2016 in Review

Just a quick update on the future of BCTRA. Our Board of Directors is working hard to develop a strong strategic plan for the province. Here’s a little review of what happened in 2016.

BC Summer Games

The 2016 BC Summer Games, which were held in Abbotsford, B.C. were a wonderful experience for 4 Para-Dressage riders. The Summer Games is three days of competition and camaraderie between youth and coaches of all disciplines. This year, three Para-riders who had competed in the games in the past were given special permission to attend again. One new para-rider from Victoria competed at the Games for the first time.

BCTRA is reviewing the eligibility and qualifying requirements  in the technical package for 2018. We hope to encourage other riders to take advantage of this wonderful opportunity, and to allow past participants to attend future games. One of the issues that is being reviewed is the requirement of participants to be classified. Each rider competed at two qualifying bronze shows leading up to the Games. While riders do not need to be classified according to their disability to compete in bronze shows, they do need to be classified to attend the BC Summer Games. We are also developing ways to educate and encourage Therapeutic Riding Centers, and mainstream coaches, on how to help their riders participate in local competitions and pursue attending future B.C. Summer Games.

Funding for the Future

In 2015 we received notification of a bequest naming BCTRA as a recipient of approximately 1.5 million dollars, from the estate of Maggie Jean Carpenter. We knew we needed to find a way to secure these funds for the future needs of our members. So our small volunteer board of directors researched our options and ultimately chose the Vancouver Foundation to help us maximize the potential of these new funds. The fund is really new for us but it does provide the security of long-term planning and the promise of generating revenue to pass on to our members in the future. Securing the fund helps us have some time to assess our members needs, build our plans and create valuable resources for members.

Strategic Directions

This year our Board of Directors set up a Strategic Development Committee who are working on solutions to the challenges that our centres face across the province, and ways to focus on education and greater awareness. We were excited announce our new fund and relationship with the Vancouver Foundation at two clinics held with Mary Longden, an internationally renowned  para-equestrian coach and consultant in May 2016 in Cowichan and Langley.

Society Bylaws

We are working on our bylaws to comply with the requirements of The Societies Act that came into effect November 28, 2016 that redefines how societies are created (not-for-profit corporations) governed and run in B.C. The Act includes significant updates to allow for more flexibility in how societies operate, while still protecting the public interest. Although we have two years to comply we have accepted this challenging and are dedicated to the on-going process to complete for our next AGM.

We hope you’ll ride along with us in the future and keep visiting our site and Facebook page for upcoming announcements.