BUCS Banishing Britain?

This week has seen the controversial decision made to not send a British team to the World University Equestrian Championships ran by BUCS. This decision reflects the lack of support and funding given to university equine sports teams over other sports played within the BUCS university leagues. As a competing university, the topic has lead to many discussions between DMU Equestrian rider's as to the negative impact this has on not only university competitors, but Britain as a leading country in equestrian sport currently in the world.

BUCS, The British University and
Colleges Sport.

The World University Championships are ran in the same format of BUCS (British University and Colleges Sport) format league competitions across the UK. Britain has decided to not send a team this year on the basis that the style of competition does not help to positively develop the most elite young rider's who train for Team GB. The event was to occur in March in Abu Dhabi, where rider's are given an unknown horse supplied by the venue, with 10 minutes to warm up before doing a dressage test and show jumping round, the same display as in the BUCS league matches. The final round consists of a Prix St George standard dressage test and a 1.30m show jumping round.

Previous British winners in the BUCS world title includes top event rider, William Fox- Pitt who won the show jumping phase in the world championships. His reaction to the news Britain was not sending a team was that it was a "huge shame" as a rider who fully supports the university BUCS competitions and the positive development of young British rider's.

Team GB have had huge success
since the 2012 London Olympics

BUCS have stated that the competitions do not help improve the Olympic rider's in training and the competition does not fit in with their young rider development programme, hence the decision to abstain from sending a team. The lack of funding for university sport is reflected in this decision as sending a team would be costly, but Britain have already proved they are more than capable of bringing home the gold with a successful previous record at the BUCS worlds with at least one medal every event since 1997.

The format of the BUCS competitions is a controversial one, but it allows rider's to compete who may not necessarily be able to finance their own horse and encourages them to adapt to any situation by riding a variety of different horses. This is a huge shame pulling Britain out especially due to the recent success by Charlotte Dujardin and her world record at Olympia in December 2013 and Scott Brash becoming world number one for show jumping.

Jenny Walker, Chairperson for De Montfort Equestrian Society had this to say about the drastic decision not to send a team;

"It's a huge shame that we won't have a BUCS team to represent our country in the World Equestrian Championships this year. It's especially disappointing considering how much Britain is succeeding in all aspects of Equestrian disciplines, including lots of medals at the 2012 Olympics and recent world records set by Charlotte Dujardin. I have seen some of the BUCS young rider talent in our region alone and the standard is very high, which is know is reflected in BUCS leagues across the country. This is a huge step backwards in the world of student equestrian sport and hopefully we will gain a well deserved place at next year's championships and BUCS will alter their decision not to send a team."

The impact of this decision by BUCS is one that will have a knock on effect on the number of rider's who choose to participate in university equine activity due to the lack of support and closure of opportunities such as the world championships for them to take part in.

Let us know what you think via Twitter @DMUEquestrian or Facebook 'DMU Equestrian Society'

Remember to keep voting in the ESMA Awards 2014 for DMU Equestrian, Section 14: 'BEST BLOG' and help counteract this negative impact on university equine sport and get behind the fight for British success!

http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/finalists-esma

VOTING NOW OPEN! 

Is 2014 the year for university equestrian sport?

The start of 2014 has started in success for DMU Equestrian as they have been nominated into the top 10 finals for the global Equestrian Social Media Awards. This is an outstanding achievement for the society who are delighted to be a part of these prestigious awards and are voting and promoting, hoping to secure a win for their club.

The hard work that has been inputted by all the members of the society, competitive teams and committee is what has driven DMU Equestrian to the forefront of sport at De Montfort, and being a part of these awards is only helping to raise the profile of university equestrian sport even more. The positive impact of these awards has only motivated the team behind DMU Equestrian Society to get involved in more activities outside of their home yard including some volunteering for the local RDA Arden group. This is continuing the hard work the girls have done with their naked charity calendar raising an amazing amount of money with a complete sell out this year! Alongside their charitable work, the girls have are preparing to start building upon their training sessions by trying out some fitness but equestrian style, with brand new Equi-Pilates classes. These classes are designed to work specifically on pilates that benefits the core strength and muscles worked hardest within horse rider's and aimed to benefit balance, strength and muscle ratio. The society are helping to support local Equi- Pilates instructor and sports massage therapist, Sara Smith on her fight to get equestrian's fitter and fighting ready for those competitive seasons to begin.

What's next for DMU Equestrian?

Becky Shraga B Team Captain

B Team Captain, Becky Shraga tells us all about the next stage of the journey for DMU Equestrian and gives us an exclusive insight into why De Montfort Equestrian team is the club to join, and the pony place to be. 

What has been your favourite moment so far since the start of the 2013/2014 academic year?

