USTA District 7 (PA) meets

Bedford, PA —  The annual meeting of District 7 (Pennsylvania) of the United States Trotting Association was held Saturday afternoon at the Bedford Springs Omni Resort in this southwest Pennsylvania city. Sam Beegle, Chairman of District 7, presided over the meeting; also in attendance were District 7 Directors Rich Gillock, Tom Leasure, and Barry Brown. It was announced that Mark Loewe would be taking Mr. Leasure’s place on the USTA national Board of Directors at the annual March meetings in Ohio.

Fred Strathmeyer, Deputy Secretary of the PA State Department of Agriculture, attended the meeting, as did Anthony Salerno, Bureau Director, Standardbred Racing, of the PA Horse Racing Commission. Kim Hankins and Mike Harant, the Executive Directors of the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association and the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association, respectively, were also present; those associations’ presidents are respectively Gillock and Beegle.

After the Pledge of Allegiance, the USTA rule change proposals were discussed among the 41 attendees, so that the Directors could represent their wishes at the upcoming national Board of Directors meeting. Below is how the District 7 members voted: 

1. Eliminate heat racing – REJECTED
2. “Ext. p/m meet” now defined as 6+ days – REJECTED
3. Prohibit “gene doping” – ACCEPTED
4. Pylon physical requirements – REJECTED
5. Standardized saddle pads – REJECTED
6. Define “proper racetrack action maintenance” at ext. p/m tracks – REJECTED
7. Claiming price after horse claimed – REJECTED
8. Purse distribution after interference – REJECTED
9. Post position conditioned by money won – REJECTED
10. Starting “pole” at starting point – REJECTED
11. Adjusting date in qualifying rule – ACCEPTED
12. Location of “fair start” pole – REJECTED
13-14. Definition of “amateur driver” – TABLED
15. Requirements for training license – ACCEPTED
16. Require “P” drivers to register colors – ACCEPTED
17. Restructuring of “whipping rule” – REJECTED
18. Mandatory notification for new geldings/spayed mares – First moved to TABLE, but that motion failed for lack of a second; then REJECTED
19. Track measurement rule – REJECTED
20. Percentage of ownership to be noted – REJECTED
21. Allowing embryo transfer donor mares to register two foals per year – REJECTED
22. Clarification of term “Standardbred” – ACCEPTED
23. Clarification of term “non-standard” – ACCEPTED 

It was determined that the meeting attendees were satisfied with the system by which Pennsylvania fair entries are being taken.

The matter of horses wearing / not wearing trotting hopples, and consistency of their usage, along with the responsibilities of various parties in ascertaining the situation, was also discussed.

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