EA Quarterly Report April to June 2019

CEO Report - Lucy Warhurst

I am reporting on the last quarter of FY 19 and the operations and business of Equestrian Australia (EA).

Some of the key EA achievements included filling the roles of Pathway Officer – Coaches, Kellie Hayes; GM Sport Operations, Sasha Ulasowski; and GM Business Operations & Integrity, Andrew Hamilton.

There was the Coronial Inquest into the 2016 deaths of riders Olivia Inglis and Caitlyn Fischer. The Coroner Derek Lee has confirmed the Inquest report will be heard in court on Friday 4 October 2019. EA pitched to Sport Australia for funding to employ a full-time EA National Safety Manager and necessary safety initiatives. EA was successful and received a one-off grant of 200K.

The Chairs of the National Discipline Committee’s, and Coaching Committee met with the EA CEO and relevant staff for an inaugural one-day meeting for future planning for ‘our people’ that was very successful.

In addition, a group of Veterinarians met with the EA National Head Veterinarian Kirstin Neil, and National Medication Control Officer Cate Plumber, along with the EA CEO to discuss future planning for ‘our horses’.

I particularly like a phrase that was mentioned to me by an EA participant member – ‘We are 2 Hearts’. This is very much the evolution being considered for our new road map to Equestrian Australia’s future. Stay tuned for the next update and opportunity for consultation and information.

NATIONAL DISCIPLINE COMMITTEES
EVENTING
The EAEC continues to work in conjunction with our NSO on matters regarding Safety and the Board will have received a Request to include a new rule relating to the front shoulders of spread fences.

At the request of EA a teleconference with the members of the EAEC was arranged to discuss items relating to PPE (personal protection equipment) for Australian riders.

It was subsequently agreed that Australia needs to implement a program for the tagging of helmets and body protectors to indicate that they comply with the current Standards as per Annex N of the National Eventing Rules.

A working group was set up and they are currently working through the Rule changes that will be required and also the implementation of the program to be in place by 1st July 2019. The working group are well on their way to meeting that target.

TD Reporting regarding concussions, sanctions, serious injury and horse falls now have a generic email address to provide this information ([email protected]). This email address will not change in the event of a change in the office staff. The NSO is also to be included in this reporting.

The EAEC has also written to the Board of the Australian International 3DE at Adelaide regarding the lack of “option” fences at last year’s event. It was noted that a lot of competitors did not make the first water complex, a popular vantage point for spectators. Most events of that status throughout the world do provide lengthy time consuming ‘Option” fences to at least allow the less experienced combinations to complete the event.

Work continues on the national Syllabus and guidelines for conducting TD/CD seminars across the country along with the production of an up to date Pathways documents for the promotion of officials in the sport. This will take a little while to complete as it is a complex subject.

VAULTING
The EAVC had a late start to the year due to delays with the appointment of new members to our committee. The EAVC are pleased to welcome Wendy Singlehurst to our committee. I am sure that Wendy will bring new insights with her knowledge and experience both nationally and internationally within the sport of Vaulting.

The EAVC first face to face meeting will happen on the 12th May in Adelaide, with many agenda items to get through at this meeting.

Many issues are currently on hold like many discipline committees we are waiting for the outcomes from the EA and EA Board restructuring. We are looking forward to learning more about the new ideas and structures that we are sure that the EA and EA Board will present in the future.

During this time the EAVC has not been ideal with several ideas and plans been put in place to hopefully allow our sport to grow and develop. These include:

• National Leader Board
• Judges Eye Clinics – where we send a Level 3 Interstate Judge to run one- or two-day judges’ clinics in each State assisted by the locally based Judges. To better educate our Vaulters/Coaches/Lunger about the rules and what the judges are looking for and how the rules are applied in competition. This is hope to in time to become totally self-funding.
• National Coaches Forum/Workshop – based on the tried and very successful Judges Forums held every year.
• Clear step by step guidelines for rule changes and updates. This is to address the many concerns raised this year about rule changes.
• New format to the election of the Vaulters Rep. To make sure that all vaulters get a say on who will represent them on the EAVC.

