Potomac Valley Dressage Association

Hello from Kabul, Afghanistan

PVDA member Karyn Spertzel is out of the saddle for six months. She is a Government employee who recently deployed to Afghanistan. This is the first in a series of communications from Karyn, sharing her experiences from the other side of the world.

Karyn in Kabul

Karyn in front of the "Yellow House"

The HQ bldg and quite the nicest building in the camp.

April 24, 2008

Dear Friends:

I wanted to say hello and let you know that I’ve arrived safely and have settled in to my (temporary) new life. The trip itself took 5 days with layovers at Al Udied Air Base and Bagram Air Field. I was driven down to Kabul and what a trip it was. Only 60 minutes long but a study in contrasts – from the base with modern conveniences and jets to mud huts to nomadic tents to an urban environment with cars and carts and people everywhere. I was thrilled to see camels crossing the road ahead of us and saw a little boy riding a donkey whose baskets were as wide as the donkey was tall.

The camp I’m on is quite cute. It’s the HQs for the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and 41 nations are present in varying numbers on the camp. There are only about 1800 people altogether – about 140 women. The camp is rather small – only about 350m X 500m. It didn’t take long for me to feel at home and to know or recognize almost everyone. Because this is not an American base, the dining facility always has a very international selection. Lucky for me I love curry because it’s offered twice a day and is often the fallback meal. It’s almost a vacation for me because I don’t have to cook, do laundry, worry about household chores, etc.!

I work in an international office and am slowly (!) being taught a little Dari (the local language) and Norwegian (although I’m not at all sure the Norwegian I’m being taught is actually printable!). My British colleagues are making sure my use of British slang is current and the Aussies and Kiwis are teaching me local variants…… It’s long hours – I generally work from 6am to about 9pm with some time off in the middle of the day to go to the gym, run on the road around the camp (3 laps equals a mile), or read in my room or in the very nice garden. Professionally, this is the most rewarding position I’ve ever held. Although I miss everyone at home, I’m having the time of my life and absolutely love being here.

Karyn

April 25, 2008

I've actually seen 2 horses (pulling carts) and heard others (I call home from a garden and sit near the street and early in the morning hear the sounds of a horse passing by). It gets boring after a while because my days are very much the same (except for Fridays which is the "weekend" when we go to the bazaar).

Karyn

2008 PVDA Ride for Life – Opportunities for Everyone

Plans are underway for the 5^th annual PVDA Ride for Life^TM (R4L), which will be held June 28-29, 2008, at the Prince Georges County Equestrian Center, Upper Marlboro, MD. The R4L has two interlaced components. It is a two-day USDF-licensed (recognized) dressage show, with classes from Introductory Level (non-recognized classes) through Grand Prix. The R4L is also a fundraiser for breast cancer research, benefitting the Johns Hopkins Breast Cancer Center (JHBCC). R4L donations to the JHBCC have been $3,307 for 2004, $3,337 for 2005, $30,782 for 2006, and $45,000 for 2007. The goal for 2008 is $70,000!!!

In addition to the daytime show, on Saturday evening, June 28, the R4L has a Gala Dinner and Dancing Horse Challenge. This special evening is perfect for both individuals and families from both the equestrian and the general communities. Held in the spacious competition hall/indoor arena, it will feature live musical entertainment, dressage exhibitions by top professionals, a musical freestyle challenge between dressage and Western reiners showcasing their partnership between horse and rider, and various entertaining exhibitions, including the World Equestrian Games Gold Medal vaulter. Doors open at 6:00 PM for the Dancing Horse Challenge and donations are suggested. Tickets for the Gala Dinner that evening will be available and fabulous Silent Auction items will be displayed for bidding.

