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Equestrian Australia announces National Vaulting Squad
Equestrian Australia (EA) has today announced the 2012 National Elite Vaulting Squad. The announcement of this Vaulting Squad is a major step and a significant expansion of the new High Performance Program for the Non-Olympic Disciplines. This is the first time that the non-Olympic disciplines have been included in the High Performance Program and the Vaulting National squad is the first squad to be announced in this program. EA would like to congratulate the athletes, and teams who make up the first National squad.
2012 National Vaulting Squad is linked below:
For more information on EA National Squads please click HERE
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How to download or purchase Dressage Rule Books from EAAccessing current Dressage Rule Books from EADowload the pdf version of the 2012 Dressage Rules for free, and print out. OR Complete the attached order form in PDF or WORD and return to EA
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This weekend's International events
List of Australian riders who are competing in International Events this weekend. | |||||||||||||||
Para Equestrian Judges ListedDressage judges who are accredited as of 2/2/2012 as National and FEI Para Equestrian Judges and Judge Educators. Hot on the heels of the formal announcement of Australia's successful qualification for the 2012 London Paralympic Games in Para-Equestrian Dressage, comes the news that our nation has a total of 21 fully accredited Para Equestrian Judges and Judge Educators. Many thanks to those officials who have strived to achieve this accreditation.
The full list of these officials may be accessed HERE. | |||||||||||||||
Expressions of Interest for the CVIO (Vaulting) Aachen, Germany . Equestrian Australia have received an invitation from the Organising Committee of the CHIO Aachen for two teams (6 vaulters per team), 2 individual male and 2 individual female, as well as 2 Pas de Deux combinations, to compete in the CVIO Aachen, Germany, June 29 - July 8, 2012.
Equestrian Australia would like to invite members to indicate their interest to compete at this competition in Aachen. All interested combinations will need to complete the following Expressions of Interest form.
As we do not have full details at this stage, we cannot guarantee what will and will not be provided by the Organising Committee. However, it is likely to be something similar to the following:
The Organising committee will provide:
· Meals for the period of the vaulting competition
· Stabling and feed for horses
· Meals for grooms for the period of the vaulting competition
· A shuttle service from the airport
· Entry fees
Each competitor or team will be responsible for:
· Airfares to and from Germany
· Accommodation
· Sourcing competition horses
· Any meals outside the allotted time provided by the OC
The EA National office will provide administration support and a uniform for the selected riders.
Please complete the form below and fax to the National Office on (02) 9763 2466 if you would like to be considered for either any of these positions to compete in Aachen.
Applications close at 9am, Friday 10th February 2012.Please contact Mandy at Equestrian Australia on (02) 8762 7777 if you have any questions regarding this competition.
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Preview FEI World Cup Driving Final 2011/2012
Lausanne (SUI), 31 January 2012 TOP CLASS LINEUP FOR FEI WORLD CUP™ DRIVING FINAL IN BORDEAUX by Cindy Timmer Driving fans will be treated to a thrilling finale of the FEI World Cup™ Driving 11th season in Bordeaux (FRA) on 3 and 4 February. Six drivers - Boyd Exell (AUS); IJsbrand Chardon (NED); Koos De Ronde (NED); Tomas Eriksson (SWE); Jozsef Dobrovitz (HUN) and Zoltan Lázár (HUN) – qualified for the Final at the end of an exciting season that ran over seven events held in five European countries. They will be joined by home driver Thibault Coudry, who has received the wild card. In Bordeaux the seven drivers all start from scratch and it will not be until the very last second of the Final on the evening of Saturday 4 February that the new FEI World Cup™ Driving champion will be crowned. British-based Australian driver Boyd Exell – triple World Cup champion and gold medallist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 – will be aiming for his fourth consecutive World Cup title. Exell dominated the 2011/2012 season, winning the qualifiers in Stockholm (SWE), Budapest (HUN), Geneva (SUI) and Mechelen (BEL). He participated with a wild card at the series’ opening qualifiers in Hannover and Stuttgart (GER) using these events, for which he could not earn World Cup points, to try out new horses at different positions in his team. In Budapest, Exell was forced to use a wheeler horse in the lead and this gamble paid off and contributed to his second victory of the season. One of Exell’s new team members is the eight-year-old trotter Bajnok, previously owned by fellow four-in-hand driver Jozsef Dobrovitz (HUN). After two competitions and some good advice from the previous owner, Bajnok became a reliable member of Exell’s team. In Mechelen, Exell drove the 19-year-old gelding Bill for the first time this season. “Good old Bill” was part of the Australian’s winning team at the FEI World Cup™ Finals in 2009, 2010 and 2011 and will also be part of the set-up for Bordeaux. IJsbrand Chardon (NED) won the opening competition