PEAK BODIES - ARE YOU UP TO THE CHALLENGE?
A democracy, that is a government of all the people, by all the people, for all the people; of course, a government after the principles of eternal justice, the unchanging laws of God; for shortness sake, I will call it the idea of freedom. The American idea - speech by Theodore Parker at an anti-slavery rally, May 1850.
If a democracy is about freedom how can we possibly say that EI has been handled in a democratic way? We are not even free to move our own horses anywhere! Any year 1 sociologist out there knows that there are inequities and stratification throughout communities and societies and the horse community and the issue of EI is no different.
The reason the racehorse industry has been successful with their lobbying is that they are a highly organised, highly resourced and ultimately a highly influential structure. We should learn from their success and realise that our own "recreational" horse industry peak bodies are fractured, badly organised and INEFFECTIVE.
EFA, AHIC and all other "recreational"horse industry peak bodies need to be collaborating and coming together, resourcing a combined group to help all of us who ultimately fund them.
IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF INDIVIDUAL RIDERS AND OWNERS LIKE HEATH RYAN TO DO THIS. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE, VIABLE OR AN INFLUENTIAL ENOUGH WAY OF MAKING THE POWERS TO BE LISTEN.
This is a make or break situation for our peak bodies and I challenge all peak bodies to show us, your stakeholders, whether you deserve to payed our memberships next year!
LB
If a democracy is about freedom how can we possibly say that EI has been handled in a democratic way? We are not even free to move our own horses anywhere! Any year 1 sociologist out there knows that there are inequities and stratification throughout communities and societies and the horse community and the issue of EI is no different.
The reason the racehorse industry has been successful with their lobbying is that they are a highly organised, highly resourced and ultimately a highly influential structure. We should learn from their success and realise that our own "recreational" horse industry peak bodies are fractured, badly organised and INEFFECTIVE.
EFA, AHIC and all other "recreational"horse industry peak bodies need to be collaborating and coming together, resourcing a combined group to help all of us who ultimately fund them.
IT IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF INDIVIDUAL RIDERS AND OWNERS LIKE HEATH RYAN TO DO THIS. THIS IS NOT GOING TO BE AN EFFECTIVE, VIABLE OR AN INFLUENTIAL ENOUGH WAY OF MAKING THE POWERS TO BE LISTEN.
This is a make or break situation for our peak bodies and I challenge all peak bodies to show us, your stakeholders, whether you deserve to payed our memberships next year!
LB
posted by Horse Deals at
2:39 pm
8 Comments:
Dear LB,
I challenge you to become an active member of said peak bodies and contribute to the outcome. You will be more than welcome.
I am already an active member of the EFA and have been for many years through the subscriptions and memberships that I pay. My point with this Blog is that we employ professionals to spend their TIME and SKILLS representing us. Based on how effective the racehorse peak bodies have been vs the efectiveness of our pleasure horse peak bodies then clearly something is not working in our sector. I do not profess to have the skills to pull what I am talking about together, my challenge is to the people paid to represent us who have accepted their positions based on their qualifications, skills, abilities and experience. I would be happy to do whatever I could.
I am and have been an active member of the EFA for a number of years through the memberships and subscriptions that I pay for. My point with this blog is to encourage the professionals who are employed in our peak bodies to band together to become an effective voice for us. I do not profess to have the necessary skills to achieve this, however the people employed as our peak bodies (our voices) accept their positions and are employed based on their qualifications, skills, abilities and experience representing memberships. I would be happy to support peak bodies in any way that I can, they just need to ask.
Food for thought.
Are we asking the appropriate questions of our organisations? Can organisations such as the EFA be considered peak INDUSTRY bodies?
Is it right to expect the sport administrators such as the EFA to take on roles which are outside their area of focus, expertise and membership? Can they truly speak on behalf of the ENTIRE horse industry? Wouldn't it just be another situation like the racing industry if they did?
I believe this type of thing is where the Horse Councils come in. They are perfectly suited to cover the areas which are not specific to the sporting and breeding organisations and (dare I say it) the racing industry too.
The Horse Councils are there to represent us all, they are volunteers (at least in Queensland they are) and they would really welcome everyone's support.
As for them asking for support, they have been for a very long time, but unfortunately it has been falling on deaf ears.
If the EFA is not considered to be a peak industry body then why have they been given responsibility to administer vaccines and govt funding (CHAPS) in relation to this outbreak of EI? While I understand it is the peak body for horse sports lets not split hairs here, the issue is about having effective representation/influence within govt, having the ministers ear so to speak. Clearly the EFA is being singled out by govt through the allocation of resources (vaccinations and funding)which whether they like it or not has placed them in a position as the organisation most recognised by govt supporting the pleasure horse industry. If the EFA do not wish to be perceived in this way then they should be initiating the formation of a single group represented with adequately skilled people from the relevant associations.
I said it on another thread , maybe it needs asking again.
If the TB lobby is so good how come no broodmares, no youngsters, no youngsters in training for their first racing season (these THOROUGHBREDS ARE THE MAJORITY? ) YET EVERY ONE OF THEM WAS LEFT UNVACCINATED. Where was their representation from that STRONG TB LOBBY?
only racehorses in training that had at least one race start, didnt even had to have won or placed were vaccinated.
surely to me the STRONG VOICE was really the TAB?????????????
Horse Councils are the best people to represent the Industry because they are independent and have no hidden agendas - but they are all voluntary and don't have access Govt grants like Sport & Rec grants as EFA does, or from levies like the Cattle Council. Maybe it is time we supported them financially to help give them the teeth to do the job we are asking them to do.
Way to go Jo!
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