The EAVC look forward to continuing to work towards the improvement and development of the sport of vaulting here in Australia.

DRESSAGE
The EADC Chair Prue Spurrett recently participated in a tele-link up with the Chairs of the other Olympic Disciplines, Des Hughes (EAEDC) and Graeme Watts (EAJC) to discuss some common areas impacting on our sports.

It was a productive session with the Chairs keen to develop a more interactive connection with the Board. Our aim is to see us working together with more understanding from the Board on what is happening at NDC Committee and state delivery level and operational matters.

Specific items discussed were:

• The ICDF
• The NDC Appointment and Procedures Policy.
• Branding – Discipline Identity
• General Regulations – including recognition of specific discipline issues.

The EADC is looking forward to the upcoming one on one discipline meetings with the Board, this is a great initiative and we are optimistic it will build goodwill and better communication – we are all EA… As the Board’s conduit to our SDA’s and their members, this will be our priority.

Currently, the EADC has a number of items under discussion, as is to be expected at this time of the year, they are primarily operational enquiries referred by the Branches or the SDA’s. We also have a couple of specific initiatives which are very exciting and have the possibility of engendering great PR for Dressage – yet to be at a stage to put before the Board, although one is to recognise our highest achievers who set a benchmark CDI score and flagged in our Draft budget.

We are also in early discussion stage with various parties regarding holding an FEI Pacific Region Forum and including our Group 5 neighbours. I flag this because it may well come on your radar unofficially, and I wish to stress that is exactly where it is at this stage.

FEI Forums are not undertaken without long term planning and commitment by those with prior experience and the bottom line is that all boxes have to be ticked before any of us put our names on a submission to the FEI.
Once it progresses to a more detailed plan agreed to by all parties with a likely buy-in, including NZ, then we can submit a formal proposal to the Board, but at this stage, it is the EADC’s responsibility to take forward.

ENDURANCE
The Endurance Committee has had one teleconference and is waiting on confirmation regarding membership of the committee. No new members have nominated, and two of the current members whose terms had expired have indicated they will re-nominate.

It has also been quiet in attracting new selectors, and we are hoping to have three in place soon, along with ratification of team officials. Meanwhile, several CEIs are on the Australian calendar and EOI have been called for the youth championships in Italy later this year.

DRIVING
Pathways
The committee are developing a Pathway for Driving within Australia, grassroots progressing up to FEI level within the EA membership structure.

The biggest trouble for Driving in Australia is that there have been very few competitions available to practise skills, and no pathways set out to develop skills for all levels, that include athletes, officials, coaches etc.

Strategic Plan
The committee are re-developing the strategic plan for Driving, which will include the National committee, States, Clubs, members and the wider Driving community.

Driving Officials
At the present moment we are drafting up a pathway for ‘Becoming a Driving Official’. I am using as much information as possible from the eventing and from overseas Driving contacts to help write a functional syllabus that will benefit Driving here in Australia.

The Driving officials have been given a 12 months extension until March 2020. Within this time the committee will need to write a syllabus which includes a Power Point Presentation for:
Becoming a Driving Judge, Technical Delegate, Course Designer & Steward

Equally working out who the presenters will be, so the States are able to run workshops before March 2020.

Rulebook
EA have received approval from the FEI Legal Department that the Australian NF can incorporate the FEI Driving Rules into its National Rules.

The EA Driving rules are going to be updated and user friendly for all within the Driving community.

The committee are at present discussing rules on helmets and back protectors within all levels & activities of the sport.

State Branches
I’m in the process of having talks with ENSW, EVIC, ESA & EQLD CEO’s and their Driving committees.

The EVIC Driving committee have just been approved and I will be meeting F2F with them for their first meeting on 13th June.

Clubs
At present we are sending letters out to States, for all Driving clubs to be aware of helpful resources like, “Safe Equestrian” app and the concussion templates & info.

