Times have certainly changed. And jumper and hunter equestrians have entered the land of opportunity.
This includes the opportunity to be involved in governance through committee service; the opportunity to bring educational programs to all levels of equestrians; the opportunity for everyone, at all levels, to be involved in the creation and implementation of these programs; the opportunity to direct and influence the education, licensing and certification of our officials and professionals; and the opportunity to direct our sport into the future.
At our first U.S. Hunter Jumper Association convention (see Nov. 26, p. 12), I saw many new faces becoming involved in the governance of the sport of hunters and jumpers, a trend that I believe will continue and one that we need to encourage.
David O’Connor, the U.S. Equestrian Fede-ration president, is correct–it’s up to those of us involved in governance today to not only watch over our sport in our time, but also to ensure its future stability and growth by identifying and mentoring its future leaders.
Governance takes commitment. Those involved in directing our sport have a responsibility to do what’s in the best interest of the sport as a whole. True leaders are capable of setting aside their everyday hat and looking at the overall picture. Because what’s good for the sport is generally good for those involved in the long term.
Involvement in governance requires a commitment of energy, time, money and sacrifices to fulfill your responsibilities as a representative. There are many times we’d all like to take some extra time off, go on vacation, not answer the phone, spend time with friends, but when you agree to be responsible for your sport, sometimes you lose those luxuries.
That’s why some people call governance a thankless job. But those of us involved in the process don’t. We’re excited and invigorated by the changes and challenges.
When you accept a seat on a committee or board, you agree to show up at the meetings and to have read the materials. You agree to represent the best interests of your constituents, even when it’s not in your own best interest. And you agree to sometimes take the opposite viewpoint of your constituents when they’re acting in their own self-interest and disregarding the good of the sport.
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Whenever you have to do that, you’ll take a lot of heat. That’s when you have to believe in yourself and stick to your convictions, not letting yourself be swayed by public outcry.
Believe me, a few very vocal individuals will cry out about the injustice of your decision and try to make you feel as if the whole world agrees with them. But that’s rarely the case. More often than not, the major-ity can see the reasoning behind your decision.
As a representative, you have to listen to peoples’ input and respond to them, while also helping them understand their sport and guiding them in the direction that will benefit the greatest number of participants and their horses.
The sport of hunters and jumpers has entered a new phase with the creation of our own affiliate organization, the USHJA. We now have an organization to represent our interests, which include creating new programs and partnerships with other organizations.
Our first convention was a resounding success. More than 160 hunter and jumper members attended the meeting, a tremendous increase over the 104 hunter and jumper attendees at the USEF convention in Los Angeles last January. Participants had the opportunity to speak about rule-change proposals and other issues that concerned them and to get answers to their questions.
This year, the open rule-change forums were held prior to the final meetings of the committees. This allowed for the committees proposing rules to make amendments based on the temperature of the forums. Committee meetings were very well attended, and it was quite impressive to see the jumper and hunter community pulling together to get the work done to improve our sport.
As I said at the convention, the USHJA is just an infant, and it’s up to all of us to grow it into a responsible adult that will serve both members and equines.
The success of this or any organization is directly related to its members’ involvement. Membership is a two-way street. The organization has a responsibility to serve its members, and the members have a responsibility to provide the organization with the resources it needs to provide those member services.
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It’s extremely important now for USEF members to designate hunter or jumper as their primary discipline as it determines the proportional amount of jumper and hunter representation on both the USEF and the USHJA Board of Directors. In addition, it determines the pool of voting members for hunter zone and jumper region elections.
If you didn’t receive a ballot this year, you may not have designated your primary discipline. Now is the time for membership renewal, so make sure you declare your primary discipline.
Also, now is a good time to up-date your contact information with the USEF and the USHJA. An organization cannot be expected to find you if you haven’t provided them with the means to locate you.
An organization can not be held at fault, because an organization is its members. It’s easy to sit back and complain, and that’s why so many people like to do it. There’s no commitment that way.
But I think that if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem. It takes a lot more guts to get up, put yourself on the line, and get involved in the process.
We, the leaders of the USHJA, encourage you to get involved in your sport. Contact your representatives and find out about the opportunities to get involved in your organization. You don’t have to sit on a committee to be involved, but whatever your interests may be, there are plenty of ways for you to be involved with the USHJA and with making your organization a model of efficiency for member and equine services.
Every equestrian, whether at the entry level or the Olympic level, has an intrinsic responsibility to our sport, to our fellow equestrians and to our equine partners.
No longer will we have the USEF to blame for all our woes. We’ll only have ourselves to blame in the future.