SEPTEMBER 2017 THE RIDER /37


Equestrian Canada Driving Committee Proposes Rule Changes to Positively Impact Driving Sport in Canada


Ottawa, ON, Aug. 9, 2017 - As one of its first priorities, the Equestrian Canada (EC) Driving Committee has completed a review of the EC Rules, Section C: Driv- ing, and proposed a number of changes with the objec- tive of positively impacting the sport of driving within Canada. Through the Driving


Rules review, the EC Driv- ing Committee was commit- ted to addressing key areas causing concern for Cana- dian drivers, event organiz- ers and officials, including the cost of participation and competition sanctioning. The Committee also worked to maintain a close align- ment between the EC Rules and the American Driving Society Rules in order to avoid potential confusion for cross-border competi- tors.


“All of these rule


changes are being made in the hopes that we achieve the key goals of the Pilot Project begun last year: to


increase the number of par- ticipants and officials, and the number of driving events that are EC sanc- tioned and run under the EC Rules,” said Patricia Carley, Driving Committee Mem- ber.


Some of the key rule


changes proposed by the EC Driving Committee include:


EC Driving Officials Proposal: EC officials (judges, technical delegates, and course designers) would be permitted to officiate at grassroots, provincially- sanctioned events. This will provide more opportunities for existing officials and hopefully lead to an in- creased number of EC offi- cials across the country. It is also in line with the EC Driving Committee priority to help provide more train- ing and accreditation oppor- tunities for new officials.


Cost of Participation Proposal: EC Sport Li- cences would not be re-


quired until you reach the Advanced level of EC-sanc- tioned driving competitions.


Competition Sanctioning Proposal:


The


provincial/territorial sport organizations


(PTSOs)


would be permitted to sanc- tion competitions up to and including


level, reducing costs for or- ganizers.


Helmet Use Proposal: Helmets would remain a requirement for youth drivers at all times when on a carriage, and drivers of all ages for the marathon phase. Adults would be allowed to wear their choice of headwear for pleasure shows, and the dressage and cones phases of combined driving compe- tition.


Next Steps The full set of rule


change proposals will be formally submitted to the EC Rules Committee in Au-


Intermediate


gust 2017. Pending ap- proval, the amended rules would be put into place for the 2018 EC Rules, which come into effect January 1, 2018.


The EC Driving Com-


mittee welcomes questions, comments and feedback from the Canadian driving community as they work to create a strong, collabora- tive structure to support and strengthen the sport of driv- ing in Canada. The Driving Committee can be contacted a


t


DrivingCommittee@eques- trian.ca .


About the EC Driving Committee The Driving Commit-


tee is committed to promot- ing driving and increasing participation. Committee members represent all re- gions of Canada and are unanimously oriented to promote the sport of driv- ing, reach out and encour- age engagement from the high number of drivers and


clubs not currently affiliated with their provincial associ- ation, and to increase pro- grams,


services and


promotion of the sport. The 2017 Driving


Committee members are as follows:


Michel Lapierre (Chair) – ON François Bergeron – QC Patricia Carley – AB Diane Goyette – QC Ellen Hockley – BC Susan Karrel – NS Elisa Marocchi – BC


Carole Precious – ON David Sim – ON For more information


on the sport of driving, visit www.equestrian.ca/sport/dri ving .


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