British Dressage Announce Plan to Recommence Activity

Following the suspension of British Dressage (BD) training and competition in March 2020, BD has announced a strategic plan to recommence activity inline with the government recommendation’s to ease lockdown, expected Sunday, May 10. Integral to the plans roadmap are four-stages; Ride, Train, Compete and Qualify.

The British Dressage Coronavirus Operational Plan follows extensive consideration, planning and collaboration between the board of directors and senior management team alongside the British Equestrian Federation and its relevant bodies.

The 12-page, three-phase document maps out direction according to risk and many other factors, with added contingencies which means it can adapt according to government guidelines. The three fundamental phases consider Response, Resumption, Recover.

Competition and training have been the most significant areas impacted by the current lockdown, whereas riding remains unaffected. However, some equestrian establishments restricted riding activity to minimise the risk of injury during the peak to reduce strain on the National Health Service (NHS).

The statement discusses the significant difference in what would have been, and what will be following the ease of restriction. Plans put in place priorities the safety and welfare of all involved, not only with regards to those involved with BD but to the equestrian sport as a whole.

With the remainder of the BD summer season for 2020 now redundant, competition will solely reflect training activity, rather than the additional processes of point recruitment and qualification.

“Our priority is to actively encourage members to get back riding and start doing individual training again at the earliest opportunity to be ‘competition ready’. Once the government makes further concessions around travel and public gatherings, full organised training and competition activity can resume, in line with whatever social distancing, health and hygiene regulations are put in place. The final stage will be when the dressage calendar can be restored to give members clear targets to aim towards and qualify for future shows and championships.”

However, the organisation are hopeful for the winter 2020 qualifying period (due to commence July 1, 2020) to go ahead as planned; all be it with a reduced format to help rebuild up to full working capacity over following seasons to come.

The suggested alternative format for the Winter 2020 period will include;

• Completion of the 2020 Winter Championship by splitting it into three smaller competitions; Winter National, Winter Music and Area Festival championships, if numbers permit.
• Mechanism to carry over full or part summer qualifications already achieved into the qualification period for the 2021 Winter Championships, from 1 July to 31 December 2020.
• Replacement small, medium and big tour competitions at High Profile Shows and / or Premier League equivalent competitions, when restrictions allow.
• Alternative qualification structure and final for Young Horse and Pony Championships in 2020.
• One-off Under 25 British National Championships for Ponies, Juniors, Young Riders, Children on Horses and U25 Grand Prix, to take place before the end of the year.
• Equissage Summer Para Bronze and Silver Championships to continue in August, incorporating a rescheduled Gold Championships, with a revised qualification route.
• Eight Quest Regional Finals to remain in place as individual championships for each region.
• Alternative mini-championships for all regions to encourage competition and participation.

(Derived from official BD statement)

The final stage of the plan will go ahead when the government has completed its exit plan from the current lockdown restrictions. However, it will likely be some time before equestrian competition returns to pre-pandemic operation.

BD CEO Jason Brautigam commented:

These plans have been developed with considerable uncertainty remaining about what the future will hold, but we believe that the sport is in a strong position to get back underway as soon as government gives the green light. While there are not going to be any ‘quick fix’ solutions, we wanted to provide a clear path forward for our members and give some hope for a return to a ‘new normal’, whatever that might look like.”

The health and safety of members remains of paramount importance and we appreciate that everyone has different circumstances. Some members may fall into the high risk category, so they still need to be shielded, officials and venues will have to adapt to new conditions in order to comply with social distancing measures, while we may all have to operate within a limited regional capacity for the immediate future to respect any travel restrictions. Getting underway and resuming competition will require a flexible approach, but we will aim to provide all stakeholders with the support they need to adapt and evolve, so we can all play a part in building dressage back to where it should be.”

British Dressage Chairman Linda Whetstone commented:

Everyone at BD has been working hard to manage the crisis, taking the necessary measures to safeguard the future of our sport, protect the health of all involved and ensure the financial stability of British Dressage. We are unfortunately going to be living with the impact of this pandemic for some time to come, nevertheless, it is crucial for all concerned that we can facilitate the swift return of training and competition activity when it is safe to do so.

We hope the dressage community will take time to read the details in our operational plan, which is our roadmap out of the crisis, and can be found on the BD website. We are immensely grateful for all of the positive feedback and contributions we have received to date and hope you will continue to support us as we work together to rebuild our sport.”

To read the British Dressage Coronavirus Operational Plan, click here.

To read the British Dressage Coronavirus Operational Plan Summary, click here.

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.