Equestrian Canada – Ottawa, ON, July 13, 2018 – Equestrian Canada (EC) is proud to have officially taken the Responsible Coaching Movement Pledge as the next step in an ongoing commitment to protect the safety and welfare of all participants in equestrian sport.

Responsible Coaching Movement Pledge

The Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) is a multi-phase, system-wide movement, coordinated by the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) that is a call to action for sport organizations to protect the health and safety of athletes, both on and off the field of play.

On June 25, 2018, the EC Board of Directors unanimously resolved to take the RCM Pledge. As a member of the movement, EC is committed to providing the following training for certified coaches:

• Background screening
• Ethics training
• Open and Observable Coaching Environment (also known as the Rule of Two) – which stipulates that a coach cannot be alone with a child, and must have another responsible person within eyesight at all times. EC will phase in the Rule of Two over the next 12 months.

“The EC Board of Directors is committed to promoting a safe equestrian sport environment,” said Meg Krueger, EC President. “Signing the Responsible Coaching Movement Pledge is an important step in ensuring that all equestrians feel safe in their athletic pursuits.”

This training comes in addition to a number of protective policies all EC National Coaching Certification Program (NCCP) Certified Coaches have been required to follow for many years, including:

• Signing the EC Coaching Code of Ethics upon completion of the Making Ethical Decisions mandatory training and evaluation
• Signing the EC Coaching Code of Conduct
• Submitting a police background check every five (5) years
• Maintaining First Aid certification every three (3) years
• Completing concussion awareness and return-to-play training

Respect in Sport: Ongoing Developments

“We are proud to support fair and ethically trained coaches through the EC Coaching Program,” said Richard Mongeau, EC Chief Executive Officer. “Furthermore, we are committed to the ongoing development of education and resources to create and protect the safe and respectful environment that all participants in equestrian sport deserve.”

Further initiatives and resources are currently underway and more details and resources will be communicated as they become available.

Resources for Recognizing and Reporting Harassment & Abuse

Reporting is critical in creating and maintaining a safe environment for all equestrian participants.

It is vitally important for all members of the equestrian community to familiarize themselves with EC’s Code of Ethics and Harassment Policy in order to educate themselves on how to recognize and report incidents of harassment and/or abuse. Visit www.equestrian.ca/about/respect-in-sport or click the links below to access these documents:

• EC Code of Ethics
• EC Harassment Policy

Further resources will be posted to www.equestrian.ca/about/respect-in-sport as they become available.

For questions regarding EC’s respect in sport initiatives, please contact:

Jennifer Eastwood
Director, Technical Development
jeastwood@equestrian.ca