FYI.

I hope this helps clear the fog Re: BEF membership.


Pony Club is an organisation for youth and ponies.
It was founded in England in 1929.

1947
The British Horse Society is founded through the
‘Affiliation’ of the National Horse Association and the
Institute of the Horse and Pony Club.

1961 •
The Dressage Group is founded

1972 •
The British Equestrian Federation is formed with the British
Show Jumping Association.
BSJA establishes itself as a separate discipline and subsequently becomes independent as a member body of BEF..

1998 •
British Dressage establishes itself as a separate discipline and becomes independent, but remains as a member body of BEF

It is quite clear that the individual member bodies that currently exist were historically parts of larger groups via affiliation, they then after establishing themselves as larger separate Disciplines have broken away to form individual groups and thereby continue within BEF as member bodies.

If you don’t get the message from that you never will about how BR is trying to draw ‘western’ into the BEF fold via affiliation.

Best regards and happy new year.

David Brimson.

I don't think the history is that relevant. Are you suggesting that other western organisations should affiliate then break away again at some future point?

The history is extremely relevant in as much as Terrie (Beeb) is challenging my advise that only one member body shall represent each discipline. i.e. BR is already a member of BEF and ‘Western’ thereby no other western organisation shall be acceptable.
Beeb is challenging that fact that certain other member bodies of the BEF (Pony CLUB Blah de Blah …..yawn) are in fact NOT disciplines, however my point is their BEF membership is historical over time with the emergence, growth and development of BEF, and the membership criteria have shifted with governance and progress over time.

My whole point is from a position of knowledge that WES, AQHA, PH.UK are NOT disciplines and not acceptable for membership to BEF……..NOR is an Alliance as it is also not a discipline………By aligning to and associating with an association that IS a member body you create a connection which means you are IN, then by whatever maneuvering and communication and by working together ‘WESTERN’ has representation and can develop sideways
RM

"Neither the Pony Club nor the BHS represent a specific discipline, yet THEY ARE MEMBERS OF BEF. These organisations are little different operatively than WES and the AQHA-UK. As far as the argument that BEF exists to promote the winning of medals, there are no medals to be won within the BHS."

I think (from reading the BEF website) that they exist to promote riding disciplines/sports that will provide riders with the skills to win medals in the future in medal events.

Reply to Becks: Yes, but the BHS promotes recreational riding and horse ownership just as much as it promotes competitive riding.

Message to David: To the contrary of making it 'clear', by delineation of the historical development of equestrian groups in the UK, that the only way Western disciplines besides Reining can become part of the BEF is through affiliation to BR, your facts demonstrate that there have always been many different equestrian groups with different vias of development, and that the current elements of the BEF (which itself was only fairly recently formed) became part of it through many different avenues. There is also no reason why other Western disciplines cannot form a federation that stands on its own in Britain, with affiliation only to the other huge international associations who share and promote their interests. Even if the BR threatens that no funding from the BEF will ever be available in this manner, it is doubtful how much funding other disciplines would ever see with the BR running the whole show and telling us to 'trust' them.

hi beeb, i am sorry to read in your post that you think BR will not help/give money to other western organistions. in fact david has said all along that the money is for helping BR and western all together, afterall why do you think they have expanded the new coaching certificate to include all western instructors? when they could have left it just for reining instructors. a lot of unpaid time has been put into BR/BEF by people who want to progress western in this country. it is time to stop arguing and start building together in 2008.

HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Rosie