in Hannover, while his compatriot Koos de Ronde had his name added to the prestigious list of winners of the German Masters Driving at Stuttgart where he won the second leg of the FEI World Cup™ Driving 2011/2012 series. Both Dutch drivers will do their utmost to put Exell under pressure. Tomas Eriksson (SWE) got his season off to an unfortunate start at the opening leg in Hannover where his horses fell. Luckily, none of the horses were injured and Eriksson used the same team throughout the rest of the series. He put on excellent performances at Mechelen and Leipzig, to finish second at both venues. In Leipzig, he received the full 10 World Cup points since the winner of that competition, IJsbrand Chardon, was competing with a wild card and was not entitled to points. Jozsef Dobrovitz was impressive at his home event in Budapest where he finished second behind Exell. His fourth place in Stockholm and fifth places in both Hannover and Mechelen allowed him to gain enough points to qualify for the Final. His compatriot Zoltan Lázár placed fourth four times this season. The experienced pair and four-in-hand driver secured his place at the Final at the last competition in Leipzig. Scoring at the Final First time Timetable and FEI TV live broadcast Drivers’ biographies and press kit A comprehensive press kit including the results from all the 2011/2012 season qualifiers, the final standings, calendar, news, and event organisers contact details can be downloaded from this link. Media contacts: At FEI: Malina Gueorguiev At Bordeaux (FRA) | |||||||||||||||
Dressage Open Rule Book Test 2012
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Calling for Nominations for the Australian Dressage Committee -UPDATE Dressage Australia As part of the governance arrangements for its skills-based structure, a number of positions on the Australian Dressage Committee must be vacated each year and opened for re-election. This year, two of the five places on the committee fall due, Kim Thomas and Karen Herald.
Karen Herald may re-stand for her position, however all committee members are subject to a limit on their tenure of 3 x 2-year terms (6 years in total) before a break of at least one year must be taken. This means Kim Thomas is not eligible to re-apply for her position.
Nominations are now open for Equestrian Australia members wishing to be considered to fill these two vacancies.
Should you wish to apply, please complete a nomination form available via the link below and submit to the National Office by 5pm, Friday 24 February. Late applications will not be accepted.
Nominations will be voted upon by the State Branch Dressage Committees by 18 March.
The new committee members will begin their 2-year term at the Australian Dressage Committee Meeting in April 2012.
[Please note: The correct application form/resume template is now attached]
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Edwina's top form continues at Round 10 Rolex FEI World Cup
ROLEX FEI WORLD CUP™ JUMPING 2011/2012 – ROUND 10 FEI TV – Re-live the excitement of today’s competition, and enjoy highlights, interviews and archive footage at www.feitv.org To view the Rolex Rankings, please click here Media Contacts: | |||||||||||||||
Equnect – Member Update January, 2012
In November 2011 Equestrian Australia and the State Branches launched a new online membership site – equnect. This site is designed to provide a one-stop-shop for members either joining or renewing their Equestrian Australia and State memberships. The first phase of the site is now live and provides the capabilities for individuals to register themselves as well as their horses. As the site grows and the next phases of the site are released, it will allow members to connect to the broader equestrian community, provide the latest news and events, allow easy access for the entry into listed events and as well as access results quickly and easily. The membership portal has experienced a large number of visitors to the site, with more than 370,000 page views. As was expected with the launch of a new website, some users have experienced minor difficulties as well as some technical bugs that have occurred. EA has established several ‘help desks’ around the country including in the State Branches, EA office as well as the online help desk. We want to thank members for their patience as we work through this and we would encourage those experiencing difficulties to contact their State Branch or EA should you encounter any difficulties – whether it be for memberships, importing of horses or other. Over the coming months, some of the minor issues experienced with the launch of the website will be addressed to prevent these from appearing again. We have been encouraged by the good feedback our members have provided already and are pleased to see the benefits the system is already providing. equnect is a long term vision for the organisation that will continue to evolve over the coming months and years to provide real value to our members. In the meantime, for those members experiencing difficulties you can email info@sp.equnect.com or click on the FAQ tab in equnect that has frequently asked questions. All members are encouraged to log on today to create your equnect profile – visit www.equestrian.org.au | |||||||||||||||
Mary Seefried re-elected as Chair of ADJC Congratulations to Mary Seefried who was re-elected as the Australian Dressage Judges Committee (ADJC) Chair at the meeting held on 14th January. The position is for the next 3 years. Lesley Sullivan will continue to provide secretarial support. The other members of the ADJC are Virginia Creed, Kim Thomas and Jan Geary. | |||||||||||||||