JUMPING
EAJC and the World Cup sub-committee have up-graded the structure of the World Cup guidelines so that it is no longer losing money each year. We are in the process of trying to obtain a $10,000 sponsor for the naming rights of the Australian League. The relationship between the EAJC and the World Cup sub-committee is greatly improved.

Aquis Champions Tour: 26 April – 6 May 2019 was again a great success. This event continues to grow with approx. $345,000 in prizemoney this year. There were 42 horses in the Gold Series which is a huge growth in numbers at the top end. Numbers were also large in most other classes starting from 80 cm to 1.65m. The last weekend was watched by a massive crowd.

The one negative we have at the moment are teams and individual riders going overseas purporting to represent Australia without the invitations going through our National Federation or the EAJC or any of our selection process being followed. These riders are requesting from the Federal Office flags and uniforms. We are in the process of addressing this problem.

COACHING & OFFICIALS
For April to June 2019 Amy McGregor was the only member of Staff in the Officials & Coaching Department since July 2018. I am pleased to report the appointment of Kellie Hayes as Pathway Officer Coaches, and Amy will be Pathway Officer Officials. This EA department (Coaches and Officials) has been under-resourced for 12 months.

Officials Re-accreditation – Re-accreditation is currently under way for all Officials in Eventing, Jumping, Vaulting, Driving, Measuring, Medication Control and all discipline Stewards. This is a busy time with over 1100 individual qualifications being re-accredited. Over half of the officials have sent the forms in. Reminders being sent out to all who have not submitted by National as well as State branches and discipline committees.

• FEI Jumping Course Designers Level 1 – 4th - 9th April 2019 at SIEC Werner Deeg assisted by John Vallance were the course directors. The course was a great success with all 16 participants passing with participants form POR and NZL. The feedback from attendees and the course directors was very positive.
• FEI Eventing Course Judges, TD, CD and Stewards – Running in conjunction with Sydney Three Day event 25th – 28th April 2019 – Both courses were at full capacity with 22 participates in the J, TD and CD course with directors Alec Lochore (UK), Sue Baxter (UK) and Tom Ryckewaert (BEL). The steward course with 12 participants and course directors Philine Ganders-Meyer (GER) and Christine Wallis (AUS). Another fantastic course, the feedback has been very positive and by all accounts participants were successful in refreshing or beginning their next steps to promotion. Participants in the course came from NZL, USA, GER, JPN and IND.
• Officials Top Up Insurance – This will be sent out to all officials in the first week of June.
• CE/SSTA updates – A proposal was put forward to the EACC on the running of the updates for this year. Waiting for feedback from the EACC to get the updates up and running in all states.
• Coaching Pathway Officer - The job has been advertised closing date 24th May. Shortlist to be made and interviews conducted. Kellie Hayes was successful.
• Coaching Renewals – Coaching Renewal will be sent out the 1st week of June, so this will be a very busy period. Prices have not changed this year after the increase seen for the 18/19 renewal period.
• Handling all Coaching and Officials enquires and administration

ATHLETE PATHWAYS

Education Pathway
Objective - Reinvigorate the traditional elements of education, equitation and horsemanship within the Ride A horse pathway.

• Assistant Coach Program – Will be implemented with new Coaching Committee and when a plan is in place.
• Junior Official program – Will be driven by the Pathway Officer Officials and when a plan is in place.
• Ride A Horse Equestrian Skills programs being actively promoted Nationally at Coach level and participant level.

A PowerPoint presentation on the EA Pathways programs and the Ride A Horse website has been put together to be included at Coaching Clinics and Coach Update clinics.

It is very exciting to finally have a coaching committee in place and some movement on the LMS project that will also include educating coaches on the EA participation programs and how they fit in with them.

Growth of the Sport – Ongoing promotion
Objective – Grow the sport

Ride A Horse website Active and delivering Equestrian Skills programs for all levels of participant while delivering tools to coaches to be able to grow and promote their business.
• Promoting a pathway for all Equestrians. (Riders, Officials, Coaches etc.)

National Interschool Guidelines
Objective - Establish consistent National guidelines for Interschool.

