Competition Resources
Important
To earn points toward year-end awards, the show must be fully licensed (not provisional) prior to competition start date and valid USAWE Membership and Horse Recording are required prior to participating in any USAWE recognized competition. Show results must be submitted within one week following the competition. All show fees and required post-show reports must be submitted within two weeks post show.
The USA Working Equitation (USAWE) Competition Manual (below) provides instructions and requirements for USAWE recognized competitions.
The U.S Rules for Working Equitation provides the rules used for the sport in the United States.
The WAWE International Working Equitation Regulations govern International Competitions.
U.S. Rules for Working Equitation
USAWE Dressage Test Books for Sale
Click the image to purchase these test books. All tests are available for free download and printing here.
Competition Manual
The Competition Manual (revised 9/5/2023) includes information for competitors and requirements for show organizers and managers in planning and conducting a show licensed with USA Working Equitation (USAWE).
Request USAWE Competition License
.Interested in having your Working Equitation competition licensed by USAWE?
Please fill out a Competition Licensing Request Form by clicking on the link below.
Note: Next year’s show licensing starts July 1st. For ‘Legacy Shows’ (shows that are held on the same weekends each year and have been held for multiple years) the window to request show dates for next year is June 25 – 30 each year.
There are no up-front fees for show licensing, but show organizers will be invoiced $2 per competing USAWE member horse/rider pair (on June 1, 2023, this fee increased to $5 per horse/rider pair for any competitions not using GIRA.io for scoring/placing; it will remain $2 for competitions that use GIRA for scoring) and $50 per non-member competing when results are processed. Competitor fees are used to help support USAWE awards programs. All show fees must be paid in full and all post show reports submitted for the show’s results to be official.
Four trials make up a Working Equitation competition. The first three – Dressage (L1-L7), Ease of Handling (L1-L7), and Speed (L2-L7) are the mandatory trials required for a licensed Working Equitation competition. The fourth trial, Cattle (L2-L7), is optional and included when location and facilities allow. L1 is ineligible to compete in the Cattle trial. L2-L7 Horse-Rider pairs competing in the Cattle trial must successfully compete/complete Dressage, EOH and Speed before they can compete in the Cattle trial.
- All competitions licensed by USAWE must have a USAWE-licensed Judge and Technical Delegate (TD) and must submit a certificate of insurance, naming USAWE as an additional insured, a minimum of two weeks prior to the first day of the competition.
- USAWE licensed competitions must follow the U.S. Rules for Working Equitation and the requirements within the USAWE Competition Manual.
- All horses participating in USAWE-licensed competitions must be registered with USAWE prior to competition.
- All people competing must be current members of USAWE prior to competition or pay a $50 non-member fee (for each competition they enter). Non-members may not compete in Championship Shows.
- A one-time non-member ‘Let’s Try It‘ voucher is available for people who have never been a member of a WE organization and who are exploring the sport. Visit the Membership & Horses > Membership Info > One -Time Voucher tab. Note: The One-Time “Try It Out!” Voucher program will be discontinued starting with the 2024 membership year
Thank you for licensing your shows with USA Working Equitation!
Interested in hosting a Zone Championship Competition? Click the button for proposal instructions.
USAWE will move to a Regional or Multi-Regional Championship/National Championship show structure; the final structure and timing of shows are to be determined and finalized no later than 10/1/2023 by a task force appointed by the BOD.
GIRA.io Online Scoring Program
USAWE subscribes to GIRA.io, an online scoring program designed for Working Equitation. Through our annual subscription, we can offer this web-based software FREE OF CHARGE to all USAWE show organizers. GIRA.io helps streamline the process of show entries, scoring and placing and can also help make printing and organizing scoresheets more efficient. Show Managers manually download and email GIRA’s show results (results@usawe.org) used by the Awards Committee for the Awards Program.
USAWE show organizers may request access to the program for both schooling and licensed competitions.
If you would like to use the online system, please be sure to request that your show be added to the USAWE GIRA account at least two weeks in advance of your start date so you have sufficient time to get all your information added to the system. Contact the Competitions Committee GIRA Administrator at GIRA@usawe.org to request that your competition be added to our GIRA account.
