USEA Convention Program

39 C O N V E N T I O N H I G H L I G H T S E V E N T E R S T R AC K PROFESSIONAL HORSEMAN'S COUNCIL OPEN FORUM Thursday, December 6 | 3:00 - 4:00 p.m. Moderator: Matt Brown | Napoleon C2 The Professional Horseman's Council is comprised of active members of the USEA who are professionals in all aspects of the sport. The Council's purpose is to facilitate communications between professionals and the eventing community, including governing bodies, officials, organizers, and competitors to facilitate further development, growth, and safety of the sport. The open forum gives PHC members and all professionals a chance to discuss important topics. COMPETITION LEVEL VS. REQUIRED SKILL, PART 1 Thursday, December 6 | 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. Speaker: Dan Michaels | Napoleon C2 Ask any two USEA members to discuss competitors' and horses' skills required at each level of competition and you will likely receive two widely disparate answers. The lack of agreement often leads to passionate arguments, unprepared competitors at competitions, and horses meeting course questions with confusion. In these two workshops, invested membership will work to develop a matrix of competition level versus competitor skills. Entries within the matrix delineate the level of mastery required for a skill at each competition level and point to descriptive documentation (including videos). In the first workshop we will pose the problem and articulate a matrix solution. Interested workshop participants will be tasked to think about the matrix and associated documentation, develop contributive ideas, and return to the second session to further develop the matrix. At this second session we hope to identify a cadre of USEA members willing to work the matrix into a completed form in order to present this documentation at the 2019 USEA Convention in Boston. TAI CHI FOR RIDERS Friday, December 7 | 8:00 - 9:00 a.m. Speaker: Matt Brown | Napoleon A3 Wake up after sitting through long convention meetings and improve your balance, timing, and strength. Come learn from four-star eventer Matt Brown how to stay with your horse over those big drops, how to sit that extended trot, and how to control your horse without tension. This class will help you to increase your balance and partnership skills by using techniques from the ancient Chinese art of Tai Chi Chuan. The strength gained through this type of martial arts training can often be very useful to riders due to the increased flexibility, body awareness, and posture that goes along with the training. Come have fun working out your convention kinks and improve your riding while not in the saddle. VOLUNTEER COMMITTEE OPEN FORUM Friday, December 7 | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m. Moderator: Irene Doo | Napoleon D1 The USEA Volunteer Committee will give updates on their work from 2018, including EventingVolunteers. com progress updates and usage statistics, volunteer educational video projects, volunteer rewards programs, and organizer practices/care of volunteers. Commentary, feedback, and suggestions for the committee's focus in 2019 will be welcomed. THE SCIENCE OF CONDITIONING & RECOVERY Friday, December 7 | 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. Speaker: Max Corcoran | Napoleon A3 Max Corcoran is a self-professed "geek" when it comes to the science behind conditioning and recovery of athletes. In this seminar Max will bring together the science of human conditioning and recovery to draw parallels with equine. She will infuse the talk with her expertise as an Olympic groom and first-hand experience to provide an interesting and interactive discussion.

• Cover