EOI to participate in EA Reform

January saw a positive Equestrian Victoria Board meeting where we reflected on the great start to the equestrian year. In light of our commitment to open and transparent communication, I would like to update you on some of the Board’s activities.

We have a number of exciting projects underway including:

• a review of our high performance pathways (starting with eventing) aligning our Victorian activity with the Equestrian Australia High Performance Program,
• a fresh look at the roles and responsibilities of EV’s Sport Discipline Committees (SDC’s last reviewed in 2010),
• policy development which includes
  - investigating the establishment of a Sport Safety and Policy Committee,
  - ratification of the Interschool Horse Trials Teams Selection Policy. 

We continue to provide COVIDSafe updates and training for our community members who are delivering events here in Victoria, as well as staying abreast of all current restrictions as they evolve. As we continue to develop our sport, new issues come to light, and we are aware of the capacity issues that have arisen in some disciplines, in particular jumping.

Your Board is focused on the future of our organisation and sport as a whole. With that in mind, we are also working with the incoming EA Board to support the EA governance review and reform, to ensure a great outcome for Victorian members.

EA has invited state branches to recommend suitable people to sit on the EA Strategy Steering Committee and the EA Governance Steering Committee.

We are keen to support EA through this process. To ensure we are transparent and open, we invite EV members to express interest in volunteering their time, knowledge and expertise, to support the reform of EA, providing input from a Victorian perspective.

If this sounds like something you might be willing and able to do, please click HERE for more details, including a Skills and Interest Checklist, upload your CV and you will be added to a pool of members that EV will draw upon as needed.

It is an exciting time for our national federation, with the new Equestrian Australia Board due to take the reins shortly. As Chair of the EV Board I am really excited about this opportunity for our members to contribute at a national level, and I hope that this process will encourage members who may not have been able to contribute in the past, but who may have the right skill set for these two committees, to jump on board.

Here in Victoria, we look forward to working collaboratively with our Victorian membership and the new EA board, as together we embark on further governance reform and determine the future strategy for equestrian sports in Australia.

Sincerely yours
Michelle Heagney - EV Chair