Um do we realy care and does it matter???
most of us just want to have fun with our horses ie showing and trail riding, if BR can give us a voice then good, we are tiny in comparison to say show jumping. my guess is the BEF woulden't miss us one bit if we all packed up and took up sewing

Hmmmmm and I bet you already have the needles ready...!!
Thats the attitude that will stop the whole industry moving forward. Nobody said that this would be an easy task, and those who are working on it for the greater good of western ridinig as a whole work exteamly hard. I do not doubt that for many of you it it your hobby, and something that you do for the shear pleasure of being out and about on your western horses. Whether they are quarter horses or welsh's or arab's. That is where the sport grows, with people who start off just enjoying it... However to some of us its a little more, and I for one DO CARE because it will have a direct impact on my job.. The more of us that DO CARE about how we go about getting proper national recognition, the faster it will come and the whole industry in this country will grow.

Or is that what some of you are afraid of...?

Hi All, I have been reading the responses to David's article and am glad to see people participating, afterall we all need to air our views on this. I only hope that all the western organisations are reading these posts and will include this in next year's AGMs. I also hope that both the WES and AQHA.UK AGMs are on different days so we can all have our say. I consider this subject very important to the future of western in this country and hope that obstacles are not deliberately put in the way of what ALL the organisations need to do.(GET TOGETHER!!)
Rosie

Just as Rosie comments, I am delighted that peeps are taking the trouble to join this debate. The fact that contributors are taking the trouble to search out facts for themselves and air their views openly, can only show that we do care enough about our sport.

I would just like to steer QQH to a section from:

BEF Articles of Association at clause 4.7 which requires the (BEF) Council to take account of the membership criteria for:

• 3 years audited accounts (4.7.1)
• committed to equestrianism and/or equestrian sports and the development thereof in the United Kingdom (4.7.2)
• the organisation not having an interest similar to one already represented by a member(4.7.3)

Post edited by: REINMAN, at: 2007/12/16 14:52

I've just read all the previous posts with interest and took a look myself at the BEF website. I'm a little confused here. From reading the information about what the BEF does it seems clear that they support equestrian disciplines with the hope of developing new riders TO WIN MEDALS. The BEF act as an agency to distibute government funding and regulate the industry. They are overall a 'steering' group to increase profitability in the equestrian industry and prestige in international sport.

As far as I am aware reining is the only western sport that is recognised by the FEI, so you can only win an olympic medal in western if you're reining. This puts reining (as a discipline)a high priority for the BEF due to the possibility of a gold medal for Britain, this is the main part of their mission statement isn't it?

When I first started western i'd only heard about reining - it is more photogenic, has huge amounts of prize money available to it and is a crowd pleaser. In the US there is an effort by the NSBA, for example, to readdress this but it is taking time to build the industry. As I got to know more about the sport I actually decided I'd like to do pleasure all around instead. I'm sure many other people do the same or vice versa, after all the variety of events available to you in western is part of the attraction in the first place.

The reiners have the same problems that I do with the dreaded geltrack surfaces and as more arenas are being 'upgraded' to the horrid sticky stuff, we're losing the opportunity to compete in big arenas and potentially to host future FEI events in the UK due to a lack of surfaces for the reiners as there must be a venue that is suitable for ALL disciplines otherwise the country can not be a host. This means the industry as a whole is potentially stunted in development.

I have no problem with reiners representing my views as I never intended to win an olympic medal doing pleasure (definitely not trail - i really could do with some more practice!) and I feel that getting western into the mainstream in the UK will benefit all disciplines in the industry. As more people become more involved there will be a growth in business related to western which means more choice, there will be more horses. more tack and most importantly more bling in the UK which will save me on import taxes! We have a foothold in the council now and our western profile is being raised SLOWLY.

Is there no way that other organisations could affiliate to BR and perhaps have an elected representative(s)soley to deal with the BEF, almost a seperate group within BR that primarily represents the reiners - after all they have the FEI recognition and will be allocated money from the government - would this be a more acceptable situation for those from other western disciplines/organisations? Representatives should follow the mandate formulated from the views of those they represent. This is one of the key precepts of democracy,if they're not representing your views or even misrepresenting them you impeach them.

Alternatively we could trust the council of BR to represent the interests of the western community as a whole, after all I doubt few shows could be financially viable without the entries from other disciplines to keep up numbers. I am sure that BR are aware of the need to keep the western community healthy, balanced and progressive in it's aims.

Western riding is my hobby and I love this sport, my family are involved in the business side of things and I know how much time and effort they spend introducing new people to the sport. It is growing slowly, so why don't we give it a chance on the international level and see what happens?

Becky



Below is an excerpt from the website that I have based some of this post on:

As a national governing body the BEF works on policy issues with the FEI. It co-ordinates the British calendar of international events, disciplinary procedures, doping control and oversees the training of British international judges, stewards, vets and course designers.

At home it plays an active role in representing the common interests of its member bodies to organisations such as the British Olympic Association, the Sport Aid Foundation, and Central Council for Physical Recreation.

The BEF is responsible for distributing Government funding to the equestrian sports. Funding from UK Sport and Sport England supports the BEF's work from developing the best riders, with the aim of winning medals for Great Britain, to encouraging complete beginners to get involved. Funding support is also provided by Sport Scotland for the Scottish Equestrian Association (SEA), a member of the BEF.

Well I think western will allways be a very small part of the equestian scene in this
country, like american football baseball etc is in relation to our football and cricket but Im pleased and wish to support western as im totaly turned off by show jumping and dressage... why dont we encourage and support BR give them a chance to show what they can do... we are too small for infighting ....