As per the USEF rulebook (long quote warning) ...

1. Regardless of one's equestrian skills and/or accomplishments, a person is an amateur

for all competitions conducted under Federation rules who after his/her 18th birthday, as

defined in GR101, has not engaged in any of the following activities which would make

him/her a professional. Exception: In the Dressage Division, individuals are only eligible to

compete as amateurs from the beginning of the calendar year in which they reach age 22.

See DR119.3. In the Reining Division, amateur status will be determined per Reining

Division, amateur status will be determined per Reining Division Non Pro Conditions; see

amateur status RN105. (For professionals wishing to be re-classified as amateurs, see

GR1308.2a):

a. Accepts remuneration for riding, driving, showing, training, schooling or conducting

clinics or seminars.

b. Accepts remuneration for giving riding or driving lessons, lessons in showmanship,

instructions in equitation or horse training. (Persons acting as counselors at summer

camps, who are not hired in the exclusive capacity of riding instructors are excluded

and persons giving instruction and training to the handicapped).

c. Accepts remuneration for employment in other capacity (e.g., secretary, bookkeeper,

veterinarian, groom, farrier) and gives instruction, rides, drives, shows, trains or schools

horses, other than horses actually owned or leased by him/her, when his/her employer

or a member of the family of said employer or a corporation which a member of his/her

family controls, owns, boards or trains said horses.

d. Accepts remuneration for the use of his or her name, photograph or other form of

personal association as a horseman in connection with any advertisement or article to

be sold.

e. Accepts prize money in equitation or showmanship classes. Prize money may be

accepted by amateur riders in Dressage.

f. Rides, drives or shows, any horse for which he/she or a member of his/her family or

a corporation which a member of his/her family controls, receives remuneration for

© USEF 2008-2009 GR197

COMPETITION PARTICIPANTS AND ASSOCIATED INDIVIDUALS

boarding, training, riding, driving or showing. (A 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).

g. Gives instruction to any person or rides, drives or shows any horse, for which activity

another person in his/her family or corporation which a member of his/her family controls

will receive remuneration for the activity. (A 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).

h. Accepts remuneration, as defined in GR1306.2d, for selling horses/ponies, acts as a

paid agent in the sale of horses/ponies or takes horses/ponies on consignment for the

purpose of sale or training other than those owned wholly or in part by him/her or by a

member of his/her family or farm/ranch/syndicate/partnership/corporation which he/she

or a member of his/her family controls.

i. Advertising professional services such as training or giving lessons by way of

business cards, print ads, or internet.

j. For Amateurs in Jumper Sections, see JP117.

k. For Amateurs in Eventing sections, see EV Appendix 3 - Participation in Horse

Trials.


There are lots of excellent amatures out there who simply don't want to go "pro." That's not necessarily because the competition is so much better then them. As you witnessed there are many "pros" who don't deserve the title.