• A recommendation to consider reinstating an active State Based Interschool committee.
• Expansion of the Interschool Pathway
• Need to make sure that ALL State Branches follow EA Membership guidelines and run Interschool as per EA rules.
• There is a misconception that Interschool is unofficial –Interschool follows EA rules.
• We need an updated One Membership flyer – The current flyer needs to be taken out of distribution as it is outdated.

DIGITAL & MEDIA
This has been a very busy period for the Equestrian Australia media department.
The Equestrian Australia monthly newsletter has been kicked off again, with the fourth, April issue due for dispatch in the next fortnight. This has been rebranded and is now called the EA Equestrazine. It replaces the old style newsletters, of which there were four separate pieces. Combining all disciplines, across all levels has proven very successful with reports back that is creates a much more collective ‘community’ feel, bringing everyone together.

We have also relaunched the ever-popular Coach of the Month series, where we highlight the Equestrian Australia coaches and educators who work with dedication and passion all over Australia. They get a platform for recognition and thanks for all their hard work and dedication to their sport.

Beginning in March, we have also launched a new initiative similar to the above, but for volunteers, Volunteer of the Month. This is a new regular series on our website and social media, which is a way of saying a big Thank You! To the tireless Equestrian Australia volunteers from across all disciplines, who help keep our sport running smoothly, all over Australia.

The third addition, to support the ideas and contribution of our valued members, is the implementation of EA member contribution to news and education. Currently, much of the information sourced and shared via our social media is from various overseas websites, so traffic has then been directed away from the EA page. However, in the nature of sharing valuable content, and providing an ongoing reason for the community to follow the EA page, this has been considered a worthwhile trade-off.

However with this new initiative, we can have articles created and positioned as original content, first based on the EA website, then shared on our social media – linking directly back to the EA website, it closes the loop. It keeps our community informed and positions EA as top provider of resources and knowledge.

This strengthens us not only as a reliable information source for our members but also serves to strengthen our search rankings with Google and other search engines. As part of the process for submitting pieces for consideration, all interested writers need to be currently accredited in their field and area of expertise. Checks are run before accepting any articles. This initiative has been met favourably indeed.

There has been growth across all social media platforms, with Facebook still proving to be by far our most impacting social media outlet. The majority of the people who read the stories on the EA website are driven by links initially placed on Facebook.

SAFETY – see letter to members 5 July 2019 – click HERE

INTEGRITY, SAFETY & REGULATORY

• All 9 pending Member Protection/Code of Conduct complaints (formal and informal) are being dealt with in accordance with EA’s policies. It is anticipated the majority of these complaints will be finalised by 30 June.
• PPE changes are being implemented with some of the modification of processes and timing being adopted after feedback from relevant stakeholders. Over 1300 helmets have been checked and tagged. Approx. 6% have not been compliant.
• On 13 May EA was represented at the annual meeting of the Horse Industry Consultative Committee convened by the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources. Much of the discussion was related to the import and export of horses and related regulatory matters of interest to EA but of no specific relevance. Traceability was discussed. The position of the meeting in relation to traceability was consistent with the submission EA made to the Senate Inquiry so, there were no particular issues of note from that discussion.

High Performance Program Update

Chris Webb - High Performance Director

#TowardsTokyo2020

Over the past six months the High Performance team has been intensely focused on the preparations ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games to ensure we are best placed to deliver our podium finish. This update is intended to give you all a guide about some of our activities.

Oceania Championships, Taupo NZ

Our teams have recently participated in the Oceania Eventing Championships. High Performance sent three teams across the Tasman, two senior and one young rider team. Our key objective was to trial the new Olympic format (this was the first time the format has been trialed in the Southern Hemisphere and the second time it had been trialed at Championship level in the world). Our secondary objective was to provide a development opportunity for a number of riders who are at the start of their international Championship journey. This was the largest contingent to date that Australia has sent to New Zealand for the biennial event.

The journey to New Zealand was a valuable exercise in preparation for Tokyo 2020, with an additional development focus. For a number of athletes who attended the event it was their first time representing Australia at Championship level. This was a significant step forward and offered a unique opportunity to gain exposure to a team environment, coaching from Nelson Pessoa and access to the High Performance veterinary team. We have received very constructive feedback from the riders and their connections on their experience and learning’s in Taupo.

