Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Congrats to the new "L" Graduates!

A huge 'Congratulations' are in order for the candidates that graduated from the Orange County Dressage Association "L" Program's final exam (held October 10-11th).

Patricia Brosious, PA
Cindy Collins, MA
*Lisa Lewis, MD
Audrey Murphy, MA
*Allison Russo, NY
*Deanna Thompson, SC
*Jessica van Eyck, VT


*Denotes those that graduated with distinction from the "L" Program.

The above "L" graduates will also be listed on the USDF website at: http://www.usdf.org/about/contact/lprogram.asp?TypePass=Graduates&RegionPass=1, under their specific USDF region.

Friendly reminder: After a successful graduation, candidates are referred to as “L” Graduates. “L” Graduates are NOT licensed dressage judges. Therefore, they may not advertise themselves as “L” judges

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

BIG changes with the USDF "L" Program

The USDF "L" Program has undergone some changes that will open more doors to participants and organizers.

Here they are:

Part 1; 'A Judges' Perspective' includes: Sessions A, B and C.
Prerequisite: There is only one and that is you need to be a current member of USDF at the time of participating (so either a Participating, Group Member or Youth member)

* Part 1 used to include Sessions A, B, C and D1. Prerequisites included being a participating member AND a score requirements.

Part 2; 'Candidate's Evaluation' includes: Sessions D1, D2 and the Final Exam.
Prerequisite: 1.) You need to be a current participating member of USDF at the time of participating in the program. 2.) Three scores at 2nd level or above, at 60% or higher, from 3 different USEF judges at USEF/USDF recognized competitions. (Freestyle or Young Horse scores do not count towards the score requirement)

What does this mean for YOU? I was waiting for you to ask me that! ;-)

Well...

If you've been interested in the program and didn't have your scores you can now get in and then finish getting your scores before Part 2.

What if you are just interested in the educational component of the program, which is Part 1, but you want to participate not audit. Well, now you can!

Organizers will have more freedom in allowing more participants in the program, which helps the bottom line!

The USDF "L" Education Program is in the business of educating those interested in learning how to evaluate dressage performances at Training through Second Level and these changes were made with that in mind.

We look forward to meeting you at an "L" Program in the near future.
Contact me with questions at lprogram@usdf.org

"L" Programs Brewing...

There have been a lot of inquiries as to where new programs may be showing up for fall 2009 or even spring 2010. So here are some areas that have shown strong interest in hosting an USDF "L" Education Program:

Region 8 - Maine - interest has been expressed for starting Part 1 as early as the beginning of 2010.

Region 3 - Florida - interest has been expressed and I believe they are in the scheduling stages. If organized I am guessing it will be winter 2010.

Region 7 - There has been interest in hosting a Final Exam, a stand alone exam, in early spring of 2010 for Southern California.
There was fairly strong interest expressed in Northern California, for a complete program, but I am not sure what stage they are in at this point.

If you are interested in attending an "L" Program but do not see one appearing in your area, I strongly recommend contacting your local club or USDF Group Member Organization. Ask if they would be interested in hosting a program and if others have shared an interest in participating in a program.

If you have any questions contact me at lprogram@usdf.org