It is with sadness I have to announce the very recent death of Tim Price. The previous manager of Addington Manor, he did a lot to help this Association over the years we’ve held our Annual Course at Addington. Our thoughts and prayers are with all his family.

The very talented Tim Downes FBHS has written these fantastic odes about balance:

We are so lucky that Ann Bostock has once again worked her magic and has persuaded Richard Davison FBHS to come to Addington in January 2021 as our Dressage Coach.  Richard will join Caroline Moore FBHS our Jump Coach.

PLEASE NOTE BOOKINGS MAY NOT BE MADE TIL 1st SEPTEMBER 2020 and then to Ann. More details later in the year.

Ruth Baxter wrote a letter to Horse & Hound which was published in the 23rd Jan 2020 edition. As the letter was edited by H&H and now makes far less sense to those who were at the F&I convention, it was suggested that Ruth should send the unedited version out. Please find it below:

“Dear Editor,

Last weeks training feature included a quote from me about how the BHS education system had provided a path when academia did not suit. I started on that path at 16 (then the earliest age you could take the exams) as a riding school assistant with a passion. In the last 18 years I have worked my way up the levels, achieving the Stage 5 qualification (BHSI) in 2016. Since qualifying, I am able to attend the Fellows and Instructors Association annual course, this year’s being held last week at the revamped Addington Equestrian Centre. A fantastic gathering of over 100 BHSI and FBHS’s, studying and engaging with lessons given by Adam Kemp FBHS and Corrine Bracken UKCC4 to the likes of Pammy Hutton and Nick Gauntlett. Whether we were prospective Olympians, or ex riding school assistants who had fought their way up the ranks, we were all welcomed, involved and educated. All brought together by the BHS education system. To anyone out there wondering whether the system is for them, the opportunities can be well worthwhile.

Ruth Baxter”

As you may know, our friends at UK Coaching publish a research journal and are always looking for research articles to publish.  If you have a piece of research to publish, we would encourage you to send it in to UK Coaching.  For more information on the journal and read previous editions, see https://www.ukcoaching.org/statements/research and for guidance on submissions seehttps://www.ukcoaching.org/getattachment/statements/Research/UK-Coaching-Research-Journal-submission-guidance-2019.pdf?lang=en-GB

The deadline for submissions for the next publication is the 30^th November 2019.

Can a contemporary theory of skill development be applied to equestrian (and other) sports? Hosted by Marianne Davies. All information is below plus the booking information and links.

Webinar information:

Our good friends at UK Coaching have opened the opportunity to engage in this fascinating webinar to be delivered by Marianne Davies from 9am on the 1^st November.

Marianne has been involved in coaching and sport development for over 25 years. She has worked mostly with adventure sports, as a coach, coach educator, QA/IV officer, and national trainer. She spent eight years as the Coaching Manager for Canoe Wales (Paddlesports NGB) where she implemented the roll-out of the UKCC coaching awards and the British Canoeing performance awards.

Marianne’s interest in skill acquisition was galvanised during her undergraduate degree in Sport, Health & Physical Education and her undergraduate research looking at the influence of challenge level and practice structure on skill acquisition. Through her experience as a practitioner she become interested in understanding the influence of motivation and engagement on skill development and participation. She went on to do a Research Masters exploring the interaction of motivation (Self-determination theory) and learning and is currently doing a PhD at Hartpury University applying an ecological dynamics framework to skill acquisition and coaching in equestrian sports.

Marianne has always had horses and whilst her work has been in adventure sports primarily, her passion has always been horses. She says “Equestrian sports present a unique and fascinating challenge for skill development, the process of coaching and to coach education.”

As well as coaching, research and coach development, Marianne writes many academic and practical articles and blogs. Many of these can be found on the UK Coaching membership community at Connected Coaches.

An outline of the webinar content is below.  I hope as many of you will be able to participate in this as possible

Equestrian webinar – Can a contemporary theory of skill development be applied to equestrian (and other) sports?

Date – Friday 1^st November

Time – 9am to 11am (may not last a full 2 hours)

Presenter – Marianne Davies, summary as follows:

Login details – see below, via Webex

UK Coaching invites you to join this Webex meeting: https://ukcoaching.webex.com/webappng/sites/ukcoaching/meeting/download/b722694cfe794ade9fdf34289bec9add?siteurl=ukcoaching&MTID=mb10227b778990ebe751b780390ba3d55

Meeting number (access code): 950 308 426

Password is required, so anyone interested should contact, Jillie Rogers, Sally Newcomb or Laura Hood for the password

The BHS are holding another fundraising charity race at the prestigious Newbury Racecourse on 7 November, with twelve amateur jockeys including event rider Nick Gauntlett taking part to fundraise for their vital work. After the exhilarating race will be a celebratory lunch, an auction and a full afternoon of racing. It would be great it if you could support the BHS on this day by booking a lunch ticket (to include the racing) and maybe bringing a friend or table of guests along too. Tickets at £55 each can be booked here   https://www.bhs.org.uk/get-involved/challenge-events/newbury-charity-race

“Dear Member,  

I am writing to you, ahead of a general announcement being made later today, to confirm the appointment of the new Chief Executive Officer of The British Horse Society.

James Hick will join the Society on Monday 2nd December 2019 bringing with him a wealth of experience and proven success in leading a multi-faceted organisation.  James is currently the Managing Director for ManpowerGroup Enterprise, UK and Ireland, and has worked for the ManpowerGroup since 1993.

James has been a member of The BHS for over 10 years and he breeds and shows Shire horses in his spare time so is involved with and knows the equestrian community very well.

