Since I stopped reporting on Australian equestrian sport quite some time ago, for a number of reasons that I don’t intend on elaborating on, I have refrained from commenting on the current chaotic state of Equestrian Australia. However over the last few days, a number of people have contacted me asking what I think should happen.
I certainly did not attempt to follow the Days of Our Lives soap opera farce that has been particularly the Federal EA, but also the (un)reality in some of the state branches, so these general observations are more based on about 30 years of watching equestrian develop in Australia.
I saw a post from Barry Roycroft where he pointed out that the rot had set in when it was decided (by whom?) that directors who knew nothing about the sport might better guide EA than the traditional directors who had been drawn from the ranks of competitors, owners and event organizers. It was a costly delusion. I met a couple of these outside experts, perfectly charming folk, but their solutions were simply an attempt to mirror strategies that worked very well for sports like tennis or golf, but were completely useless for a minority interest sport like equestrian.
This was compounded by employing a series of General Secretaries who also knew nothing about the sport, who in turn employed large numbers of Federal functionaries who also knew nothing about the sport. It really looked like one big circular con. The various tertiary bodies spew out x sports administrators a year. Half of them go to work for the various sporting bodies, while the other half go to work for the funding bodies. So while the Institute of Sport and the Olympic Committee were handing out more money than ever before, the riders were getting less. The funds were absorbed by the small army of bureaucrats employed by EA to write reports, after as many seminar talk fests as possible, to go to their mates in the funding bodies, so they could get another round of grants, so they… Nice work if you can get it…
The series of non-equestrian Secretaries General were much more comfortable with irrelevant educational programs – think of the absurd ready set go campaign – than getting involved in the nitty gritty of getting Australian teams to compete on the world stage in the best possible shape. How many EA functionaries does it take to write a one paragraph press release? For a while the answer was three! Flown around Australia to major events, along with a cricket team of ‘expert’ advisors and selectors. And it was worse at major international events.
Here is my modest proposal. Take the Federal body back to its original charter, to facilitate international competition, and let’s remember in the process, that the elite athletes, like Christopher Burton or Andrew Hoy or Stuart Tinney, really don’t need a high performance program, they set their own goals. Yes, you do need someone with serious international experience to shape the tactics on the day, a rôle that Wayne Roycroft filled with spectacular, count them three gold medals, success, but these people can be hired in the final stages of a selection process, they are not the sort who wish to prop up a desk in an EA office.
Take the feds back to that minimal rôle and you can sack all the hangers on, all you need is a Secretary General who comes out of the sport, with a secretary/office manager. Leave all the other stuff for the state branches, while making sure that the state branches are answerable to their membership, but that dear friends is another can of worms.
In the coming days, my advice to all who have asked it, has been to follow the lead of an elite competitor, exemplary character, and a fine mind who has spent a lifetime in the sport – Ricky MacMillan.
– CH
Well said Chris!
Perfectly said, it’s been really hard to watch.
How erudite, Mr Hector!
Agree 100%
Perfectly well said Chris. So many of us totally agree withh your analysis. Get behind Ricky & Co for good governance changes.
You are on the money Chris well said
Very astute piece of writing. Thank you Chris, here’s hoping the membership support Ricky as their representative in this process, rather than sitting back and watching it unfold.
Thanks Chris, I was waiting for your wise words! Very well said and a good solution. I dread the day when you retire, so please don’t!
How many equestrians do know about the running of an organization like EA? It is obviously far more complex than it seems. But, that is the case with the most professional sporting clubs and associations. Modern sports administration is not a job for part timers, whose principal qualification is that they were an expert player of the sport. If, as Mr. Hector suggests, EA was burdened with a top heavy bureaucracy, then it has fallen for the same trap as so many other sporting and non-sporting bodies.
If it used monies supplied by grass roots supporters to fund the junkets and excursions of a few certain riders, and a not so few certain hangers on, then the fall which was inevitably going to come, has now come.
Great Chris right behind you , Ricky and team.
Exactly Chris, what you are suggesting is more like the old Federation model. At least with this model members of state branches would have a direct voice to their management. Unfortunately the major Fly in the ointment is Sport Australia who insisted on the constitution EA has and the structure of governance as a pre condition for government funding. Any body looking for government funding through Sport Australia must have National governance. So the question arises, if we adopt your model then can the branches succeed in gaining any funding via Sport Australia? Can the Branches survive without Sport Australia funding and source funding through their State Government funding. They will be saving $$$ by not having the levy they paid to EA.
Thank you Chris for the historical overview. Having observed the politics of administration serving as a State Subcommittee member for the betterment of our sport, I was enthused by the appointment of Ricky. It is to be hoped that our support will see the reinstatement of the objective of productive administration of Equestrian for the benefit of all levels of membership.
The problem is Chris, having got their noses into the trough, it is going to be hard to drag them kicking and struggling out again.
Completely agree , it has been a problem for decades . It would be wonderful to see EA live up to it’s potential !!!
Thank you Chris. Very well summed up and are with you on this one 100%
Owning a horse riding school, maybe someone out there will outline the fact that Australia is one of the very rare developed countries not to help or support professional riding schools. You know where people learn how to ride before they can compete. Can we try to develop those riding schools in Australia, guided by other countries examples. That would bring money to the federation and more potential riders on the international scene.
Visited EA years ago to try to explain it and show other countries programs for riding schools, and yes, I realised none of them really knew what our sport was….
Just saying
Jeez, I hope I’m still your favourite Sec Gen!!
of course you are! although i think the last good one was Franz and if he had stayed in the job things would be very different today… CH