Dressage Canada Receives $500,000 Donation

Dressage Canada has received a generous private donation of $500,000. Offered in annual donations of $125,000 over the next four years, the money is to be used towards the High Performance Priorities identified at the High Performance Summit held in Florida this past March.

The first ever summit of its kind for Dressage Canada brought together stakeholders from across the country and included high performance athletes, owners, coaches, FEI officials, veterinarians, volunteers, Board members, Equine Canada staff and support team members.

The next step in the process is to build the programs and address the priorities identified as instrumental in order for Canada to reach the podium at the Olympic level. The key element to the successful implementation of these programs will be the sourcing of resources, both staffing and financial.

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Summit Priorities

* Leadership (Equine Canada, Technical Advisor/Chef d’equipe, regional talent scouts, personal coaches)
* Recognition (breeders, owners, sponsors)
* Talent identification and skill development
* Squad lists (dynamic short and long listing rankings)
* Competition exposure (European tours, international team competitions, national championships)
* Integrated support team services (veterinarian, farrier, sport therapists)

Since the summit in Florida, Equine Canada and the Dressage Canada Committees have been working to secure the resources, both financial and professional, to deliver on the priorities identified and start the process of building the framework for a successful future for Canada’s dressage athletes, owners, sponsors, breeders, coaches and officials.

The first step in the process was to build a High Performance plan, which outlines all the resources required to deliver on those priorities. An extensive draft document has been prepared and presented to the Dressage Canada Board, High Performance Committee, Athletes Council and the Fundraising Committee for feedback.

In addition to the private donation, the Fundraising Committee has been active in trying to address the requirements outlined in the plan and deliver on funding support, and more information on specific event and initiatives will be available soon.