Thank you, Ken, For Your Years of Service

by Katherine Rosback

Long-time IDS member, IDS Board member, USEF dressage judge, and USDF Certified dressage trainer Ken Levy will complete his nine years of service this year as the Region 2 Director for the USDF. I had the chance to catch up to Ken when he returned from the 2018 USDF convention held in Utah.

My first question was, why did you sign up for something like this? “Like anyone would when they first get into a new position,” Ken reflected, “I felt I could go in and turn the world around! I felt I knew where all the problems were and how to fix everything. But, as it is in all organizations, things can be a bit more complicated that you think!”

As it turns out, the USDF is a very complex organization. “There is a close relationship between USDF and USEF.” Ken noted. “While the USDF is the national federation for the sport, when it comes to FEI and Olympic levels, USEF is the controlling factor.  So, it is not like USDF can just make changes and dictate, ‘our will be done.’ There’s a lot of coordination and negotiation that takes place.”

And there are additional layers of complexity. The USDF executive board is exclusively made up of volunteers, as are all of the people who serve on committees. But the day-to-day work, those who actually do the yeoman’s work (day-to-day), is done by paid employees of the USDF. “To work in this arrangement,” Ken shared, “you have to learn to negotiate. Everything we do—from the journal to the multiple programs—all of these take time and effort from the staff and you have to be mindful of their work.”

Then there is the need to have a balanced budget. No program is without its costs, and the USDF keeps an eye on those costs in order to best utilize the membership’s contributions.  Ken described how there are IT expenses and, of course, the funds needed to implement programs. He noted that “The USDF must have a balanced budget and, although we want to be responsive to membership, sometimes the things we like to do are limited because we have limited funds.”

One of the issues that Ken felt needed to be addressed was finding a way to create a more level playing field for the Jr/YR competitors. “Think of it!” Ken stated. “The way it is currently set up you can have a six-year-old competing with a 21-year-old professional!” He subsequently did research to demonstrate that there are even psychological differences—cognitive and motor skills—that can favor the older “young rider” over the pre-teens. He then made a proposal to create a 13 and under division, a 14-17 division, and then 18 and over. And then reality kicked in.

“The board accepted and agreed to it.” Ken shared. “We then sent it off to the USEF dressage committee. USEF also agreed to pursue the proposal and created a combined USDF/USEF Task Force. The Task Force tweaked the proposal and sent it back to the USDF Executive Board.  That is when we uncovered the financial impact of the proposal. It would create a massive new financial impact. Creating these new divisions would result in local shows potentially having to purchase ribbons for new divisions–with no additional income to help cover the costs. The impact is even greater for Regional Championships across the nine regions.  If we only implemented the program for the National level tests, the task force’s modified proposal would mean new ribbons, trophies, prize money, coolers and jackets for an additional 54 classes. With the membership concerns about show costs, the proposal could potentially increase costs or impact the awards currently awarded.  The proposal has been sent back to the task force for additional review prior to a final recommendation. It is hopeful that in the near future we will see a more level playing field for our youth.

Ken served a total of three terms as Regional Director. I asked him what he might say to our younger members who might someday consider such a position. “One of the first things I would share is that most of the people who serve in these positions are not professional—they are just your everyday dressage enthusiast. Secondly, serving in such a role provides an amazing educational opportunity. As you get older, competition may no longer be your key driver. And while you are not competing, you still want to ride better, and education may become a greater driving force. As a Regional Director, I got invitations to go to education programs that, under normal circumstances, I would not be able to attend. You get a VIP pass at the National Finals and will be able to meet and interact with our Olympic riders. Additionally, every year at the annual convention we have meetings with the USEF Dressage Committee members and there you can meet and work with some of the top competitors and trainers. It’s such a great opportunity to learn from the best!”

Thank you, Ken, for giving nine years of your time to serve as the Region 2 Director. What a pleasure it has been having you represent us!