Sports forum to discuss future of equestrian sport The 2012 Sports Forum, which will be held in Lausanne (SUI) from 30 April to 2 May, offers a unique opportunity to discuss issues related to the future of equestrian sport. The Forum is open to the National Federations and all FEI stakeholders, including members of the media. Delegates will hear detailed presentations on proposed rule changes for Jumping, Eventing, Endurance and Veterinary matters. The Sports Forum will give all stakeholders the opportunity to join the debate and have their say on key issues, before the proposals are put to the vote at the FEI General Assembly in November. Registration for the Forum opens on 6 February. The registration process closes on 15 March. Note to editors: A media advisory outlining the accreditation process for press will be sent out shortly. | |||||||||||||||
Tickets are now on sale on-line from the Sydney CDI website Sydney CDI – 3 to 5 May 2012 Celebrating 20 years Tickets are now on sale on-line from the Sydney CDI website for reserved seating on Saturday. A bonus is this year is that patrons get to choose their own seats. We have upgraded the on-line booking system to allow patrons to select where they sit. This option will be available for limited time only. On-line tickets are also available for all days of the event from Thursday to Saturday. Direct link for ticket bookings: http://www.sydneycdi.com/tickets Top Spot Marquee tickets are also on sale. Relax, chat, rub shoulders with the International riders and enjoy great food, fine coffee and wines. Morning, afternoon tea and lunch with Wild Oats wines included. Tea, coffee and refreshments available at all times during the day. Bookings for the Top Sport Marquee are not available on-line. Simply download a booking form from the website and send to us. We ask Guests to respect the Marquee Dress Code, which is Smart Casual. If you are thinking about purchasing tickets for the popular Saturday Evening Celebration Dinner, we urge you do so early as tickets sell out fast. Download a booking form from the website and send it to the address on the booking from. Dress code for the Dinner: Cocktail attire. | |||||||||||||||
DPI invites horse owners to take part in a Hendra surveyHorse owners are encouraged by the NSW Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) to participate in a survey on the Hendra virus. Click here to take part in the survey http://us2.campaign-archive1.com/?u=a3e0433278c2e7d624d7499f0&id=95a97ae2de&e=e4ca594a15 | |||||||||||||||
An interview with Mike Etherington-Smith about 2012 Sydney CCI 3* course
John Lechner talks to Mike ES about his plans to reinvent the Sydney course.
Read John's article on Eventing Nation http://eventingnation.com/home/2012/01/mike-es-returns-to-sydney.html 19 December 2011 Mike Etherington-Smith to design 2012 Sydney CCI 3* Australia will welcome back world-renowned cross-country course designer Mike Etherington-Smith (GBR) to the Sydney course for the 2012 Sydney Three-Day Event. Etherington-Smith will design the CCI 3* course which will be held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, 26-29 April 2012. Mike Etherington-Smith, one of the world’s leading cross-country course designers, was the original course designer for the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. Etherington-Smith was also responsible for the track at 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. He was the Technical Delegate for the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and Technical Advisor the 2006 World Equestrian Games (Germany). Etherington-Smith was responsible for the course for the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky and has designed the four-star track at Kentucky for the past twenty years. Ahead of the London Games Equestrian Australia feels it is a great opportunity for
Australia-based riders to compete over a course designed by such an experienced Olympic course designer. This opportunity has been made possible through the Australian Government’s Green and Gold funding program, which provides additional support to enhance Australia’s medal prospects in 2012. Equestrian Australia’s National Performance Director for Eventing, Prue Barrett, explains the benefit for Australian riders. “Australian eventers have a grand tradition of exceptional cross-country riding skills as they have proved again and again at the championship level. “Mike ES is one of the most well respected course designers, so for our Australia-based riders to have the opportunity to ride over his course prior to the Olympic Games will not only give them invaluable experience but also ensure they are well prepared to take on the rest of the world in London,” she said. Sydney International Eventing (SIE), organisers of the Sydney International Three-Day Event are thrilled that Mike Etherington-Smith is returning to Sydney. “We have been keen to get Mike back to Sydney for sometime, so it’s great that he now has the time to come back and work with our team,” said Glenn Wallace, President of Sydney International Eventing. “Mike will bring a fresh set of eyes to the course, and will not only design the CCI 3* course, but work closely with our course designer Ewan Kellet and builder Brett Ryan in developing the course further. “It is critical that we maintain