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| Hocus Pocus |
The British Equestrian Federation
(BEF) has announced the continuation of its Equine Development programme, following
a handover to a new company formed by a partnership of industry experts. The
group came together in a bid to take on the running of the activities, which
consist of a stallion show, breeding magazine and the young stock evaluations known
as the Futurity and Equine Bridge. The new
organisation will take on the name British Breeding.
The company will be co-directed by
Jane Skepper of Horse IT; Rachael Holdsworth of Holdsworth PR; Sacha Shaw of
Breeding British; Joris van den Oetelaar who is a director of the Anglo
European Studbook and Dr Eva-Maria Broomer of Horsepower Creative.
The CEOs of the three Olympic
Disciplines, British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping, along
with Sandy Senior representing the British Breeders Network, will each have a non-executive
director seat on its board, in order to promote closer cooperation between
British breeders and the sport and to ensure inclusivity and a wide reach of
the programmes. The company will have an
independent non-executive chair, Jan Rogers, director of Research and Policy at
The Horse Trust and the former head of Equine Development at the BEF.
In adopting the holistic approach
of joining up the breeding world with the sport, the company has a strong
business plan to secure the future of all elements of the programmes for the continued
benefit of breeders and horse sport alike.
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| Daylight's Dream |
Says Iain Graham, chief executive
of British Showjumping: “We are pleased to be involved in the continued
development of young British-bred sport horses through the activities of the
new group. The importance of strong links between breeders and the sport cannot
be underestimated, and with the diversity of people participating in
showjumping, there is a need to produce good quality horses with the potential
to compete at all levels”.
Chief Executive of British
Dressage, Jason Brautigam added: “These programmes are invaluable in continuing
to develop and nurture equine talent. Strategically it is a vital component for
the future of equestrian sport and British Dressage is fully committed to
supporting this process. The Futurity evaluation and veterinary assessment
identifies horses that may go on to compete successfully at all levels by
cultivating soundness and longevity, not only for the welfare of the horse but
also for the benefit of our sport as a whole”.
“This is an exciting
opportunity for us to work together to increase the chances of the many
talented British-bred horses going to British riders who will maximise their
potential”, adds David Holmes, chief executive of British Eventing. “British-bred
horses and their breeders need the recognition they deserve, and we need to work
to stem the tide of buyers going abroad”.
Nick Fellows, chief executive of
the BEF concludes: “Our equine development programme has been fundamental to
the future of British breeding and it has been our main aim, over these last
few months, to find a safe set of hands to take it forward. The new organisation has exciting plans that will
ensure the continuation of the integrity and standards the BEF created”.
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| Axel Rose |
“These are exciting times and we
are all eager to move forward with our plans”, says Rachael Holdsworth. “The
hard work starts now, but we are already well advanced with plans for the
Futurity evaluations and a new marketing strategy. We look forward to working
with breeders and providing the infrastructure to allow their horses to gain
the recognition and reputation they so richly deserve”.
The popular Futurity series will be
revitalised, with dates in July and August, a new judging panel and veterinary
assessment services, offering valuable opportunities to breeders. The scoring
assessment has been developed in line with the very latest developments in
phenotyping research and in consultation with international specialists to create
a world-leading evaluation system. There are also plans to develop the Equine
Bridge to provide opportunities to match horses with riders.