Competitors, Show Managers, Scorekeepers, Technical Delegates, and Judges, please use the form below to give feedback on GIRA.
Competitor Feedback Form
Competitors: Help improve competitions by providing feedback we can share with competition organizers.
Competition organizers work hard to provide opportunities for our members to participate in high-quality events. The Competitions committee would like to provide an opportunity for members to share feedback with competition organizers without worrying about that feedback impacting relationships. Thus, we’re providing an online Competitor Feedback Form, which we will use to provide summaries of the feedback received (both positive kudos and constructive criticism). We encourage all competitors to take a few moments to share what you love about the competitions you experience as well as suggestions for improvement.
Post-Competition Feedback and Reports
Show Managers: Within a week following your licensed show, please submit post show results to resuts@usawe.org and use the online Judge Evaluation Form for Show Managers and TD Evaluation Form for Show Managers to assess performance.
Judges: Please use the online Judge Feedback Form to share any information you feel is pertinent regarding shows you recently judged.
Technical Delegates: Please complete the online TD Report within one week after the end of the competition.
Licensed Competitions List
Competitions are added to the table below as we receive requests for licensure.
How does licensing, horse recording and membership impact annual awards?
To earn points toward year-end awards, the show must be fully licensed (not provisional) prior to competition start date. Valid USAWE Membership and Horse Recording are required prior to participating in any USAWE recognized competition, results submitted within one week following the competition and all show fees and required post-show reports submitted.
Links and Downloadable Forms
Important WE online links, forms, and documents in Word or PDF format for licensed shows.
Show management and licensed officials are required to submit reports marked with an asterisk ‘*‘ within a week after each show.
Note: If your document downloads in “Protected View” you will need to click the “Enable Editing” button located near the top menu of the document in the yellow warning strip before you can fill it out (see example below).
| LINKS (*required post-show reports) | Updated | Description |
| Amateur Status Policy | 3/01/2023 | USAWE’s policy regarding Amateurs competing in licensed competitions. |
| Banner Order Form | Order the USAWE Banner using the form provided in the link. All banner orders must be submitted at least 20 business days (4 weeks) before your needed date. | |
| Course Design Verification Guide | 3/30/2023 | Covers basic course design requirements. EOH and Speed courses must be reviewed/approved by a licensed official. |
| Current Members | Show Manager is required to validate rider’s entry form’s USAWE membership number. List is updated by the Membership Committee | |
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Dispensation Certificate Application – MS Word
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11/1/2020
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Riders with disabilities use this form to apply for a Dispensation Certificate that approves the use of adaptive equipment and other allowances. |
| Dressage arena dimensions | Provides Dressage arena dimensions and diagonal measurements to aid in setup. | |
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Emergency Plan (sample) – MS Word
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4/25/2022 | Emergency Plan instructions prepared by Safety Coordinator. (Competition Manual 4.3) |
| Entry Form (sample) – MS Word | 2/2/2022 | First page can be modified as needed. Second page cannot be changed. (Competition Manual 4.3) |
| Entry Order – One Day Show (L1 – L7) – MS Word Sample | 3/24/2022 | A sample Entry Order (Start List) for Show Managers |
| Gate Steward Duties 2023.pdf | 3/1/2023 | List of Gate Steward Duties. Useful for Show Managers. |
| GIRA.io Quick Reference Guide | 7/2/2023 | For those familiar with GIRA who just need a checklist of steps. |
| GIRA.io Results Verification Log/Final Competition Placement (FCP) Sheet | 5/31/2023 | For use by TDs & Judges – Post, sign, and timestamp as competition results are verified. |
| GIRA.io Show Entries | 1/27/2022 | Instructions on setting show up to accept show entries using the GIRA online software program. |
| GIRA.io User’s Manual | 8/15/2023 | For competitions that want to use the GIRA.io online scoring/placing program. Use GIRA to set up ‘Athletes’, select show participants, create your show’s Entry Order (Start List) and personalized Dressage, Ease of Handling, Speed, and Cattle Scorecards, score/place each Division and Performance Level and download Show Results in the format needed by Results@usawe.org |
| Guest Judge Card Application | 1/24/2021 | Judges must hold a current WE Judge License issued by their country’s national WE organization and apply for a USAWE international Guest Judge License. |
| Horse Recording Form |
All horses competing at USAWE licensed competitions must be registered with USAWE prior to participating. Show Manager is required to validate horse’s number.