With the new rules for Tokyo 2020 only recently being confirmed the primary focus at Taupo was to trial the new format. It also provided a valuable opportunity for the Australian High Performance team to meet with Catrin Norinder, FEI Eventing Director to discuss the sport and the changes that have been implemented. These discussions have allowed us to gain a greater understanding and clarity surrounding the subtleties of the new format and associated logistics. We feel confident that we have a comprehensive understanding of the intricacies of the new rules, and how the structure of the competition can be used to benefit our preparations.

The team really benefited from the attendance of Wayne Roycroft at Taupo. We use Wayne in a strategic role to advise and support our team in our Tokyo preparations. We thank Wayne for his time and commitment as his insight and vast experience is valuable in how we plan and prepare for Tokyo.

Tokyo Format

To further cement our teams understanding of the new format we took part in a simulated exercise, in real time, during the Nations Cup competition in Pratoni, Italy and then during the German Championships at Luhmuhlen. High Performance staff selected teams and implemented strategies according to their understanding of the teams strengths and weaknesses. Each member amended his or her strategies in real time as the competition progressed. We performed a detailed post analysis following the exercise in order to identify any additional strategies that may have been implemented. Some of the results have been quite surprising and we have identified some areas where we believe a competitive advantage can be obtained.

Performance Analysis - EquiRatings

EquiRatings is a tool that we have been utilising to provide detailed analytics on each of our Australian combinations that may be vying for a place on the Eventing Team in Tokyo. High Performance has been leading discussions with EquiRatings and collating all data available. There has been a specific focus on combinations that have achieved a high level of reliability across the phases, which has then been cross-referenced with the level of competition, and its application for the Tokyo 2020 format.

Using some of the lessons learned from these exercises, we have been working with  the team from EquiRatings to identify opportunities for better decision making across all aspects of our preparation.

Selection/Nomination Policies

The selection/nomination policies for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games have been at the forefront of our recent work. We have been working in conjunction with the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC)/ Paralympics Australia (PA) to finalise the selection/nomination policies for each discipline.

The AOC, who is responsible for all final able-body policy approval, is working from a new, simpler template, meaning all of the Equestrian policies will be more straightforward for athletes. However, this new format has meant that the policies have had to be re-drafted from scratch, leading to a longer review process with the AOC. We anticipate that the policies will soon be ready to circulate. We wish to thank Georgia Widdup (Eventing Selection Panel Chair) and Maryjane Crabtree (Dressage Selection Panel Chair) both of whom are legal practitioners who have driven a thorough, credible and transparent process.

High Performance Squads

The first phase of the competition year has now been completed and we have reviewed the High Performance Squads. Our squad athletes are focusing on their individual performance plans for the remainder of the year. Each athlete is offered a tailor made program, designed with their key goals in mind, and offered follow up support to ensure their plans remain relevant and progressive. All squad riders are also provided with any additional support that may be needed to ensure they can perform to the best of their ability, and optimize their selection prospects. The High Performance team has staff dedicated in both the domestic and international spaces in order to service all of our athletes, regardless of their geographical location.

Tokyo 2020 Test Event - 12-14 August 2019

We are currently looking ahead to the Tokyo test event, which will take place in August. We will be sending one horse and rider combination from Europe, whilst offering additional un-mounted opportunities for identified athletes. The test event is an important opportunity for us to experience not only the venue, but also the environment, organisation and logistical layout of the Games prior to 2020. In addition to the athletes, the Chef d’Equipe for each discipline will also be in attendance to ensure all factors are considered across the breadth of the sport.

We believe the test event will provide a vital opportunity to reaffirm, or amend, our detailed pre-Games preparations and to identify areas that we can maximise potential advantages.

Nelson Pessoa

The High Performance program has been very fortunate to secure Mr. Nelson Pessoa as the Eventing Team jumping coach, a move that has already seen a marked improvement on our athletes performances in the jumping phase of competition.

