The Equestrian Canada (EC) Eventing Committee is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Rob Stevenson from Lakeside, NB as the chair of the Eventing High Performance Advisory Group heading into the next cycle of major games.
Dr. Stevenson’s long and successful history as an eventing athlete includes competing for Canada at the Barcelona 1992 Olympics, where he finished in 22nd place individually aboard Risky Business. Following his competitive career, he began generously dedicating his time to the governance of the sport, serving on the Eventing High Performance Committee from 2001 to 2004, where he acted as Co-Chair of selection. He returned to the Committee in 2012 after being appointed FEI National Safety Officer for Canada. In addition, Dr. Stevenson was recently invited to join the newly formed FEI Risk Management Steering Group.
“I am thrilled that Rob has accepted this important position at a time where we need to focus on collaboration with the Eventing Committee, athletes and owners,” said Peter Gray, Eventing Committee chair. “He is the perfect balance of experience, integrity and fairness, and comes to this position without bias or personal agendas.”
Commenting on his new position, Dr. Stevenson first commended Committee members currently finishing their Olympic term on the Eventing Selection Panel. “Jenn Holling, Grit High, Juliet Graham and Kelli McMullen-Temple have dedicated years of their lives to the cause of developing and selecting the best teams possible for Canada. I will have much to learn from what they have achieved.”
Dr. Stevenson continued by recognizing Clayton Fredericks, who completed his four-year contract as Eventing Team Coach in November 2016. “In this role, Clayton led Canada to team and individual medals at the 2015 Pan American Games, and top 10 placings at both the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games and 2016 Rio Olympics. Moreover, he has developed a number of young Canadian athletes who will be members of our team in future years.”
Speaking to the restructuring within EC and his role going forward, Dr. Stevenson said, “My first responsibility will be to help define the roles and responsibilities – with respect to the EC High Performance program – of the Eventing Committee, the athletes and the owners, to unify the passion that we all share for this great sport. My involvement in a high performance sport has shaped the life that I live every day. I have had remarkable experiences in this sport as an athlete, coach, parent, organizer and sponsor. I am committed to sharing this experience with others in a way that changes their lives as well.”
A cardiologist, Dr. Stevenson also runs the performance-oriented training and boarding facility, Foshay South Eventing, with his wife, Suzanne. Both are also active in the sport of eventing as competition organizers and coaches.
For more information on high performance eventing in Canada, visit www.equestrian.ca/sport/eventing/high-performance.
More from Horse Sport:
