 hours at a USEF/USDF dressage show under at least 3 different USEF Officials

    For DRESSAGE TDs: 
     

  • Must apprentice at 2 different USEF/USDF competitions under 2 different USEF Technical Delegates and run by 2      different Organizing Committees.
        AND  
  • Must volunteer a total of 10 hours in scoring, at a minimum of 2 different dressage shows run by 2  different Organizing Committees.

    For EVENTING TDs: 
     

  • Must apprentice at 3 different USEF Horse Trials under a minimum of 2 different USEF Eventing Technical    Delegates
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain the USEF Official's permission and cooperation to do this.
        It will be the applicant's responsibility to obtain the competition management's permission to do this
        2 of these horse trials must include the Preliminary Level 
        2 of these horse trials must include the Beginner Novice Level 
        AND
     
  • Must accompany TD and Ground Jury on inspection of Show Jumping Course at above HTs.

    AND 

  • Either must attend 1 Course Walk at each level : BN-P

 
    May be any Nunn Finer Course Walk
    May be any MSEDA sponsored Course Walk
    AND
    Must attend 2 XC course planning visits for 2 different USEF Horse Trials 
    May be TD's planning visit
    May be Course Designer's visit
    May be Course Advisor's visit
    OR
    Attendance at any USEA/USEF Eventing TD Training Program may be substituted for the Inspection of Show      Jumping Course, the Course Walk at each level and the XC course planning visit requirements but NOT the Apprentice Requirement.

After the field requirements have been met and the appropriate documentation has been turned in to the MSEDA Officials Committee, each applicant will be asked to take a final exam. The final exam will vary according to which license is being applied for.

FINAL EXAMINATIONS
For Dressage TD's the final exam may consist of: 
 

  • A written take home exam to include:
        Draw a large arena and provide dimensions and correct placement of letters
        A test on Rules
        An essay on Safety requirements
        An essay on Inquiries

    For Eventing TD's the final exam may consist of:
     

  • A written take home exam to include:
        A test on rules
        An essay on Safety Requirements
        An essay on Inquires
        A written evaluation of a course (note: must be a course that the Panel is familiar with) 
     
  • A practical Exam to include:

Practical work on site at a competition with an Examiner and an impartial observer as selected by the MSEDA Officials Committee. The scheduling of this portion will be done on an individual basis in cooperation with the applicant and the MSEDA Officials Committee.
An oral exam on site with the Examiner above
 
For Dressage and Eventing Judges the final exam may consist of: 

  • A written take home exam on Rules
  • A practical Exam that will consist of an oral portion as well as actual judging. This will be arranged in cooperation with the applicant and the MSEDA Officials Committee.

CONTINUING EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS
These requirements are designed to make it relatively easy to work continuing education into the competition year and to allow licensed officials to receive their continuing education in their local areas.  The CE requirements should be carried out over a two-year cycle, so that every two years each official will have completed one Item 2 activity and one Item 3 activity.
  

  1. All MSEDA licensed officials and MSEDA-recognized “L” graduates must attend the officials’ meeting held in conjunction with the MSEDA annual meeting.  This meeting is our chief means of updating our officials and discussing important information, so officials are expected to try their utmost to attend it.  We recognize, however, unavoidable conflicts or emergencies sometimes will occur.  Any officials who are unable to attend must send the Competitions Committee an email demonstrating that they are aware of rule changes in dressage and/or eventing, depending on the position held by the licensed official.

 
2.  All MSEDA licensed officials and MSEDA-recognized “L” graduates shall, at least every two years, attend one activity in which they will learn about theory related to their official position.  For dressage judges and eventing judges, this may include USEF, USEA or USDF judges’ forums, and “L” judge training sessions or continuing education sessions.  For dressage-only TDs attendance at the annual officials’ meeting shall satisfy the “theory” requirement.  Eventing TDs and eventing judges shall attend guided course walks in cross-country and/or stadium jumping.  Eventing TDs and eventing judges should alternate which kind of course they attend, for example doing a guided cross-country course walk during one two-year period and doing a guided stadium course walk during the following two-year period. A list of pre-approved continuing education opportunities will be compiled and published by the Competitions Committee. Officials should submit an Activity Completion form to the chair of the Competitions Committee to verify that they have met this requirement.  
 
3.  All MSEDA licensed officials and MSEDA-recognized “L” graduates shall, at least every two years, participate in an activity that involves shadowing or working for a USEF/FEI level official.  For dressage judges and eventing judges, this may include 8 hours of scribing for or sitting with a USEF/FEI dressage judge.  For dressage-only TDs, this may include 8 hours of scoring or working in the show office at a USEF dressage show, or shadowing a USEF dressage TD for 8 hours.   For eventing TDs and eventing judges, this may include 8 hours of stadium scribing or observing stadium judging at a USEF/USEA event, or 8 hours of shadowing a USEF eventing TD.  The licensed official should submit an Activity Completion form to the Competitions Committee chair to verify this activity. Please note that eventing judges must complete both dressage judge and eventing TD requirements.

Please refer any questions to Meg Upchurch, Competitions Committee Chair.