Mr. Pessoa has been working with our European based riders for the past 18-months and the feedback from the riders has been overwhelmingly positive.

Chris Burton in particular has expressed this belief that the training with Mr. Pessoa has had a huge impact on his team of horses, and his recent string of international successes. Many of our athletes have also taken advantage of opportunities to travel to Belgium during the winter months for additional training. Further, we sent Australian based coach, Sam Lyle, to work alongside Mr. Pessoa in order to learn from his coaching methods, and be able to share some of the wisdom he learnt with our Australian based riders upon his return.

We were also able to offer our Australian based riders training with Mr. Pessoa when he was in Australia and New Zealand with the Oceania Championship teams. This experience proved invaluable to our riders who, with the short amount of exposure, have noticed improvements in their performance. Our UK based riders have been working with the Eventing Team Dressage Coach, Graeth Hughes, on a regular basis.

Australia Based Eventing Riders

Riders that are based in Australia have continued to work with their individual coaches, as many have developed a coaching partnership that works for them and their team of horses. However, we provide considerable support for the Next Squad riders in implementing a higher level of professionalism and structure in their approach to training, competing and horse management. The feedback that we have received from a number of these athletes has further been productive.

Recently some of our riders, with the assistance of Dr Alison Alcock, have been trialling remote coaching software. This means they are able to access specialised coaches who may not be readily available in their area. The introduction of this system has welcomed encouraging feedback and is a system we believe can be replicated for the benefit of other riders.

Veterinary Program

The current veterinary program offered by High Performance is the most rigorous and proactive program to date. Our current team of vets continues to ensure our horses remain in peak condition. Key horses are monitored on a fortnightly or monthly basis with the horses home veterinarian in constant communication with head vet Dr. Nathan Anthony.

Athlete wellbeing

Not only are our horses monitored but also the wellbeing of our athletes is paramount, and as such is examined regularly. Weekly updates are entered into an online app which addresses each athlete’s mental wellbeing, physical wellbeing, training and competition schedule. We have found this to be an invaluable tool for identifying issues that may arise at an early stage and ensuring appropriate intervention and action is taken, with the required support provided.

Key High Performance staff members are available to our athletes on a daily basis to ensure the lines of communication are open and the athletes are supported on their journey to team selection.

In addition athletes are also able to utilise the services of Behavioural Strategist, Warren Kennaugh. Warren works closely with the program and the riders to ensure that any issues or concerns are appropriately addressed, managed, and followed up.

Sports Forum

To ensure we stay at the forefront of any developments in the sport we attended the FEI Sports Forum in April. This gave us the opportunity to engage in discussion with not only the FEI, but also other Federations, regarding discipline specific issues and changes.

During the forum we had the opportunity to meet with Bettina de Rham, FEI Director of Para-Dressage regarding judging and to discuss how this can be improved moving forward, and in particular, how we are able to assist in this process. Other critical contact points included Catrin Nornider, Eventing Director, John Roach, Jumping Director, and Dr. Jenny Hall (Veterinarian).

The FEI Sports forum is an important part of the High Performance program’s plan, and provides important insights valuable to the advancement of the High Performance program.

Para-Equestrian High Performance

Our Para-Equestrian program has undergone a review of late and we are pleased to announce, we have secured two exciting additions to the team in Lone Joergensen and Veronica Steward. Lone joins us as in the capacity of Technical Lead for the Para Equestrian program, whilst Veronica will be appointed as the Para Equestrian Technical Advisor, which will also include event management, rules advisory, and FEI Para liaison. 

The new Para staff team have been arranging and engaging with the identified rider group around their individual performance plans readying for their Tokyo preparation. This is an important year for individuals and the team to qualify for Tokyo 2020. To that end, for the first time we have planned to host five CPEDI’s in the next twelve months.

Dressage

We have just completed our recognition squad review which will be announced this month. This will enable the selectors to visit upcoming CDI competitions in Australia to monitor performances in accordance with the nomination policy. With the season in full swing in the European and American landscapes our overseas based riders are already progressing with their preparation.

