What Austria has to say in response to the EFRHA
CM | Reining – Last week EQWO.net talked about the discussions and the excitement surrounding the founding of the European Federation of Reining Horse Association. We discussed the development of the sport of reining in Europe with Helmut Schulz, the chairman of the Austrian Reining Horse Association and his deputy Saad-el-Din Hadj-Abdou.
CM | Reining – Last week EQWO.net talked about the discussions and the excitement surrounding the founding of the European Federation of Reining Horse Association. We discussed the development of the sport of reining in Europe with Helmut Schulz, the chairman of the Austrian Reining Horse Association and his deputy Saad-el-Din Hadj-Abdou.
The EFRHA, which was founded a few months ago, is supposed to be „the head“ of all NRHAs in Europe. On Facebook a dedicated forum has been set up to deal with questions and uncertainties about the start-up and content of the European Association. The deputy chairman of the ARHA said to EQWO.net that the basic idea of an umbrella organization of the European Associations was to be welcomed: „Our experience has shown that a unified system is desired, that the cohesion between the countries is important. A group which is a global unit in the reining sport which appeals to a wide range of trainers, breeders and riders is desireable. Everything that is good for the growth of sport is welcome and cohesion between the countries is extremely important.“
Saad-el-Din Hadj-Abdou argues against a separation of Europe from the motherland of reining sport, the USA, and Europe. „In principle every new idea is welcome“, says the owner of Dainmasa Horses in Lower Austria.
For Hadj-Abdou one problem lies in the elite formation of the sport: „The quality and quantity of the horses in Europe is quite high now. We have to meet this quality! At the moment there is a high concentration of prize money and a very narrow density of top horses, which means that there is very little in equal opportunity for every rider. The broad masses of dedicated breeders should not become the „depositors of the nation“. The top priority should be that there is a way for all riders to earn money. Everyone should know what their money is being used towards, and they should be able to benefit fromthe organization with less effort on their part.“
Helmut Schulz, himself one of the pioneers of Western sport in Europe, is still unsure about Austria’s entry into the EFRHA program. „We need to get more information and discuss it even more closely,“ Schulz told EQWO.net. „The flow of information is not very good. I am very likely to go to the information event in Frankfurt on November 12, 2016.“
A major criticism of the new European breeding program for reining horses is the reduction to two big shows. „If 45 % of the prize money goes to the three-year-olds, 55 % still remain for older horses,“ says Hadj-Abdou. „The trend in Europe is towards the promotion of older horses. Class 7 & Up is also very popular, but a wide range of venues should be allowed!“
Helmut Schulz understands the problems of organizing big events and understand the desire to merge the Italian Derby and the Euro Derby: „The basic costs of equipment rent for such a big event are about 100,000 Euros. When two big shows are merged the cost of one event can be saved and used for price money instead. An event for those doing the organizing is invariably plagued with uncertainty.“
In the small country of Austria there is no reining breeding program. Every country can decide to join the European Federation of Reining Horse Association. Helmut Schulz considers the outcry of the reining community to be somewhat exaggerated: „The contribution is only about five Euros, which covers only the basic costs. The EFRHA does not collect its own members, but only wants to manage only the breeding program. The difference to the status quo is not that big. The NRHA USA is supposed to see that the breeding program in Europe is also accepted by the nations. Programs have to evolve. Something that worked for the last 25 years has to be revised.“
In conclusion the vice chairman says: „It has worked so far, but of course we should always be open to something new. Reining sport is the flagship of western sport and we want to continue to grow.“
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