Equestrian Canada – Ottawa, ON, Feb. 7, 2018 – The Equestrian Canada (EC) Eventing Committee is pleased to announce the following new eventing initiatives for 2018, made possible through the Eventing Levy Program.

Through the Eventing Levy Program, all EC sanctioned Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum eventing competitions collect and remit a set fee per horse entered in the competition. Revenue generated through the Levy is remitted to EC and used to support eventing-specific programs and initiatives.

The EC Eventing Committee increased the Eventing Levy Fee from $12 to $15 for 2018 in order to fully fund the following programs that will shape the safety of the sport across Canada for athletes and horses, as well as encourage grassroots participation.

Safety Improvement Program
In light of the continued emphasis on risk management and improved safety in the sport of eventing, both nationally and internationally, the EC Eventing Committee has launched the comprehensive Safety Improvement Program to benefit everyone, including athletes, horses, coaches, competition organizers and officials.

The goal of the Safety Improvement Program is to increase the education and use of frangible technology on cross-country fences in order to improve the safety of the cross-country test for athletes and horses.

The program includes the following three components for 2018:

Education
The education component is tailored toward officials, organizers, athletes and coaches, and will commence with two EC Eventing Course Designer clinics, led by FEI Course Designers.

Jay Hambly (FEI 4*), who has been appointed to the Eventing Lead Course Building Team for Tokyo 2020, will lead a clinic on April 7-8, hosted as part of the 2018 EC Annual Convention in Ottawa, ON. James Atkinson (FEI 3*) will follow with a west coast clinic April 18-20, 2018 in Maple Ridge, BC.

More information and registration for these clinics can be found at www.equestrian.ca/events-results/clinics.

The Committee will also be producing further educational support, guides and resource materials, including videos demonstrating the proper installation of frangible technology.

Financial Assistance for Eventing Competition Organizers
The second component of the Safety Improvement Program will be financial assistance for eventing competition organizers to support the procurement and installation of frangible technology and shatterproof flags.

Further details on the financial assistance component will be communicated as they become available.

Eventing Rules Development
The third component revolves around the discussion, development and communication of modifications to the EC Eventing Rules in relation to the improvement of safety.

The Committee plans to establish collaboration and discussion around potential rule changes during 2018, with the goal of implementing modifications for the 2019 EC Eventing Rules.

Further details will be communicated as they become available.

Additional Updates & Initiatives for 2018
The EC Eventing Committee has also implemented the following for 2018:

Eventing Day Ticket – Cost Reduction
With an eye to encouraging grassroots participation across the country, the EC Eventing Committee has reduced the Eventing Day Ticket cost from $10 to $5 for 2018.

This will allow athletes to try out the sport of eventing at the introductory level without being required to purchase an EC Eventing Affiliation.

By cutting this fee in half, the Committee hopes to encourage cross-discipline participation in eventing.

EC Rider Level Program – Cross-Country Pilot
The growth and progress of eventing athletes from the ground up is also on the forefront of the Committee’s priorities. Therefore, in 2018, a Cross-Country Pilot Program will be added as an optional component of the existing EC Rider Level Program.

The purpose of the Pilot will be to introduce safe instruction and evaluation of cross-country riding skills into the existing Rider Level Program, allowing for increased visibility for eventing sport at an early stage of learning, without the requirement of competing.

In addition, the Pilot will introduce athletes, coaches and parents to EC’s Long-Term Equestrian Development (LTED) 2.0 pathway, and encourage appropriate progression of athlete development.

For more information on EC Eventing programs, visit www.equestrian.ca/sport/eventing.

Questions?
Questions regarding EC Eventing programs can be sent to EventingCommittee@equestrian.ca.

EC Media Contact /
Personne-ressource de CE pour les médias : 
Jessie Christie 
jchristie@equestrian.ca