Riders have been recognised for their kindness in a new initiative that promotes the message: “it’s not just about winning”.
The “Equimotional award for kindness among horse riders” was the brainchild of training provider Equimotional in collaboration with the British Dressage (BD) south and east region, to honour “riders who demonstrate exceptional kindness, empathy, and emotional intelligence within the equestrian community”.
An award was given to one rider from each of the seven regions competing at the BD senior home nations (30 August to 1 September), chosen by representatives from their regions.
The winners were Charlotte Dicker from south and west, Ishta Taylor from south and east, Sam York from north and east, Lizzie Hughes from north and west, Anita Jones from Wales, Lily Godfrey from Scotland, and Lorna Keogh from Ireland.
Equimotional co-founder Felicity Carter told H&H they wanted to create an award to recognise achievements beyond results.
“Of course everyone is competitive and wants to win at a competition, but we really wanted to create something that recognised riders who stood out in terms of motivating others, or maybe someone who’s not had a fantastic show but they’ve shown love and empathy for their horse and fellow riders,” she said.
“This sport can be hard, we’re out in all weathers, and it can be tough and expensive. We all love being out with our horses and know how lucky we are that we are able to do this, so we wanted to create something special.”
Felicity said there are plans to run the awards annually at the home nations – and there is potential for the initiative to grow.
“We’re thinking about how this could be rolled out further, perhaps at the national championships or Area Festivals. We want to promote that it’s not just about winning, and we could get stewards involved to nominate people who have been really kind and grateful,” she said.
“It’s not just dressage, we would like to see the awards in other disciplines too. We are really open to where it could go and we’re really proud of how it went this year.”
BD south and east development officers Sharon Walker and Katharine Perry said they were “delighted to be backing this initiative”.
“We work hard in the BD regions to ensure that we always put our horses first, while aiming to be encouraging and friendly in all that we do,” they said.
“Having an award that puts scores aside and instead celebrates how you are as a teammate, rider and supporter of others is perfect for regional events such as the senior home nations.”
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