The USET is not infallible. One only need look back to the proxy fight of the early 90s and the debacle of the Stockholm World Games Jumper Team Selection to see the USET has had its problems. As recently as Harrisburg this year the elite jumper riders made it clear that the USET Show Jumping Committee often ignores the stated wishes of athletes. The USET has not completely accepted the athletes as full partners. Olympic level riders are not 13 year-old gymnasts.
Most riders run complex businesses and are full-fledged professionals in their own right.
The USET has, at times, ignored these athletes to its own peril. As the proxy fight shows, the USET cannot afford to run roughshod over these athletes. If it is to be the NGB, structural changes to guarantee athlete imput and influence will need to be addressed. By USOC rules, one organization must take over the NGB's sole responsibility to promote and protect the Olympic disciplines. No organization as huge and distracted as the AHSA can focus clearly and effectively on the NGB mandate.