This thread discusses the Content article: British Equestrian Federation Affiliation Proposal.

Well done David on the excellent article. Its great that you have taken the time to lay out everything that is potentially available to everyone who enjoys western riding. I hope you are going to put this article into the next copy of Freerein too. I know that people were worried about the UKCC and how it would affect them and its great to see how it is coming along and I think it is so important for coaches nowadays to have a qualification and especially CRB checks where children are concerned. I hope that the council members of all the relevant organisations think hard about your article and I, for one, will certainly raise it at the next AGM (AQHA.UK).
Rosie

Hi
Much of what David has written is correct. However; it is the Council of BEF who decide on any application to join not its Chief Executive. If the British Western Equestrian Association is formed then it is up to it to canvas for support within the Council of BEF. British Reining is there as a discipline specific organisation not as a body representing Western Riding.

Richard M Allan

It would be naive of RA to not realise that this 'Western' issue has been descussed at great length at BEF. As I said in my post, this affliation structure is the direction forward that the BEF want western riding to take, nothing else is acceptable.

Past divisions within western nearly destroyed Reining by some of those involved. After much solid groundwork to resolve the image of western riding, don't let the power hungry few destroy it all over again.

Yes, it will be the council of chief executives that will discuss and vote on acceptance of any new member to the BEF. That council is made up from two members from each discipline and that would include BR....!!

Thank you David and thanks also to the other BR people who
have put in so much work with the BEF. I just hope all western disciplins not just reining get represented including cattle classes...

Post edited by: Roland, at: 2007/12/11 20:05

Many thanks David for taking time to write this article. It is clear that much time and effort is being put into finding the way forward however, having thought it over for a couple of days now I just cannot let it go without commenting.
I initially thought the best course of action would be to affiliate as a way of “getting a foot in the door” but I just cannot come to terms with that as a solution. I know a lot has been going on with this for some time behind the scenes and we, the members of the various societies involved know very little of the detail and the history but there is something very wrong here. We have been told on several occasions what the BEF will and will not accept and that things will not be changed. Why can’t things be changed? We live in a democratic society .
The BEF apparently want Western riding as a whole represented but will not let anyone else join, so BR are trying to represent all of western on our behalf. This is just not reasonable on the part of the BEF and I think the lack of support from the other societies confirms that we have a problem here. I would like to thank BR for trying to represent western as a whole, but I believe BR should tell the BEF that they can only represent reining. BR should not accept this situation any more than the rest of us.
BR is a comparatively new organisation and we all know of the problems it has had in the past which are hopefully behind it now, but frankly with a track record like that I need a while longer before I am going to trust BR enough to approve of WES affiliating to it. Please do not take offence at this comment as I mean no criticism of any of the individual BR council members. WES is far from perfect but it has always maintained it’s original aims and is widely acknowledged as having consistently raised standards. WES deserves a place on the BEF and I do not think we should accept anything less.
Maybe the only way forward at this point is for all the excluded western organisations should get together, not to form another society which I agree is unnecessary, but to tell the BEF that this is not acceptable and to keep telling them until a solution is found. OK, now that I have started the revolution time to sign off! I could go on for hours but have probably said enough. No offence BR, but you did want to start the debate!

I am delighted that ‘Curly’ has responded in the manner she has. As far as the Affiliation Proposal is concerned, we hold differing views but that is the democratic process and I am entirely happy with that.

I think it would help though if I could strike a few parallels which may help us all firm up our opinions.

Firstly, why can’t things at BEF be changed?
According to the BEF Constitution (as I said before) one and only one member body from each discipline/style of riding is recognised on the Chief Executive Council.
The BEF represents 4.2 million riders in the UK, most attached to one or another of the member body organisations. Many of these separate disciplines like Dressage, Show Jumping etc have thousands of other associations, societies and clubs attached to them, They all think they should also be on BEF council!!

If BEF were to admit even one other organisation of a similar discipline they would then be inundated with thousands and thousands of organisations applying for membership which would make the council unmanageable.

To hold the view that you could change the Legal Constitution of an organisation the size of the BEF is doubtful in the extreme. To suggest that it can be done from ‘outside’ of membership is just never going to happen.

Last Thursday 13th Dec, I was at my regular Participation Strategy meeting at BEF, Stoneleigh. Each member body (BR included) were reporting and discussing their strategies and progress as to getting more people into our individual sports. It was so pertinent that the Chief Executive for British Dressage was relaying a very similar situation to western.
‘UK Chasers’ and ‘Trail Blazers’ are two organisations that differ very little from BD and BSJA. Each hold shows featuring both dressage and show jumping. They each have hundreds of regional clubs and literally thousands of members around the UK. For a long time now both have been arch-rivals to BD and desperately trying to join BEF. Simultaneously, they are now both affiliating to BD!!
I asked the BD Chief Exec directly across the meeting table “what was the catalyst that changed their minds?” His answer “dialogue and just talking to them”… If the western community doesn’t get the message from that…….?? …They will both now be adopted into BEF structure as affiliates, willingly working together, for the greater good of their sport.

BR cannot turn round and say we will only represent reining and not work with other western organisations as it shows we are all unable to form a cohesive group, this will only further destroy westerns image.
Because of unrest in the past, Western has to ensure we can show that we can act responsibly and be constructive in moving our sport forward. Forming an ‘Alliance’ will never gain membership of BEF, especially when it does not include the western BEF member body.

I am sure that BR does not consider that they represent all forms of western riding or it’s various societies. What I have done personally wherever possible in my field, is to support and represent western riding in the best possible light, in an effort to give us a credible place in modern equestrianism. At the first opportunity, I have grasped the incentive to get all or any other western organisation recognised and affiliated so they can manage their own affairs at the highest level.

This membership/affiliation situation is ‘an old chestnut’ at BEF and organisations many, many more times the size of the whole western, have likewise never gained admittance.

Affiliation is the only practical answer.

David Brimson.