Spotlight on Multi-Discipline EA Affiliated Clubs

South Burnett Equestrian Group (SBEG) in Queensland is an example of a small group of regional horsey people who value three pillars, horse welfare, safety and skills development, over everything else. 

As a non-discipline specific group, SBEG over the years has offered a variety of EA and non-EA horse activities including Dressage, Jumping, Driving, Show Horse, ground skill clinics, stock horse events, western dressage, competitive trail riding and pleasure riding. 

The activities offered are directed by the interests of the membership at the time.

For the past few years SBEG has hosted two major activities.  

The first is Geriatric Dressage, Dressage for riders fifty years and over, and/or horses eighteen years and over. These events provide for coaching and protocol events with participation and support of high-level Dressage judges, and competitions at a number of south east Queensland venues, including Queensland State Equestrian Centre (QSEC) in Caboolture. 

Above: Patricia Nolan and Court Jester, winner of the highest aggregate score at one of the Geriatric Dressage events held at QSEC. Trish is 62 years old and Jester is 28 years old. 

While activities are based on complying with the EA rules, there are also flexible club rules that encourage everyone to enjoy their horses.  

Examples of the flexible approach are the type of gear and tack members can use, as long as everything is safe and inline with horse welfare principles, or allowing the caller to repeat as often as necessary, and also add comments to help the rider stay calm and on course. 

SBEG values safety and horse welfare as their top priorities. The club’s events always have a Horse Welfare Officer and a Safety Officer on site to team up with the appointed coaches and judges to keep things on track.  

The judges at the club’s events focus on helping in any way they feel is appropriate with emphasis on building the horse-rider connection.  

Extra percentage points are added to the final score based on riders and horse ages. 1% is added for being over 60, 2% for being over 70 and 3% for being over 80.  Horses get another 1% for being over 18, 2% for being over 25 and 3% for being over 30.  And yes, one rider has claimed the 6% advantage on offer!

The second activity embraced by SBEG over the past few years is Driving.  Many older riders or people with disabilities can continue their love of horse activities when the option of Driving is available.

Above: Patricia Nolan and Court Jester also taking part in one of the Driving Clinics.

SBEG offers clinics, both grass-roots and higher-level competition days, as well as ‘come and try’ days where very educated horses are available to assist with providing learning opportunities for participants. 

SBEG, in conjunction with Driving Queensland, also offers ‘Driving Road Show’ days at other EA-affiliated Club venues. Clubs in the south-east Qld area can contact Driving Qld, either through the facebook page, or through the Equestrian Qld office, and arrange a day where educated horses and carriages are brought to a suitable venue and members of EA or that Club can have a go themselves. Clubs may be able to access Sport Development funding for this.

SBEG also works with RDAs and Equine Pathways Australia to support activities and clinics for drivers and riders with disabilities around south-east Qld, providing coaches and horses.

Being a multi-discipline club offers many advantages -

- The club can have a number of sub-committees for different disciplines, and can remain as integrated or independent as the club’s constitution allows.
- Volunteers can be shared, for example, an Eventing rider may love to be a backstepper on a carriage!
- Club expenses become better value for money as more members are contributing to relatively fixed costs, e.g. insurance, affiliation, venue costs, etc.
- For regional and rural areas, the multi-discipline club structure means fewer date clashes, and more opportunities for working together in the community. 

If you are involved with a regional or rural EA-affiliated club or even another Club which may not be EA-affiliated at the moment, consider the advantages of your club becoming a multi-discipline EA-affiliated club, with benefits to be gained such as greater access to grants, shared intellectual property and the great support provided from the state EA branch.

Above: Hilary Stubbs and Glenormiston Rough Diamond, competing at an SBEG event.