In a move designed to standardize drug testing fees across the country, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has announced a new plan to restructure fees for competitions in California. This restructuring will finally put California on equal footing with the other 49 states—while eliminating confusion for exhibitors and organizers alike. The USEF and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) jointly have announced the elimination of different fees for “registered” and “certified” competitions in favor of a single, uniform fee structure for all USEF recognized competitions. 

Beginning April 1, 2005:

1. All USEF competitions will be classified as CDFA “registered.” 


2. All USEF recognized competitions will assess USEF related fees:




• A $5.00 USEF competition fee and a $7.00 USEF drug fee, as required by USEF rules.


• A separate CDFA drug testing fee of $5.00 per horse, as required by California state law.

“This structure simplifies the entire process and eliminates the confusion for everyone,” says John Lengel, DVM, sdministrator of the USEF Equine Drugs and Medications Program. “It’s going to be a major improvement. Organizers and exhibitors didn’t really understand the difference between a registered and certified competition, and the fees consistently got sent to the wrong place, creating duplicate processing efforts.

“We support these changes, because they not only make things easier, but also because they strengthen both testing programs’ ability to work side by side to protect the fairness of competition and keep a level playing field,” adds Tim Boone, DVM, of the CDFA. “This is a very positive development