Time to vote

Earlier this year nominations were invited for the member elected Board Director positions of Chairman, International Director and Judges Director. For the roles of International Director and Judges Director, the current post-holders were both eligible to stand for a second term. Judy Harvey and Peter Storr were the only individuals to be nominated for these two technical director portfolios and will go forward to the membership vote unopposed.

Two candidates were proposed for the position of Chairman, with both nominations approved by the Nominations Committee and British Dressage Board. Claire Moir, who is currently BD Youth Director, and former BD Training Director Jill Day, will both be eligible for election as Chair, with the appointment eff ective from the date of the next British Dressage Annual General Meeting in October.

MEET THE TWO CANDIDATES UP FOR ELECTION FOR THE ROLE OF CHAIRMAN.

JILL DAY

Dressage has been my passion for 50 years; I am a founder life member and have contributed to the organisation as a volunteer in many diff erent roles from the very beginnings of BD as a governing body to the present day.

I retired from competing in 2002 after several years at international Grand Prix on my horse of a lifetime, ‘Teddy’ aka ‘Nominee Redwood’. Having competed at the highest level, I recognise the struggle it is to get there and stay there. However, when I fi rst started out it took me four years to win my fi rst point, so I do understand how hard it can be at every level of the sport. In fact, I am living proof that you can have a rewarding career in dressage without winning anything.

I am now a freelance coach that works with riders of all levels and abilities. I have experience across a wide range of roles within BD, from being on the Board as Training Director to serving on diff erent technical committees. I was involved in the development of the new judge education system and the British Dressage coaching ualifi cation (BDCC). I have worked with our Under 21 teams and I am currently a Senior Selector, while I also have experience of working with Para riders.

I realise that BD must operate as an e cient business in the interest of its members. The recent pandemic has shown us how important robust fi nancial reserves are. Once we have reached our reserve target, however, it is important that we look at how we can reinvest our funds to support our members in the fi nancially tough times ahead.

We must not forget that this is a members’ organisation, and the best interests of members must come fi rst. All riders should have access to equal opportunities. Members that have been loyal to BD for many years should be as well looked after as those encouraged in at entry level. The one-horse owner that wants to work up the levels but stay within their own peer group are as important to me as the riders at the other end of the sport.

From the outset, one of BD’s strengths was the regional structure. Covid demanded some major strategic decisions to be made to reduce the cost to the members. The amalgamation of the regions was one of those decisions, but I feel that we have lost that regional identity and the camaraderie that was important to so many members. I want to look at what we can do to get that back.

I am not saying I can please everyone, but I am a good listener, and I am prepared to hear what you have to say and present your views to the Board.

I am committed to the principle that all members, volunteers, and staff should be treated with respect and fairness. I am aware that I will need to earn that trust and respect from the membership, the directors, and BD staff . I am asking you to aff ord me that chance by giving me your vote.

CLAIRE MOIR

Dressage has played a huge part in my life. I trained with Jennie Loriston-Clarke, where I gained ualifi cations and a huge amount of knowledge and experience. I bought an ex steeplechaser who I trained to compete in three Junior European Teams.

In 1979 I was awarded a Winston Churchill Travelling ellowship for Sports Coaching. I have won fi ve national titles, and in the last six years have competed at international small tour, and nationally at Grand Prix level.

I have earned my living as a freelance coach all over the world, as well as mentoring riders here on Pony, Junior, and Young ider Teams. However, many of my clients are adults and ride purely for pleasure. I am also a ist Judge, a BDCC evel Coach, Coach Educator and Assessor. I was the fi rst B DS’ South West epresentative, formerly Chef d’E uipe of our Junior and Young Rider Teams, and I am currently serving as BD outh Director.

I wish to be proactive as the Chair of the sport I love. I am aware of the threats that e uestrian sport faces, and I will work hard to mitigate them. I will not forget that, as a registered charity, we must keep horse welfare at the heart of everything. I want BD to have a sustainable future, by embracing technology, improving our online presence, and reducing our reliance on paper. I would like to make it easier for members to access training and competition opportunities local to them to lessen costs. I wish to promote education within the sport and fi rmly support e ual opportunities. I want every BD member to feel valued, listened to and recognised. We need to reach outside the mainstream e uestrian community and introduce them to dressage. inally, we must recognise and support horse owners and breeders. Without them, our record at Championship level over the past decade would not have been possible and I thank them wholeheartedly. rom a personal point of view, I would stand by my priorities, be accessible and available to members, show leadership, and support BD head o ce and the CEO. I would also initiate a support group for our owners, represent the interests of BD at national and international forums when re uired, champion BD both inside and outside equestrianism and be present at major BD national and international events.

My passions are the horse, our relationship with our equine partners in dressage, and the positive eff ects they have on our character, mental well being and physical fi tness. y vision of the future sees dressage safeguarded and respected, both nationally and internationally, challenging the elitist image of the sport, ensuring BD members feel included and listened to, off ering educational programmes for all, and recognising the support we receive from owners.

I am a good communicator with a well developed sense of humour, comfortable when speaking in public and chairing meetings. I am willing to travel, listen to people, and I am not afraid of hard work or responsibility. I enjoy leading a team and would be honoured to be the Chair of BD.

I have very much enjoyed the amazing highs and the tough challenges of being International Director for British Dressage for the last four years.

