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Eurodressage F.O.C.U.S.
Talk Yourself Horse: Dane Rawlins
Dressage at Hickstead’s founder Dane Rawlins says it’s time for the BEF to act for the horse public, not itself
July 13, 2006 - Reproduced with kind permission of Horse and Hound
 I’ve been involved in
equestrianism for a long time
and have seen many positive
developments. Yet I have never
known the distance between our
national federation — the British
Equestrian Federation (BEF)
— and the core of the sport be so great.
The BEF appears to be in the grip of
committee-itis. It has grown in personnel,
yet has lost its way. It risks failing its
army of enthusiasts.
The members of the disciplines’
organisations are surely what really
count. The most direct contact any of
our organising bodies have with their
members is via the efforts of shows
and their organisers. Yet when
major projects arise, the BEF seems
happy to pick its own small band of
advisers and reject the opinions of
many others who have equal, maybe
greater, expertise; particularly if they
are deemed difficult!
Why on earth reject this free
advice, let alone isolate those who wish
to give it? A major examination of the sport
carried out at a cost of some £110,000
(plus a continuation fee of some £70,000
for a facilities study) found equestrianism is
not unified and suggested the BEF should
work towards a more cohesive structure.
This is something many would have told
the BEF for a lot less. But has anything
actually changed?
An example of its closed shop is the
serious questions many of us have about
the Greenwich site for the
2012 Olympic Games
equestrian events. The
London bid committee did
a fantastic job in getting
the Games. But now
reality is setting in. More
knowledgeable people
than me believe Greenwich
is not big enough. Indeed,
150 acres would not usually be deemed big
enough for a one-day event.
If this is so, we should be told the reason
for spending, what I understand will be, at
least £11million, on a project that will yield
no hard legacy except a boom for providers
of temporary structures.
I appreciate the arguments of those who
want equestrianism at the heart of London.
After all, I’m a Londoner. But Greenwich will
go back to being a London park. Haven’t we
learnt from the Millennium Dome? What’s the
point of sinking millions into something with
no further benefit to the public after 2012?
The “soft legacy”, as BEF chief executive
Andrew Finding described it to me, is surely
no more than a “feel-good” factor. While this
may be cosy, it will be temporary. When will
the horse world next have such a magnificent
chance to invest in its infrastructure?
If the critics are wrong, why not invite
them to a gathering and reveal the full depth
of the Greenwich plans?
To give a further example, I read in H&H
(news, 22 June), that Hickstead had not
submitted a bid for the joint European
Championships for show jumping and
dressage in 2009. In fact, we at Hickstead
only found out after reading in H&H two
weeks earlier that tenders were being
invited. Hickstead contacted the BEF and
stated that it was interested, reiterating its
credentials, but pleading that three weeks’
notice in the run-up to the Derby and the
Royal International was totally insufficient.
I’ve known Hickstead’s creator Douglas
Bunn and his dedicated family for 17 years.
Where would equestrianism in Britain be
without them? And this is how they are treated. Who decided on such a ridiculously
short time limit?
Others may have coped with the BEF’s
timescale but they were not in the run-up to
their major events. Hickstead knows exactly
what is required, as we created successful
tender bids for the 1999 show jumping and
2003 dressage Europeans. Hickstead had
the idea and got support and guidance from
UK Sport. Hickstead knows submissions
cannot be treated in a
cavalier manner. We were
not comfortable with doing
a rush job.
Our reward was to be
rejected at the first post.
I have since heard that
Hickstead did not show
enough “enthusiasm”. I would defy anyone to
give Hugh Thomas [BEF chairman and
Badminton director] such a task three weeks
before Badminton!
Shows are the lifeblood of our sport
and our volunteers are the lifeblood of
the shows. The horse public must be
represented by our federation in a way that
makes us all proud. Many of our helpers
want to be involved in the 2009 Europeans
and the 2012 Games, wherever
they are held.
We need a federation that
cares about us, values our input
and informs us openly of its
decisions on our behalf — even
if some of us are bloody difficult!
Come on BEF, how about it?
Text by Dane Rawlins - copyright: Horse and Hound
Related Links
2003 European Dressage Championships at Hickstead
Dressage at Hickstead to Show Case World's Best Dressage Riders
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