Complete the horse recording process on our Membership & Horses page or use the link to the left for a direct connection to the form. List is updated by the Horse Recording Committee. |
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| Insurance – address to use when requesting a certificate of additional insured for USAWE as required for licensed shows | USAWE 5006 Forsyth Place Boulder, CO 80303 Email a PDF of the insurance policy to Competitions@usawe.org |
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| * Judge Evaluation Form For Show Managers | Required post-show report. Show Manager uses this online form to assess Judge(s) performance. (Competition Manual 7. 2) | |
| Licensed Official Confirmation & Contract – MS Word Sample | 3/24/2022 | A sample licensed official confirmation & contract. |
| Logo (2023 Zone Championship) | 2023 |
To use for prize lists & show advertising for 2023 USAWE Zone Championships. Questions? Contact marketing@usawe.org |
| Logo (USAWE) | To use for prize lists & show advertising for USAWE licensed competitions. Questions? Contact marketing@usawe.org | |
| Logo Guidelines (USAWE) | Guidelines for USAWE Logo printing and usage. Questions? Contact marketing@usawe.org |
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| Obstacle Specifications Checklist.pdf | 6/22/2023 | List of obstacle specifications (per performance level) for EOH and Speed course setup/reset. Useful for Judge, TD and ground crew. |
| Paddock Steward Duties 2023.pdf | 2/5/2023 | List of Paddock Steward Duties. Useful for Show Managers. |
| Planning Your Show Schedule – Recommended Time Allotments | 3/24/2022 | Recommended time allotments to help Working Equitation show managers plan your show day (Entry Order, Ride Times, Breaks, Course Setup for Performance Levels, Course Walks, Protest Filings, Awards, etc.) for Dressage, EOH, Speed, and Cattle Trials. |
| Prize List (sample) | 1/29/2022 | Suggested basic information to be included in a prize list. (Competition Manual 4.2) |
| Protest Requirement Summary | 10/20/2021 | A synopsis of protest requirements and time limits. (Competition Manual 5.3) |
| Recorded Horses | Show Manager is required to validate show entry’s USAWE horse recording number. List is updated by the Membership Committee. | |
| * Show Results Submission Guide | 11/27/2021 | Provides instructions for submitting show results. |
| * Show Results Sheet – WE Competition (non GIRA.io) | 1/28/2023 |
Required post-show report. Use this form to report show results for a licensed competition (Dressage, EOH, Speed, Cattle trials). If you use the GIRA.io online scoring program, download and send in the Excel file that program provides instead. * Email all Show Results (manual or GIRA) to Results@usawe.org |
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2/16/2023 | Useful information for planning schooling shows. |
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Revision 6 (1/1/2023) |
Non-GIRA Scoresheets
Secretary can manually enter EOH and Speed obstacle data in advance, as well as competitor data. Secretary manually enters Cattle trial competitor data. |
| Show Entries – Google Form |
3/24/2022 |
Instructions to create an online Working Equitation show entry form using a Google Form |
| Tack and Attire Checklist | 9/25/2021 | Useful for Technical Delegate, Paddock and Gate Steward. |
| TD Duties and Responsibilities | 10/28/2020 | A list of duties the Technical Delegate (TD) should complete at all licensed WE competitions. |
| * TD Evaluation Form For Show Managers | Required post-show report. Show Manager uses this online form to assess TD performance. (Competition Manual 7. 2) | |
| TD Report worksheet | 7/21/23 | TD can use this worksheet to keep track of information during a competition that can later be used when filing the online Technical Delegate Report Form. |
| * TD Report Form | Required post-show report. TD uses this online form to report on licensed competitions. (Competition Manual 7.1 ) |