Following the British Equestrian Federation (BEF)'s invitation to come forward with a plan to continue its Equine Development programme, a partnership of industry experts came together in a bid to take on the running of the activities, which consist of a stallion show, breeding magazine and the young stock evaluations known as the Futurity and Equine Bridge. It was agreed and announced by the BEF that this new organisation will take on the name British Breeding: http://www.bef.co.uk/News-Detail.aspx?news=New-Future-for-Futurity.
The group consists of Jane Skepper of Horse IT; Rachael Holdsworth of Holdsworth PR; Joris van den Oetelaar who is a director of the Anglo European Studbook; and Dr Eva-Maria Broomer of Horsepower Creative who all took executive director positions on the board of the new company.
The CEOs of the three Olympic Disciplines, British Dressage, British Eventing and British Showjumping support British Breeding to promote closer cooperation between British breeders and the sport and to ensure inclusivity and a wide reach of the programmes. Jan Rogers, director of Research and Policy at The Horse Trust and the former head of Equine Development at the BEF continues to chair the company's meetings.
In adopting the holistic approach of joining up the breeding world with the sport, the company has a strong business plan to secure the future of all elements of the programmes for the continued benefit of breeders and horse sport alike.
Says Iain Graham, chief executive of British Showjumping: “We are pleased to be involved in the continued development of young British-bred sport horses through the activities of the new group. The importance of strong links between breeders and the sport cannot be underestimated, and with the diversity of people participating in showjumping, there is a need to produce good quality horses that have the potential to compete at all levels”.
Chief Executive of British Dressage, Jason Brautigam added: “These programmes are invaluable in continuing to develop and nurture equine talent. Strategically it is a vital component for the future of equestrian sport and British Dressage is fully committed to supporting this process. The Futurity evaluation and veterinary assessment identifies horses that may go on to compete successfully at all levels by cultivating soundness and longevity, not only for the welfare of the horse but also for the benefit of our sport as a whole”.
“This is an exciting opportunity for us to work together to increase the chances of the many talented British-bred horses going to British riders who will maximise their potential”, adds David Holmes, chief executive of British Eventing. “British-bred horses and their breeders need the recognition they deserve, and we need to work to stem the tide of buyers going abroad”.
“These are exciting times and we are all eager to move forward with our plans”, says Rachael Holdsworth. “The hard work starts now, but we are already well advanced with plans for the Futurity evaluations and a new marketing strategy. We look forward to working with breeders and providing the infrastructure to allow their horses to gain the recognition and reputation they so richly deserve”.