I, along with my fellow Trustees, am delighted that James will be leading the Society through the next phase of our strategic plan. As we get close to James joining us officially, we will share more news about him and plans for his introduction to our amazing Charity.

Please look out for a brief feature on James in the next issue of British Horse magazine, due at the end of November.

Thank you for your continued support of The British Horse Society. We couldn’t do all the great work we do without you.

Tim Lord

Chairman of the Board of Trustees”

The Fellowship assessment will be taking place on 6th and 7th April 2020 at Warwickshire College

The BHS Fellowship is the highest professional standard across the equine industry and is internationally recognised.
Taking place across two days, candidates will be assessed on coaching skills, practical demonstrations, theoretical knowledge, stable management and the history of equitation.
Fewer than 80 people hold the FBHS qualification, which is recognised as the highest equestrian qualification in the world.
If you are a Stage 5 Performance Coach (formerly BHSI ) and think you have the skills, knowledge and passion to become a BHS Fellow then please forward a CV, covering letter and fee of £150 to the Education Department by 1st November 2019.
CV’s are assessed by a panel of Fellows against the following criteria:

*Competition experience

*Teaching/Coaching experience

*Presenting experience

*Previous and present occupations

*Equestrian qualifications

*Academic qualifications

*Experience developing/training horses

*Evidence developing riders

*Current training undertaken by candidate

CV’s can be emailed to Jenny Wall, jenny.wall@bhs.org.uk. If your CV is accepted you will be invited to apply for the assessment. The fee for the assessment is £925. If you do not feel ready to apply this time, your CV may be held on file for up to 5 years.

Dear all,

We are delighted to announce the results of the 2019 Trustee Election which were made public at the Election Board Meeting that took place on Tuesday at Head Office. Following the ballot open to all members of the Society, four new Trustees have joined the Board to bring their wealth of experience to the Society’s governance process. We also say goodbye to our retiring board members, Chairman, David Sheerin, Lotta von der Heyde (Vice-Chairman), Kirsty Handel, Christine Worthington and Martin Clemmey.

The election result was as follows:

• BHS Specialist Trustee – Education: Sarah Simpson
• BHS Trustee –Sally McCarthy received 1467 votes
• BHS Trustee – Tim Lord received 1225 votes
• BHS Trustee – Fran Mason received 1143 votes
• BHS Trustee –Anita Quigley received 1141 votes
• BHS Trustee –Brenda Watson received 736 votes

A total of 2373 individual members voted with each member having a choice to cast up to three votes. The voting process was carried out by an independent third party, Mi-Voice.

Tim Lord has taken on the role of Interim Chairman, elected by his fellow Trustees and a Vice-Chairman will be selected at the September Board meeting (4 September 2019). Diane Tranter, Specialist Trustee for Access, Jane Domhill Specialist Trustee for Strategic Commercial and Business Development and Ken Law Specialist Trustee for Safety remain on the Board of Trustees, each with a further term to share in accordance with their previous appointment. The new Board is in the process of recruiting Specialist role of Treasurer.

A message from the Interim Chairman, Tim Lord; “David Sheerin has been a remarkable Chairman for The British Horse Society and we are very grateful to him for his dedication and passion during his three years as Trustee and latter three years as Chairman. As David has completed the maximum six year term, my fellow Trustees and I would like to take the opportunity to thank David and recognise some of the major BHS achievements under his guidance and governance.

The Society has soared to new heights with David as Chairman, building on the solid foundation passed on to him by Chairmen and Trustees past. During our 70th year we reached our landmark 100,000 members, an achievement that David was immensely proud of and rightly so. With accolades including an increase in membership income of 70%, a growth in professional staff of 60% and reaching a volunteer resource of over 1000 volunteers. David will leave an indelible mark on The British Horse Society. During David’s tenure the BHS Education System was modernized and the Equine Excellence Pathway launched leading to a 53% increase in candidates seeking professional qualifications.  With the launch of the Challenge Awards in 2019 the BHS now has an offering for recreational riders, making the education system more accessible to a larger proportion of our growing membership. An advocate for all of our activities, David has worked tirelessly to promote and enhance our activities across Education, Welfare, Access and Safety to make us a leading voice within the equestrian industry, for the benefit of horses across the UK and Internationally.

Very best wishes,
Sarah Phillips
Chief Operating Officer

The Board of Trustees is pleased to confirm that the General Meeting requisitioned by 42 members of the Society to propose a vote of no confidence in the Chair, Board of Trustees and the CEO was held on the 11 June. A total number of 5480 verified votes were received with 829 (15.1%) in support of the resolution and 4651 (84.9%) against. Consequently, the resolution was not carried.
This is the highest turnout for a General Meeting vote in modern history.

The Board of Trustees is grateful for the support of members who voted against the resolution and will continue to carry out the great work the Charity is recognised for. In so doing, the Society will continue to engage and listen to all of its members, employees, volunteers, key stakeholders and supporters in order that we best meet the needs of horses and all who care for them.

The ballot for the election of new trustees opens today, June 12^th, and will close on July 12^th. In keeping with the Constitution of the Society, the current Board of Trustees, all of whom are volunteers, will continue in office until the Election Board Meeting of 16^th July when the full line up of the new Board will be announced.

It was with the greatest sadness that we learned of the passing of Clarissa Dawson who lost her battle with cancer on 9th March 2019. She was a much loved member of the F & I Association and many tributes and fond memories are being shared on the F & I Association Facebook page.

Horse and Hound wrote an article about Clarissa’s determination during her treatment which can be read here: http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/features/inspiring-cancer-sufferer-clarissa-dawson-psg-dressage-660090