Athletes, coaches, and parents should read through this document carefully. This is your guide. If you have any questions about the information found in the selection procedures, please contact your Regional Coordinator or the USDF.

All athletes, coaches, and parents should review the Safe Sport Policy. The intent of this initiative is to ensure a safe and positive environment for the equestrian community by preserving the safety and well-being of the athletes. As of January 1, 2019 every USEF adult member (18 years of age or older) with a Competing Membership must complete USEF's Safe Sport Training. Those who do not complete the training will be ineligible to participate in USEF activities, including competitions. The Parents Training Course is free for equestrian athletes of all ages and helps parents ensure their children have a positive and safe sport experience.

All athletes should review the Clean Sport Policy. When you are competing under FEI rules, you (the human athlete) are subject to random, in-competition and out-of-competition drug testing. It is your responsibility to know if you are taking any medications on the FEI Prohibited Substance List. All horses that are registered with the FEI or USEF shall be subject to in-competition testing as well.

The criteria and membership information for the rider, horse, and horse owner can be found in Page 1 of the Selection Procedures.

FEI Registrations and Passport must be complete and FEI validated in accordance with FEI rules. It is strongly encouraged for athletes to complete and FEI validate horse passports in the beginning of the qualifying process. Completing your FEI Passport can be time consuming and can take six weeks or longer to complete, so be sure to start this process early. Please be reminded that FEI Passports may take at least two business days for processing after they are received by the Federation. The Federation strongly urges all individuals to send the FEI passport with tracking. If membership and passport requirements are not met, this will jeopardize your opportunity to move forward in the selection process. NO EXCEPTIONS.

Note: ponies and mules are ineligible. Horses must be over 149 cm with shoes (FEI Rules for Dressage Events, Article 422.1)

Once you have talked with your Regional Coordinator and thoroughly read through the selection procedures and you have decided to pursue qualifying for NAYC, you should begin planning your competition year. Athletes may compete in qualifying competitions in any region. Information on the qualifying process can be found on Pages 2-5 of the Selection Procedures.

Scores and standings will be posted to the USDF website. It is the athlete's responsibility to verify the accuracy of these standings. Errors must be reported no less than five business days prior to the NAYC nominated entry deadline. Your scores will not be visible on the USDF website until your application has been submitted and processed.

Percentages are carried out to the third decimal point with numbers of five (5) and above rounded up (63.4555%=63.456%). It is the responsibility of the athlete to verify the accuracy of the standings posted on the USDF website. USDF is not responsible for inaccurately reported or illegible scores. If any errors are detected, athletes are encouraged to contact the USDF office immediately at (859) 971-2277 or nayc@usdf.org. Errors must be reported no less than five (5) business days prior to the NAYC nominated entry deadline. At the end of the qualifying period, any ties in overall averages on the final ranking list will be broken according to the athlete/horse combination that achieved the highest average of the FEI Team Test scores.

NAYC Application

Participants must submit an electronic application to USDF, with the appropriate fee per application. This application may be submitted before or after qualifying scores have been earned.

Application deadlines and fees are:

• Applications and fees submitted online on or prior to March 11, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged $50 per application.
• Applications and fees submitted online between March 12, 2025, and April 22, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged $100 per application.
• Applications and fees submitted online between April 23, 2025, and May 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, will be charged an application fee of $300 per application.
• No applications will be accepted after May 6, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET

Certificate of Domicile

Within five (5) business days of submitting your online application, you must submit a Certificate of Domicile. If a rider or legal guardian, if the rider is a minor, is found to have submitted inaccurate or misinformation or failed to submit the Certificate of Domicile within five (5) business days, the rider may be subject to disqualification from participating in the Event.

What is a domicile? A rider may have only one domicile, which is where the rider has his permanent home and where, whenever he is absent, intends to return. A minor’s domicile follows that of the parent or guardian who has lawful custody of the minor (unless the minor is emancipated from their parent/guardian). For purposes of these selection procedures, a minor is any rider that has not yet reached his 18th birthday as of January 1, 2024.

What region do I declare for? The Region of each athlete/horse combination is determined by where the athlete is domiciled in the U.S. beginning January 1, 2024, regardless of multiple temporary residences (See domicile definition above. This address must be recorded on the Certificate of Domicile). If a rider’s domicile changes between January 1 and April 1, the rider may submit a request to change his Region, which must be received by the USEF, with a copy sent to USDF no later than 5:00PM Eastern Time on April 1. USEF will issue a decision on the change in Region within a reasonable time of the submission of the request. No requests for changes in Region will be accepted after this date.

USDF Liability Waiver

USDF Liability Waiver is mandatory and should be returned to the USDF Office along with the Certificate of Domicile.

CDI Report Form

This form is used in order to have your CDI scores count toward NAYC qualifying. Use this form for designated CDI/Y/J/Ch competitions and USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championships within the qualifying period. Scores from these competitions are not automatically recorded. These scores will only be computed into the athlete/horse’s overall average upon receipt of the CDI Report Form within the specified deadline stated on the form. Forms submitted late will not be accepted and scores will not count.

Additional Horse Form

Additional horses may be added to an already received application at no additional fee through April 22, 2025, at 11:50 p.m. ET, by submitting the Additional Horse Form to the USDF Office. Between April 23, 2025, and May 28, 2025, at 11:59 p.m. ET, the rider will be required to submit a $50 fee for each added horse. No additional horses may be added to the application after May 28, 2025 at 11:50 p.m. ET.