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last updated on May 07, 2007 00:00

The ballot for the new chairman closes on 18th May - so vote now to have your say. Two prominent and highly qualified candidates, Jennie Loriston-Clarke and Dane Rawlins, have decided to stand for election to take over the reins from Desi Dillingham.

This unpaid position involves overseeing every area of dressage and steering the whole organisation. The chairman heads the board of 10 directors. Each director is responsible for a key area of the sport supported by a network of committees at regional and national level. Ideas generated by the committees are put forward to the board for approval.

You can find out more about the directors and their roles by clicking here.

Your ballot papers will be in the April/May issue of British Dressage magazine. They should be returned to the auditors by the 18 May. If your voting paper is missing, please contact BD’s chief executive secretary Angela Green (tel: 024 76 698844/ email: angelagreen@britishdressage.co.uk).

Dane Rawlins

South Londoner and former amateur boxer Dane Rawlins is best known as the founder and organiser of Dressage at Hickstead, which hosted the 2003 European Championships.

He is a member of the International Dressage Trainers Club and the British International Trainers Foundation. Dane is also a recipient of the BHS Trainers award and holder of the BEF Medal of Honour. He is the creator of the premier league series and co-developer of the British Young Rider Dressage Scheme, known as BYRDS.

Dane runs a dressage yard in West Sussex and is joint director of Stables on Site, which is a company providing temporary stabling. He also competes at international level with Lady Harris’s horse Wily Earl.

QUESTION: Why do you want to take on British Dressage’s most high-profile voluntary role and what qualities would you bring to the job?
DR: If you have an opinion then you should stand up and be counted. I was on the BHS Dressage Group main committee for 10 years and would be returning with a fresh set of views.

Q: What would you like to do if you became chairman?
DR: Establish a sports liaison committee with about 12 members to catch all the major players who are currently “on the outside” and use their expertise. The BD board would put forward ideas to this committee to ensure they are viable.

I also want to increase hugely the lower tier of the sport. All unaffiliated dressage riders should be included in BD. Their details should be put on a database, which could be done quickly and at a relatively low cost. We should provide them with a bi-annual newsletter to encourage them to become full members. BD would have so much more political clout if instead of 12,000 members we could boast a membership of 30-40,000.

I also believe that all committee minutes should be accessible to BD members.

Q: Why should members vote for you?
DR: The most important thing is for all members to vote in the first place. I guarantee I will include as many people as I can in the decision-making process. As a board, we should act only by consensus.

Jennie Loriston-Clarke

Widely regarded as the doyenne of British dressage, Jennie Loriston-Clarke has been one of the most influential dressage riders, trainers, judges and breeders in the history of the sport in this country.

Jennie’s long list of achievements led to her receiving an MBE in 1979 and she was awarded the first ever Queen’s Award for Outstanding Services to Equestrianism in 2006.

Jennie won individual bronze at the 1978 World Equestrian Games and competed in five Olympics. She has run Catherston Stud since the late 1960s, is a FEI international judge and was the chef d’equipe for the British young rider team for six years. Jennie is also one of the trainers for the under-25s national training programme.

QUESTION: Why do you want to take on British Dressage’s most high-profile voluntary role and what qualities would you bring to the job?
JL-C: I have been involved in the sport all my life and know the job at all levels as I teach riders from novice to grand prix. I feel I have the knowledge to move the sport forward because I know it both nationally and internationally.

Q: What would you like to do if you became chairman?
JL-C: I would like to guide the board to enhance the excellent work they have done to create a friendly atmosphere for competitors and sponsors and to encourage more positive judging through training and education.

I have an interest in breeding, having trained the most successful British-bred dressage horse to date, Dutch Gold. I would like to encourage the breeding and riding of British stock, especially the production of British-bred dressage horses.

Q: Why should members vote for you?
JL-C: I believe I am unbiased, forward thinking and approachable. I get on with all riders and am an enthusiastic teacher who gets results. I have no axe to grind as I have retired from competitive riding.

I want to help British riders achieve the best possible success at all levels from Pony Club to the Olympics.