3 #LoveOfTheHorse AnnuAl RePORT 2017 – 2018 I write this in the hope that it is not some naively optimistic view of the future for Equestrian Sport. It’s a crash report of where we are and where we can go. I hope you will be inspired to grab the opportunities and be inspired to work with the Equestrian Australia (EA) Board to make our wonderful sport even better. I have had the honour of being Chair for two and a half years. There have been tough times, I am not meaning to downplay the work done or the work that remains to be done. Outstandingly it is a joy to work with the sport I love. Departed Directors It was sad to say goodbye to those of our Board members who will retire in 2018, Catherine Friday, who has been a creative thinker, and has been ready at all hours of the day to consult and has allowed us to save considerable money by giving us access to the EY offices in George St. Sydney for board meetings at no cost. We also say goodbye to Mark Arthur, who has overseen the often challenging financial situations we have faced as a board. Mark, also took the role of athlete representative on the EA Board. Daniel Stoneman, although he resigned from the EA Board has served a significant role on the High Performance Panel a position he will leave in December 2018. Departed Members The year has been one of significant loss for Equestrian. Gillian Rolton OAM, our much-revered Olympian died in November 2017. Adelaide Three Day Event will not be the same without her proud and often fiercely ambitious management. Gill’s husband Greg Rolton, has assumed the leadership of Australia’s only 4* International three day event. Assisted by Belinda Lindh, the competition is assured of a long and illustrious future. Bunty Thompson, another much loved Olympian, a member of our first Olympic Eventing Team also died in 2017. Bunty was an enthusiastic supporter of EA throughout his life. Shortly before he died he said that his time as a competitor for Australia had been, “the most exciting time of my life”. Challenges for EA Management and Members Financial The most pressing need identified, is to find the financial resources to serve our sport, so that it can achieve its true potential and serve our biggest ambitions for its growth. First priority in 2017 was to get our finances in order. We have cut the staff in the EA office, we now ask more of both our staff and our board directors. As you will know the directors are volunteers. Whilst we all understand the maxim that operational matters should be left to the staff, that is not always possible when there are insufficient staff to manage the large, complex workload in a timely manner. I would particularly like to pay tribute to Mark Arthur, who as a director, worked tirelessly with our former CEO, Paula Ward, and our current Financial Manager Sashi Latta, to enable us to scrutinise our financial resources. This has meant that we are now in a position to offer our State Branches transparent accounts. There are still significant challenges to face. Together, we will move towards sound and sustainable financial management so that we can build our reserves and serve our members better. Being optimistic does not mean that we gloss over the very real challenges we face. The reality is, if we are to grow and prosper, we need to minimise costs and increase services to our members. Improvements that have been made are significant, but we struggle to keep pace with our expectations. Like any business, our strength depends on sound financial management and a clear sighted view of how we build our future. There needs to be retention of quality staff to lead our organisation to achieve our vision. It also depends on mutual trust between our Members, the States and the National office. Contribution to this trust grows from the distribution of minutes and financial reporting following EA Board meetings. Shared services have long been considered the solution to cheaper administrative costs, this can only be achieved by consultation with our Members and the State Branches. IT present and future Shared services require a very efficient and reliable IT system, which will serve our sports in everything from the services we presently offer; membership renewals, horse registrations, a website which is easily accessible and results. These services are costly and must be controlled with the full co-operation of our members. IT Development Nominate.com, under Lloyd Raleigh’s leadership, has addressed the membership renewal and horse registration needs, but considerable expansion of IT services requires investment from us, the user. Global and other providers are used extensively for event entries. Your board has investigated a range of providers, they are very costly if they are to fully serve our needs in the future. CHAIR REPORT