CEO UPDATE: JUNE 2023

As we are now halfway through 2023, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the achievements and milestones we have accomplished together so far this year.

First and foremost, I would like to extend my heartfelt gratitude to our equestrian community for their support as we develop strategic initiatives to deliver sustainable growth for the sport while listening to, and acting on, the feedback from our members.

We are working collaboratively with State branches around opportunities for shared services to increase efficiencies across the sport and following on from the work and report delivered by the National Equestrian Strategy and Structure Working Group (NESSWG), the Board now has a clear view on the direction and vision for the sport, which will be filled out in the coming weeks. There is an EA Board meeting scheduled for the end of July where this will be discussed and articulated further. 

The timeline published a month ago highlights key milestones and opportunities for Members to have thier say via a Member Survey which will be sent out shortly.

Updates to rules and regulations are now on our website and I would encourage all members to familiarise themselves with those applicable to their chosen discipline(s).

Looking ahead Nationally, there is an exciting calendar of events planned for the remainder of the year, including National Championships in Dressage, Para-Dressage, Jumping, Vaulting and Show Horse. In addition, there are numerous grassroots events and competitions right across the country catering to riders in all disciplines and at all levels, introducing new enthusiasts daily to the joys of equestrian sports.

In the area of High Performance, we now have our Dressage and Eventing teams qualified for the Paris Olympics next year, with high hopes that our Jumping team will qualify this month in their upcoming competition in Valkenswaard in The Netherlands. Our Para-Equestrian qualifications for the 2024 Paralympic Games will be confirmed in December.

Wishing you all a safe and successful month ahead as you enjoy the connections you have with each other and your horses.

Darren Gocher

Chief Executive Officer
Equestrian Australia