Brand New
A new 'Brand" to go with the new nameAs you can see from the header of this e-news, we have changed our name from 'Equestrian Federation of Australia' to 'Equestrian Australia' and have now adopted a new 'brand' that reflects the sport and also our country. This has been a long process that was interrupted by the outbreak of Equine Influenza and our preoccupation last year with the Olympic Games.
Our web has changed its branding (have a look at www.equestrian.org.au) and so will everything else that carried our old EFA logo or the very 'old' Australian Equestrian Team logo. You will note that the horse's head in the Equestrian Australia logo is defined by the 'inside' borders and in the AET logo by the outside lines.
Our web is also based on a new 'template', giving it a totally new look. Branch webs have also changed, although some fine-tuning and further individualisation will follow in the coming weeks. Branches either have already or will soon change their names to 'Equestrian Tasmania', 'Equestrian Victoria', etc. and sports/disciplines will be known in equivalent terms, e.g. Jumping NSW. National and Branch 'sports' logos use the FEI colours for the respective Disciplines and Show Horse has gone for fire engine red.
It will of course, take some time to replace existing rule and policy documentation, stationery, learning resources, etc. with versions incorporating the new 'look' as we want to make use of the existing stock. It is good to see a large degree of 'brand' consistency across the whole organisation. Equestrian is now presenting a common brand and this 'harmonisation' is surely a step in the right direction. I wished, of course, that a common approach to things was even more common than it is at present, without stifling enthusiasm and opportunities for self-expression at the local and regional level. You can download a presentation (PDF - 2.7MB) that was made to the 'Joint Session' of the National Board with Branch representatives in Adelaide at the 2008 EFA AGM in November. It will give you a background on how the logos were developed and explain some of the design philosophy. You can also download the 'style guide' (PDF - 3.4MB) as it stands right now (not as yet complete in some sections). It will show you how the logos are to be used and also includes the logos for the various States and Territories, based on their respective official colours, and the sport/discipline logos based on the colours that the FEI uses for its disciplines. Planning in uncertain timesAlthough strategic and operational plans are reviewed at least once a year, we undertake a major planning exercise every four years for the next 'quadrennium', in this case 2009-2013, which takes us just past the London 2012 Olympic Games. Next week, we together with other sports are participating in a High Performance Forum organised jointly by the Australian Olympic and Paralympic Committees, to look at achieving the best result in 2012 and secure the necessary funding. The Equestrian Australia Board will sit down at the end ogf the month to set the framework for the Equestrian Australia Strategic Plan for 2009 -2013, and National Sport Committees and High Performance Panels have been reviewing (or are about to) plans in their specific areas. At the same time, we are all anxiously awaiting the publication of the Independent Sport Panel's inquiry ('Crawford Inquiry') into Australian sport. The report is expected to make recommendations not only on how to fund sport but also on the Federal and State structure and how sport is managed in our federated system. All this is happening, of course, as the global economic crisis is getting deeper and deeper ... Challenging times ahead and even more reason for our sport to work together and present a united front. Stewards General appointedWe would like to congratulate the following on their appointment as the EA / FEI Stewards General for the respective sports.
It is the first time EA has Stewards General to cover both the Olympic and Non-Olympic sports. The five SGs join Warwick Vale (WA) - EA National Medication Control Officer and Derek Major (NSW) - Equestrian Australia's FEI Contact Veterinarian, as the key contacts for the direction and development of stewarding, medication control & veterinary programs within Australia. Para-Equestrian Chef d'Equipe and Sport Representative on the PE HPPWe have extended the closing date for applications for the PE Sport Representative on the High Performance Panel and the PE Chef d'Equipe since we had received only one application for each and had feedback that many people did not know about these vacancies. For unknown reasons RDAA did not publicise these positions on their webs. So there is a chance for interested and suitable qualified person to nominate. Please contact Brett Mace (02 8762 7777) for further information and position descriptions.
January and February are usually rather quiet when it comes to major events. This year was an exception as Dressage and Jumping were again part of the Australian Olympic Youth Festival staged for some 20 sports by the Australian Olympic Committee. Equestrian had seven visiting nations taking part on borrowed horses. We are very grateful to the owners for making their horses available. Without their assistance, the event would not have taken place. We must mention, however, that it cost us a 'motza' in terms of subsidies, and we sincerely hope that the effort and expense was worth it. The AYOF went very well, as did the Equestrian competitions under the direction of Toni Venhaus (overall coordination and Dressage Director) and Edwena Mitchell (Jumping Director). Thank you to all the volunteers and officials and the National Office staff that assisted, particularly Michelle Battams and Nicky Turner. Visiting teams had an absolutely great time. The Americans, who had withdrawn their Dressage team a couple of months earlier, made it very clear to us that they regretted that decision deeply. They found the event a great development experience for all that came and, like all the other nations, want to return next time. The only real disappointment was the lack of spectators to make our visitors more welcome and to cheer on our teams in competition. Click here to find links to all the news reports that appeared on our web. Learn how to organise better equestrian eventsAnother National events to mention is the seminar for Event Organisers taking place in Melbourne 14 - 15 February 2009. Although primarily directed at World Cup Jumping organisers, this seminar conducted by Canadian expert Craig Collins will also be useful for other sporting event organisers, and I am pleased to say that a number of Dressage event directors have already booked themselves into this course. 'my HORSE and me'Atari in conjunction with the FEI has released a new and even better version of the educational video game "my HORSE and me", aptly named "my HORSE and me 2". You can download a PDF giving you more information or go directly to the Atari website. Supporters and Sponsors
We are also looking forward to working with the Australian Paralympic Committee in the management of the Para-Equestrian high performance program from early 2009. We hope our partnerships with our commercial sponsors can be strengthened further in the next Olympiad. So in summary, we would like to mention
For more news and other information, please visit our 'new' web www.equestrian.org.au or your 'new' State Branch web (www.[state].equestrian.org.au). Make it a good day! Franz Venhaus | ||
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| Three Vacancies - Australian Dressage Committee 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. | ||
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