Yes it’s true, the new EA is about to be born!

Here are the steps:

• 48 applications for the board of directors have been received.
• The independent Nominations Committee of five people, one of whom is Mary Seefried representing equestrian sports, is charged with assessing all applications according to the predetermined skill sets matrix.
• The Nominations Committee will recommend a smaller pool of applicants to the Deed Administrators.
• The Deed Administrators will consider that committee’s recommendations and select and appoint the new board of nine directors by 31 October 2020.
• The board of directors:

– Is appointed for an initial term of three years.

– Three directors are to retire at each annual general meeting (AGM) of EA commencing at the 2021 AGM. Thus, to achieve this rotation, the first directors appointed will have terms of one or two or three years.

– Three directors will retire at the 2021 AGM and are eligible to stand for re-election for a further three years.

– Commencing from 2021 AGM, the election of every director is subject to the vote by EA members only.

• The Deed Administrators will, I understand, provide an extensive briefing to the new board. This will ensure that the substantial databank of submissions and ideas prepared by members during the administration process is retained and able to be readily accessed by the board.
• The Administrators will fulfil the other terms of the Deed of Company Arrangement (DOCA) and control of EA will transition from the Deed Administrators to the new board of EA.
• The Deed Administrators will have completed their duties and will retire.

At this point, the responsibility and opportunity for organisational reform of equestrian sports falls squarely in the lap of the new board of directors. The board will have an exciting and full agenda to remodel and rebuild the sport. It will need the support, input and understanding from members as it addresses the key strategies needed for the long-term success and enjoyment of equestrian sports by members and the community.

The reorganisation of our sport is a complex issue. The sport has multi-disciplines, each with its own requirements, competition needs and skill sets for both riders and horses. That is a wide spectrum that generates numerous choices which in the end will call for sound judgement to resolve. We members will need to think big-picture resolutions and put aside any parochial views — and that’s not always easy when our horse passions are stirred up!

I reckon we are up to meeting the call to build the sport — do you?

In closing, I wish to advise readers of my impending retirement as Chairman of Equestrian Life, and in doing so I thank you wholeheartedly for your support.

My journey with Equestrian Life began 10 years ago with the publication of Equestrian Life magazine, and since then we have published 53 issues in print and six monthly digital issues. Along the way, our focus on the proliferation of new technologies has transformed the business into a multi-media company with 12 media platforms and meaningful scale.

Equestrian Life pioneered live and virtual streaming of equestrian competitions in Australia and today its platforms cover a diverse range of audiences here and abroad which have resulted in it becoming the respected voice of the sport.

It has been a fulfilling journey full of new horizons and made possible by quality staff whose high professional standards and unique insights have earned them wide industry admiration. Our regular columnists, commentators and freelancers, who are the best in the sport, have been an enduring source of editorial creativity and inspiration. I have been privileged to share their friendship and passion for horses.

Our loyal band of readers, advertisers and sponsors has ensured a mutually rewarding partnership.

I am looking forward to watching the business continue to develop in the years ahead. For the future, I have called for expressions of interest (EOI) for the business as a going concern.

With best wishes and thoughts for a smooth return to the saddle and living post-Covid. EQ

Robert McKay

Contributors

Published by

EQ Life Pty Ltd
ABN 99142004064
ISSN 1839-034X
Postal address PO Box 1376
Hawksburn VIC 3142, Australia
Phone +61 492 887 961
Email info@eqlife.com.au
Web www.equestrianlife.com.au

Chairman
Robert McKay

Publisher
Sunday Batters

General Manager Content
Adele Severs

Contributor
Amanda Young

Marketing & Communications Executive
Edwina Badgery

Associate Editor
David Trounce

Account Executive
Kerith Laurie-Rhodes

Subscription Enquiries
info@eqlife.com.au, +61 492 887 961

Photography credits: Elli Birch/BootsandHooves, Roger Fitzhardinge, Averil Crebbin / Picture The Moment Photography, Geoff McLean / Gone Riding Media, Pat Scala/Racing Photos, Kirsty Pasto/Equestrian High Performance, William Carey, FEI, Libby Law, Amanda Young, T Jones and Highclere Racing.

Disclaimer
The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of EQ Life. To the extent permitted by law, EQ Life disclaims any liability whatsoever in relation to any advice, representation, statement, opinion or other matter expressed in this magazine. EQ Life does not accept responsibility for errors in advertisements, articles, unsolicited manuscripts, photographs or illustrations. Riding, training or otherwise working with horses and other animals can be dangerous and may result in harm or injury. Readers of this magazine should not engage in such activities unless they do so safely.
© 2020 EQ Life Pty Ltd. Copyright subsists in this magazine. Except as permitted by law, this magazine may not, in whole or in part, be reproduced, published, adapted, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any way or in any form, without the prior written consent of EQ Life. All rights reserved.