Des Moines, IA — Members and directors from USTA District 4 met Saturday (Nov. 18) at the Holiday Inn & Suites Des Moines (IA) Northwest to discuss Association business and vote upon 29 rule change proposals and three suggested bylaw amendments.

The meeting was conducted by District Chairman Gabe Wand, who was joined by fellow director Royal Roland. The well-attended session also included remarks from USTA CEO Mike Tanner, who spoke regarding the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), equine welfare, and recent media coverage of harness racing.

The district recommended the adoption of 10 proposals and the rejection of 22. Mr. Wand was reelected as district chairman. The full voting results are as follows.

Proposal #1 – Purse distribution for no contest races: ACCEPTED
Proposal #2 – Corresponding officer designation: REJECTED
Proposal #3 – “Ambulance” definition: REJECTED
Proposal #4 – Expand definition of accident warning lights: REJECTED
Proposal #5 – Fence requirements at county fairs: REJECTED
Proposal #6 – Taping of line buckles: REJECTED
Proposal #7 – Judges/warning lights and siren: REJECTED
Proposal #8 – Extreme weather postponements/cancellations: REJECTED
Proposal #9 – Judges explanation of warning lights and siren: REJECTED
Proposal #10 – Number of names on the electronic eligibility – unlimited: REJECTED
Proposal #11 – Increase number of names on the electronic eligibility – six: REJECTED
Proposal #12 – No horse 15 or older is eligible to perform in any race: REJECTED
Proposal #13 – One tier of starters at county fair tracks at judges’ discretion: REJECTED
Proposal #14 – Splitting of horses in multiple divisions: REJECTED
Proposal #15 – Publicly publish draw results: REJECTED
Proposal #16 – Require a driver to drive horse on which he/she is listed: REJECTED
Proposal #17 – Penalty for restart: REJECTED
Proposal #18 – Penalty for causing a race to be delayed: REJECTED
Proposal #19 – Driver objection “before dismounting”: REJECTED
Proposal #20 – Race within 30 minutes of assigned Lasix window: REJECTED
Proposal #21 – Five-year sulky warranty by USTA or manufacturer: REJECTED
Proposal #22 – Sulky manufacturers mandatory reporting: REJECTED
Proposal #23 – Coggins test rules to remove repetitive language: ACCEPTED
Proposal #24 – Track requirement to keep Coggins, vaccine info: ACCEPTED
Proposal #25 – Naming requirements for the registration of horses: REJECTED
Proposal #26 – Bylaw change – electronic voting for USTA board: ACCEPTED
Proposal #27 – Bylaw change – Terms of non-presidential officers: ACCEPTED
Proposal #28 – Bylaw change – Abuse and Harassment policy: ACCEPTED
Proposal #29 – Definition of beneficial owner: ACCEPTED
Proposal #30 – Tattoo and/or freezebrand references: ACCEPTED
Proposal #31 – Revision of info requirements on list of mares bred: ACCEPTED
Proposal #32 – Revision of language for horse parentage, ID: ACCEPTED

The remaining districts will meet over the next few months to discuss specific district topics and to vote on the proposals. The results of each district’s vote will be presented to the entire USTA Board of Directors at the annual meeting in March 2024. The full schedule of district meetings, as well as meeting details and recaps, may be found here.