the Sydney International Equestrian Centre course as one of the best in the world. “SIE would like to thank Equestrian Australia and its High Performance Program for their support,” concluded Mr Wallace. Etherington-Smith has worked on numerous other international courses around the world including Adelaide Three-Day Event and the Pan Am Games. Etherington-Smith has also been Event Director and designed the World Cup qualifier at Chatsworth (UK) for ten years, and was the designer and director of Blenheim Horse Trials CCI 3* from its inception twenty years ago to 2007, including when the event hosted the 2005 European Championships. In 2007, he took over as Sport Director of British Eventing, and then became Executive Chief of British Eventing in 2008 - a position he still holds. Etherington-Smith resides in Oxfordshire, UK with his wife Sue. An interview with Mike Etherington-Smith: When and why did you start designing cross-country courses? I started when I was in the Pony Club just for a bit of fun, then got into it more seriously in the 70s when I started doing a bit of event organisation; then became a Technical Advisor for British Eventing in the 80's and it took off, my first international event as CD was the CCI*** at Bramham in 1986 What, if anything, do you think is unique about the Sydney venue? It is a great legacy for the sport which was part of the original brief, i.e. to ensure that there could be competitions of all levels at the venue post 2000. It has great topography and variety, is convenient and easily managed, and provides plenty of opportunities for a course designer How have courses changed since you designed the Sydney Olympic Games? The sport has progressed since 2000; no more Phases A, B, and C which has impacted on the cross-country. Courses at the top end are arguably mo, re sophisticated nowadays as the standard of horse and rider continues to improve., , , Is there one thing you’ll never see on an Etherington-Smith cross-country course? A gate! What is it that you try to encourage in your course design? A good flow and balance to the course is essential, consistency of level, horses and riders should have the opportunity to benefit from the experience, to have a positive experience that enables them to 'grow', to be fair at all times to the horses whilst at the same time giving enough for the riders to have to think about. Video above was produced by Furdography on behalf of Sydney Eventing Video below was an interview by Hamish and Dave with Mike Etherington-Smith at 2010 WEG | |||||||||||||||
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Please note FEI changes to horse ID requirements at higher levelsRiders and owners please note FEI changes to horse ID docs.
Equestrian Australia apologises for any inconvenience this may cause, however the FEI will be unwilling to let you compete without the valid documentation. If you have any further questions please contact me at the National office 02 8762 7777 or felicity.dubois@equestrian.org.au
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Education Conference DVDs on sale now!
The 2011 Equestrian Australian Education Conference held over two days, included an impressive line-up of speakers who provided delegates with a stimulating and thought evoking series of presentations. If you would like a copy of the presentations given at the 2011 EA Education Conference then please fill in the attached order form. EA thanks the presenters for making these videos available. Note not all presentations are available. The list below indicates which videos can be purchased. To enhance your personal and professional development (EA members and non-members alike) place your order now: ** Click on the presenters name in the table below to watch a 2 minute demo of their presentation.
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Changes to the Equestrian Australia Insurance Scheme from 4pm 30 June 2011.As from 4pm 30 June 2011, EA has a new insurer for Personal Accident Insurance.
Equestrian Australia recently conducted a tender for the EA Insurance Program.
We were pleased that we received a number of competitive tenders that were all of a similar quality.
During the course of the tender the two leading tender providers were requested to provide full and further information and were subjected to another round of interviews and questioning.
The outcome of this process has been that EA will be changing Insurance Brokers from AON Risk Services Australia Limited (AON) to Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd (Gow-Gates).
We have outlined below the transitional arrangements that have been put in place following this change in Service Provider for the EA Insurance Program.
TIMELINE
The timeline for the changes are as follows;
CONTACTS – During the Transitional arrangements for all policies
From 1 July, for Personal Accident matters please contact;
Gow-Gates Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd
Toll Free: 1800 811 371
Until 30th September, for all Public & Products Liability, Professional Indemnity, Club Management Liability information, cover requirements, claims and service please contact; AON Risk Services Australia Limited;
The contacts there are Beverley Wright and Megan Apap.
1800 806 493 or email equestrian@aon.com.au
Further advice on this transition will be advised over the coming weeks along with further information about the services that will be made available to EA Clubs and Members from Gow-Gates. | |||||||||||||||
