As this is my first  newsletter I would like to take the opportunity to thank Franz for all he has done for Equestrian Australia.  His work over the past 8 years has built EA into a strong and professional organisation that has a bright future.  I also thank Franz for his assistance to me since my commencement in April.   Franz will be missed.
 

Since our last e-Newsletter there has been some outstanding performance both domestically and internationally. Some of the highlights internationally include:

• Paul Tapner winning Badminton that is widely recognised as the Wimbledon of Equestrian Sport.  Bill Levett finished 7th and Paul was also 10th on his second ride, making it 3 Aussies in the top 10
• Success by finishing 2nd in two European Nations Cup events in Jumping the best ever result by an Australian Team
• Boyd Excel successful in winning the Carriage Driving FEI World Cup Final  - for the second year in a row.
• Megan Jones won the NZL HSBC FEI Eventing World Cup qualifier
• Sam Griffiths won the CIC3*-W at Chatsworth (UK) giving Australia victories at 3 of the first 5 (of 12 total) Eventing HSBC FEI World Cup qualifiers

On the weekend of 5 – 6 June, Equestrian Australia conducted a joint Board and Branches meeting as well as conducting the annual Equestrian Australia Awards night on the Saturday night and a strategic planning forum to set the direction for Equestrian Sport from 2010 – 2016 on Sunday. From my perspective the strategic planning forum was a great success with the key stakeholders for Equestrian sport within Australia agreeing on the strategic priorities for the organisation from 2010 – 2016. We will inform readers of these strategic priorities in the next edition of IMPULSION.  
 

Also in the next few weeks keep your eye out for the launch of the Equestrian Australia facebook page & YouTube channel.  There have been many other activities going on over the last month some of which are reported within this newsletter. 

National Education Manager

We have recently recruited a National Education Manager. 
Ben Harris has been appointed to the role and will commence with the organisation on Tuesday, 15 June. Ben comes from a very solid background in Education, with well-rounded experience working in both the Tertiary and Sporting sector. Positions that Ben has held in the past include:

• Course Convenor – Bachelor of Sports Coaching and Administration, Australian College of Physical Education
• Sports Camps and Reservations Officer, Australian Sports Commission
• Coaching Consultant, Australian Sports Commission
• National Coaching Accreditation Scheme (NCAS) / National Officials Accreditation Scheme (NOAS) course reviews and sport consultancy for Australian Sports Commission

EADRA & Voluntary Vaccination 

There has been extensive dialogue within the industry over the past few months in relation to EADRA and Voluntary Vaccination for EI.  Since the open letter that our Chairman Paul Cargill published on the Equestrian Australia web site, a decision has been made by the Federal Government to delay a decision on Voluntary Vaccination for EI until the 1st December 2010. There has also been extensive discussion by industry in relation to what would be an appropriate levy structure for industry to pay its share of costs if an outbreak of a disease occurred in the future. It should be noted that at this point in time the only discussions on the table are in relation to a payment of a levy if an outbreak occurs. There is not proposal to pay any levies prior to any outbreak to develop a contingency fund.
 

There is much debate within the industry in relation to what would be the appropriate levy to introduce if a levy was required to be implemented. There are a number of options currently on the table. Equestrian Australia is very well represented at all levels of the organisations that have been chartered with going back to Government with the preferred levy mechanism. Equestrian Australia is currently an active member of the Australian Horse Industry Council and Animal Health Australia. We are also represented on the working group in relation to assessing the impact of various levy structures on industry. As further information becomes available in the upcoming months we will keep you informed of the direction through IMPULSION.   

Congratulations to the following domestic FEI performances

•  Christopher Burton winnerof the Sydney CCI3*-Wand Albury Wodonga CIC3*
• Rozzie Ryan winner of the  Grand Prix at the Sydney CDI3*
• Rachael Sanna winner of the the GP Freestyle at the Sydney CDI3*
• Jamie Kermond winner of the CSI-W on the Weekend of World Cups
• Sonja Johnson winner of Swan River CIC3*
• Amanda Howell winner of Camperdown CIC3*
• Kevin McNab winner of the Eventing Equestriad CIC3* and Warwick CIC3*
• Sophie Warren winner of Wooroloo CIC3*
• Alexis Hellyer winner of the FEI Young Rider CDI-Y Championship
• Clem Smith winner of the Sydney Royal CSI-W

2010 Youth Olympic Games

Congratulations to young Jumping rider Tom McDermott from Wagga Wagga NSW, who has been selected to represent Australia at the inaugural summer Youth Olympics to be held in Singapore from 14-26 August. Jumping will be the only Equestrian discipline held at the Games.
 

Awards night
 

Congratulations to the recipients of the 2009 EA National Sport Achievement Awards.  The awards were presented at t cocktail function at the Transport Exhibition at the Powerhouse Museum, Sydney on 5 June.
This was the third National Awards ceremony we have hosted and we were delighted to be joined by our current EA Board, Branch representatives and award winners.
All the award winners are worthy recipients in their respective categories, each displaying excellence, dedication and passion.
 

At Equestrian Australia, we believe it is important to provide encouragement and celebrate success and outstanding achievement at our presentation evening, as well as on a regular basis on our website and at special events throughout the year. Success is not something that just happens; it's the result of hard work, effort and commitment and is worthy of celebration.
Equestrian Australia congratulates all winners and applauds their efforts in 2009.
 

Wings for WEG Gala Dinner

Congratulations and thanks to the organising committee for the Wings for WEG Gala fundraising dinner, which raised close to $25,000 to assist the Dressage Team with travel expenses to and from WEG.
Best of luck to competitors in the Mebourne International Three-Day Event over the long weekend.
 

Til next month
 

Grant

Grant Baldock
CEO
Equestrian Australia