Harness: USTA announces Standardbred Incentive Program
The U.S. Trotting Association announced Monday (June 28) the creation of a Standardbred Incentive Program (SIP) for horses registered in North America. The program will recognize horses who are participating in disciplines other than racing and provide awards for leading contestants.
"We are excited to announce the USTA's Standardbred Incentive Program as an expansion of our commitment started in 1996 to support off-track Standardbreds," said the USTA's COO TC Lane. "Many people already know how great it is to have a Standardbred, but we hope this program will get the word out even more that Standardbreds excel at disciplines other than racing."
Participants (riders and drivers) who take a registered Standardbred to a show will be able to submit results after logging in to their USTA MyAccount to accumulate points for year-end awards. A formula will determine the amount of points earned based on the horse's placing, the number of entries in the class and whether it is a Standardbred-only or open class. The show season will run from Dec. 1 through Nov. 30 annually. There will also be recognition for those that trail ride/drive.
The USTA Information Technology department is developing the programming required for participants to enter their results.
"We are starting the design process to make SIP an online interface for users to self-report the shows they participate in," said the USTA's Director of IT Sherry Antion-Mohr. "This will allow participants to submit results at their own pace, 24/7 and not have to worry about paperwork being lost in the mail. Administrators will then verify show results to make them official."
Additional details will be posted on the USTA website as they become available.
The USTA is seeking founding sponsors for the launch of the Standardbred Incentive Program. Interested parties are encouraged to contact Heather Cason for more information at heather.cason@ustrotting.com or 614.224.2291, ex. 3217.
-release (USTA Communications)