July is an exciting time with Australia having two riders competing in the Longines FEI/WBFSH World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses which takes place in Ermelo. Both Simone Pearce and Rebecca Rooke have multiple rides with Australia being represented in the 5, 6 and 7 year old classes.

The Tokyo Test event will also provide Chef d’Equipe Deborah MacNicol with an opportunity to explore the best possible preparation for our Dressage team. High performance will also look to enhance their communication and relationships with the Equestrian Australia Dressage Committee.

We have recently seen some strong performances internationally from Mary Hanna and Kristy Oatley in quality European CDIs, which is a positive step forward on the road to Tokyo.

Jumping

Jumping Manager/Chef d’Equipe Todd Hinde is currently finalising a jumping High Performance plan. This plan will provide a best practice High Performance development opportunity for all High Performance riders based in Australia and around the world, both in the short and long term. Apart from Tokyo preparation and taking advantage of the jumping team qualifying from their WEG performance there will also be exciting opportunities for Young Riders in the future. This will include exposure to borrowed horse events around the world and also identifying potential riders in line for the Youth Olympic Games 2022, which will be held in Senegal.

For Australian based combinations the start of the outdoor World Cup program will see our best horses and riders in action. Our American based riders have been competing successfully at CSI 4 and 5 star level. Edwina Tops-Alexander continues her foothold, week-in week-out, on the Longines Global Champions Tour circuit. Our jumping High Performance plan will hope to promote a pathway for our up and coming athletes to emulate Edwina’s success.

Our relationship with the Equestrian Australia Jumping Committee is a strong point under the leadership of Mr Graeme Watts. One initiative Graeme has implemented is the ability for Australian riders to obtain a COC at an Olympic Qualifier, at the Australian Jumping National Championships.

High Performance Non-Olympic Disciplines

The non-Olympic FEI disciplines have continued to progress post WEG 2018 and into the new Championship cycle. The National Selection Panels for Vaulting, Driving and Endurance have now been appointed until the end of 2022, as per the terms of tenure. Each of the panel members who have been appointed bring with them a wealth of knowledge and experience across the breadth of the relevant disciplines, and we were pleased to have had a keen interest in the positions from those in the community.

This selection cycle has also seen additional importance placed on succession planning with the panels including members new to the role who bring with them a fresh and relevant perspective, as well as the ability to develop and carry the skills and knowledge forward for future cycles.

We have also named the Australian representatives for the World Vaulting Championships – Juniors to be held in Ermelo (NED) at the end of July. Two individual athletes will compete at the event and will be accompanied by Jamie Hocking, who has been appointed as Chef d’Equipe. Jamie is stepping up into the role for the first time and will use his extensive European Vaulting experience to guide and support the team in Ermelo.

We are also in the process of naming the competitors who will compete for Australia at the 2019 World Endurance Championships - Young Riders and Juniors which will take place in September in Pisa (ITA).

Media and Communications Plan

In an effort to ensure both our High Performance riders, and our program, is afforded clear and positive messaging we have also implemented a detailed High Performance Media and Communications Strategic Plan. This plan has been in place and active since January this year and has already gained significant momentum. Every month since the plan has been implemented we have seen media coverage in not only equestrian specific publications, but also wider press, including internationally.

Included in the High Performance Plan was the resurrection of the dedicated High Performance Social Media channels (Australian Equestrian Team) which continues to see steady growth month on month. There is also a heavy focus on original content, with direct quotes sourced from riders, rather than simply sharing messaging produced by external sources. This includes extensive coverage of key events throughout Australia and overseas.

We intend to proceed with this level of dedication to our messaging and coverage of our program via key events throughout the year in the lead up to Tokyo 2020.

A further new initiative in the communications space is the collaboration with equestrian magazine ‘EQ Life’ with our new Para-Dressage leaderboard. This leaderboard has been created to highlight the Para-Dressage program and to encourage not only participation but also support for our riders campaigning for Tokyo.

Overall the High Performance program is progressing on track, in line with our High Performance Plan, as we continue to grow.