How can you help and participate? There are opportunities for sponsorships at many levels, collection of donations by riders (who compete for High Pledge Awards and qualify for the Rider Raffle), donation of clinics and items for a Silent Auction and a Rider Raffle, and indoor and outdoor space for vendors. Non-riders may compete in the “Phantom Horse Class” by bringing in donations similarly to riders. You can also place advertisements or tributes in the Show Program. And of course, you can be a volunteer for the show and the benefit; there are volunteer opportunities before, during and after the show. More information is available on the R4L web site.

New USEF Draft of the Performance Standard Published 23 April 2008

The USEF Dressage Committee released the newest draft of the proposed Performance Standard on 23 April 2008. It is available for you to read and review HERE. The USEF has also established a survey on their website to collect member comments and opinions on the draft. The survey will be available until 15 June 2008, and the information collected will be used by the Dressage Committee during their summer meeting, 1-2 July 2008. This survey is open to USEF members, USDF Participating Members, and USDF Group Members.

PVDA has a separate survey on its website to collect as much input from members as possible. Your position and comments on this proposal will be used by the PVDA Board to form any response needed to the next step in this process. Whatever your opinions or concerns on this issue, please use this opportunity to tell the PVDA Board how you wish to be represented in the wider dressage community. Of the responses tallied to date, the membership is running 20% in favor, 80% opposed.

The current draft of the proposed standard is more detailed than the version released at the 2007 USDF convention and subsequently tabled at the January 2008 USEF convention. The current version specifically addresses issues such as of the status of eventers, includes the current USDF Medal System as part of the qualifying process, specifically states who will be grandfathered in at which levels, and provides an appeal process. Scores for advancement to 4th Level can be earned with any Third Level Test, rather than solely with 3rd Test 3.

A review of the points assigned at each of the qualifying score ranges shows that 75% of all 3^rd Level rides and 74% of all PSG rides will be able to earn the points needed to move to the next level. Riders scoring at the lower end of the range will have to do more rides to earn the required points to move up, which will impose costs in terms of entry fees, transportation and stabling, and time on those riders.

There are some issues that were raised in the many discussions that occurred in the dressage community that are not yet addressed:

What will it cost to administer the record-keeping?
How will this cost be funded?
Will qualification changes be recorded / available in a timely manner?
How will issues of judging inconsistencies be handled, i.e., high scores given to poor rides?
How will poor riding in the warm-up area be handled?
What will the impact be on the All Breeds Annual Awards?
Will there be a process for evaluating the impact of the qualification rules in the year or two after it is fully implemented?

In addition, many posters have questioned what the problem statement is for this rule change; under USEF rule changes procedures, when a rule change is put forward, it must state a specific problem that it will address (and solve), as well as other options that were considered as possible solutions. None of this information has been made available in conjunction with this rule change.

Letter from the PVDA President
Referendum on Proposed USDF Rule Change

Dear PVDA Members,

As most of you know, the USEF Dressage Committee, led by its Chairperson Marianne Ludwig (with many USDF members including President Sam Barish), is evaluating implementing performance standards for all USEF/USDF licensed show competitors. A first cut of standards was presented at the January USEF meeting. I, on behalf of PVDA, wrote a letter requesting more time for evaluation of such standards, which appeared to be heard. Dr. Rebecca Yount, PVDA's rule change liason and fellow Board member, presented statistical research at the USDF meeting, including much of the 2007 data, and views for and against performance standards were expressed. The full set of 2007 data has been requested from USDF, but so far the Dressage Committee has prohibited USDF from releasing the data to GMOs or other interested members until the Dressage Committee has a chance to tender a revised proposal. We expect a revised draft proposal soon, hopefully still in the month of April, in order to give us the months of May and June to evaluate it prior to the July 1 and 2 USEF Dressage Committee summer meeting.

The referendum posted on our PVDA website is an opportunity for YOU, the individual GMO member, to have a voice and comment regarding what YOU think of performance standards and what suggestions you would like us to share with the Dressage Committee. Only if YOU are involved can we make a difference.

Most sincerely,

Marne Martin-Tucker

Click the following link to record your opinion on USDF proposed rule change. Referendum

Potomac Valley Dressage Association