Being made B team captain and leading a very strong team into our first competition on home turf, where everyone member of the team’s dressage and jumping results had improved dramatically from the start of the year at try outs. This made me feel very proud of my team and showed how hard work and commitment can really pay off.

What is the best thing about being on committee?

Working in a close-knit team, who also happen to by my best friends is the most rewarding part of being on committee. I loved planning and executing the fresher’s fair. All our hard work over the summer thoroughly paid off, signing up more members than the last two previous years, which for a developing club like ours, is a huge achievement we were all extremely proud of.

Describe your DMU Equestrian experience in three words.

Fun, Exciting, Love

What other experiences can DMU Equestrian offer members besides riding on a competitive team?

British Dressage, Riding schools competitions, Gymkhana, handy pony days, RDA training, socials and much more…

What new things are you planning to try out for 2014 as a club?

RDA training, friendly competitions between B and C team, British dressage, local show jumping…

How has DMU Equestrian made your university experience the best it can possibly be?

I’ve made friends that I will keep for life, increased my competitive streak, worked as a captain with my best friends, competed in British Dressage and formed a strong bond with one the horses who I plan to compete with on a regular basis.

What personal goals has DMU Equestrian helped you to achieve or overcome?

I will now happily will sit on any horse and take what it gives me, can now jump a 95cm show jumping course after breaking my back 5 years ago.

What has been your most memorable night out with the club?

Going on a joint social with hockey, dressed in my DMU riding colours and jodhpurs allowed us to bond with the other teams and have a really fun night out. 

REMEMBER TO TWEET US @DMUEquestrian 

AND VOTE FOR US IN THE 2014 ESMA AWARDS SECTION 14 DMU EQUESTRIAN FOR 'BEST BLOG'

http://www.equestriansocialmediaawards.com/finalists-esma

DMU Equestrian 'BEST BLOG' FINALISTS! VOTE NOW!

DMU Equestrian's social media success #esma14

The Equestrian Social Media Awards #esma14

The close of 2013 marked the end of a very successful year at DMU Equestrian, with the naked calendar being a sell out, and two unforgettable home competitions for the BUCS league teams who compete for De Montfort. The club are hoping to continue this success and the positive development of Equestrian sport at university into 2014 and beyond, as a developing sport that has significantly raised it's profile at DMU and is proving to be at the forefront of sport at De Montfort.

The opening of the Equestrian Social Media awards for 2014 in December ignited a new challenge for the society at DMU as the nomination for 'Best Blog' allowed them the opportunity to showcase their developments in helping get more young people involved in equine activities at university level. The awards showcase how different types of social media are helping to raise the profile of equestrian sport and activities across the globe. The awards positively unite the equestrian world and DMU Equestrian are extremely lucky to be a part of the nominations this year, showing off their very own methods of getting equestrian sport out there and more and more people wanting to know more!

These prestigious awards have 17 categories including; best use of twitter, best blog, best use of Facebook, best use of media by a professional horse person etc. The public nominate entries into the awards and then the top 10 from each section are entered into the finals on January 20th 2014 in which two winners are decided, one by public vote and one by a specially selected equine panel of professional judges. Nominees are subject to strict engagement criteria such as how quickly they respond to comments, post original content and demonstrate good online etiquette. Top celebrities such as; world number one show jumper Ben Maher, Katie Price and Clare Balding are all entrants in the awards alongside amateur writers and equestrians. In the equestrian world it is a highly regarded award with some top magazine and television names entering such as; Horse and Hound, Horse and Country TV and British Eventing. This is matched by the just as expert panel of judges which comprises of top photographers, professional riders, magazine publishers, bloggers etc.

The support from everyone who has voted in the awards has highlighted just how far the society has come and how much impact it has had on people at the university and young people involved in the sport. The influence it has had over Equestrian sport at De Montfort University has been amazing, with a high readership level and active circulation around the university. The activity of this blog has raised, beyond belief the profile of equestrian sport at university and has acted as a catalyst for the engagement of young, educated people to get into something amazing. It gives the ins and outs, the ups and downs and the true dedication and motivation that people riding in university sport have and the level of success it can give to the individual and as a club at De Montfort. It was started out as a means of developing the training and activity of BUCS league teams at the university and has grown into something much more than that, with an outstanding level of support from students and staff at the university. It signifies the true impact that a small community can have on improving equestrian sport and how every single rider is valuable within the community on a social level as well as a riding one. It as enhanced the social media awareness of equestrian sport at university by positively reinforcing the benefits of riding and giving students something extra to work for. DMU Equestrian blog is a bout more than just horses, it is about creating and educating the university community about a sport that is now at the forefront of British sporting disciplines.

Thank you to everyone who has voted and supported us. We are ever anticipating the announcement of the finalists for 2014 on January 20th!

#esma14
DMU Equestrian for 'Best Blog'