We have made signifi cant progress in how our international teams are selected and managed. Much, if not all, of the credit is due to the BD o ce team, a highly skilled and motivated bunch of people who make it all happen. They work tirelessly to ensure that the wheels turn smoothly and guarantee that our riders have every chance to prove themselves capable of reaching those hallowed podiums.

Achieving medals at international championships is always our ultimate goal, but providing a smooth pathway for our riders to rise out of the ranks and get to the top is what we are all about.

Since 2011, when GBR was established as a major power on the international scene, we have continued to enjoy medal success at major championships. 2021 saw us win both team and individual medals at the Olympic Games in Tokyo, and at the European Championships in Hagen, despite Covid, Brexit and EHV.

We have strived to make selections that are fair, justifi able and in accordance with the relevant selection policies. This is vital to select the strongest teams and prevent the unpleasantness and expense of selection appeals.

Using technology and live streaming to see riders’ performances as they happen has been a great innovation. Whilst being there in person is always to be preferred, the costs of travel and subsistence have been signifi cantly reduced by our selectors having access to live streamed events.

The selection team have a wealth of knowledge and experience of international dressage and we all work well together to arrive at conclusions that provide fair opportunities to riders, based on the merit of their individual performances. The tension around the table at championship selection time is palpable, but we all want to send the strongest team capable of bringing back medals.

Under 21 selectors require an eagle eye to spot new talent – at this level combinations can appear out of nowhere, with new horses and ponies along the route also coming into play.

It was fantastic to achieve individual medal status in Juniors last year, while the Young Riders win in Le Mans recently puts us in a very good place for the European Championships at Hartpury this year.

Medals are the goal, but with fair, clean sport and horse welfare the priority. I have been involved in competitive dressage since 1978 as a judge, trainer, organiser, selector, commentator, and most importantly for this role, international rider.

I am prepared to continue with the challenge of being International Director thanks to the support that I get from the BD Board, Selectors, Performance Managers and Chef d’Equipes, as well as the BEF World Class and BD o ce teams.

I continue to relish the responsibility and hope that the BD Members, and especially the riders, will honour and endorse me with their support in seeking this opportunity for a further four-year term.

MEET THE CANDIDATE UP FOR RE-ELECTION FOR THE ROLE OF JUDGES DIRECTOR FOR THE ROLE OF JUDGES DIRECTOR

PETER STORR

Dressage has been an intrinsic part of my life for over fi ve decades and I’ve been fortunate to experience the sport at the elite level as a rider, trainer and judge, which gives me an all round perspective. In 0 0 I ualifi ed as a 5* level judge, which is the highest level as an international judge in dressage. This appointment enables me to judge at major events such as the European Championships, World Championships, World Cup inals and lympic Games. I consider it a great privilege to be at this level in a sport that I am so passionate about, and I’m in a uni ue position to bring all that knowledge with me as Judges Director to the British Dressage Board.

I’ve been Judges Director on the BD Board since 01 and have heavily invested my time into developing a Judge Education Project with my fellow committee members and head o ce team. It has now been launched and we anticipate that it will be a world leading programme that revolutionises how our judges train, learn and are examined. It looks at the judges’ role, technical knowledge and conduct as a whole and provides them with an all round skillset, which will produce better judges and in turn raise standards throughout the sport.

By continuing as a BD Board member, I believe we need to empower a culture of transparency where feedback is essential to driving standards higher. I’d like to encourage more members to consider judging and to reward those who do embark on this very valuable pathway. ooking forward, our sport faces certain challenges if we are to continue our successes of recent years. A traditional image, lack of public understanding and openness, ill informed media coverage, and perceived welfare issues, all contribute to the feeling that dressage is exclusive and only for a particular section of society. This is still an issue, even though we all strive for higher standards, wider education and greater inclusivity so I do think more needs to be done by all who represent dressage.

Judges have an essential part to play in this sport we are the guardians of standards, welfare and fair play and I will continue to bring this view to the BD Board.

I feel that my extensive experience within British Dressage, knowledge of the sport from several diff erent viewpoints, and commitment to improve dressage in our country for future generations to enjoy, gives me the perfect opportunity to give back to the sport. Dressage is my life’s passion, and I intend to put that commitment into the role and carry on the momentum to make dressage a modern, inclusive and enjoyable sport for all. It would be a privilege and honour to continue my position for a second term.

The voting process will be hosted online, with the electronic ballot opening from Monday 4 July opening from Monday 4 July 2022. Eligible members 2022. Eligible members will receive an email will receive an email with details of how with details of how to vote electronically to vote electronically using the unique link provided by independent company, Mi-Voice. company, Mi-Voice. If you wish to vote by post, you can download a ballot form at you can download a ballot form at britishdressage.co.uk/news from 4 July 2022. If you need britishdressage.co.uk/news a hard copy, please send an SAE to Ben Waterhouse at British a hard copy, please send an SAE to Ben Waterhouse at British Dressage, Building 2020, Meriden Business Park, Copse Drive, Dressage, Building 2020, Meriden Business Park, Copse Drive, Meriden, West Midlands, CV5 9RG. Meriden, West Midlands, CV5 9RG.

All ballot papers/votes cast must be received by 5.00pm on Friday 30 September and any received after this time will not be counted.

Each current paid member has one vote. Please note that associate members are not eligible to vote. Mi-Voice will scrutinise all votes (electronic and paper) and carry out random spot checks for authenticity. British Dressage will not have access to the voting papers, or any record of which members voted for which candidate.

The result of the ballot will be announced at the British Dressage Annual General Meeting in October. We’ll be issuing a formal Notice of AGM in due course.