BCTRA Strategic Goals for 2025-2027

BCTRA: Our Mission is to create a provincial network to support and engage Equine Assisted Service providers through education, funding, and outreach activities.

As a member-driven association, we are excited to elevate collaboration and communication among our members, empowering us to effectively promote, acknowledge, and celebrate our sector’s remarkable achievements and innovations! In 2025, We will be transforming from a working board to governing, enhancing our leadership in advocating for Equine Assisted Services. We are eager to host a pivotal provincial educational conference in the Lower Mainland in November. Additionally, we are expanding BCTRA grant support to include emergency funds for herd health and welfare, ensuring our members receive the vital assistance they deserve. Together, we will create a meaningful impact! Here is an overview of 5 our strategic goals from our October 2023 Strategic Planning Meeting:

Partnering with horses: We celebrate the horses that partner with us in therapeutic riding, para-equestrian activities, and equine-based therapeutic services across the province. In 2025, we are excited to announce the expansion of our BCTRA Granting Support with a new Herd Health and Welfare Emergency Grant. This new open grant, available starting January 1, 2025, will help address the urgent needs that BCTRA members face. This annual one-time grant will cover emergency costs related to herd health and overall welfare.

Developing professionals: We’re excited to share that through our bi-monthly round tables and surveys, we’ve gained valuable insights into the support needed for instructors, coaches, and practitioners seeking accreditation with various associations. We aim to empower coaches and therapeutic riding instructors as they participate in our BCTRA Video Competition and assist para-equestrian riders on their journey to the BC Summer Games. We also celebrate the emergence of new modalities, organizations, and individuals committed to horse-related therapeutic activities and are committed to fostering that growth! Let’s work together to make a positive impact!

Growing opportunities:  Your membership is an entry point into a vital, inclusive, and empowering community. You can actively participate in shaping the future of BCTRA through various opportunities, such as round tables, video competitions, and sharing experiences through your certification bodies.  Become an active advocate for BCTRA by contributing your insights as a guest blogger, engaging on social media, and participating in our surveys. Whether you are a rider, instructor, member, or organization, we invite you to share your story. Our advocacy grows from these narratives, showcasing our vital work together.

Connecting through committees: Historically, BCTRA has strived to connect with members at a grassroots level and recognize the wide variety of needs and activities across our membership and province. Our future depends on building positive communications through networks of support to raise awareness, conduct research, and support regional efforts. We invite everyone who wishes to advocate for your professional development to join one of our committees: Educational, Member Engagement, Therapeutic Riding, Para-Equestrian, and EFW/EAL/EAP. If you are interested in joining our Board of Directors, being a part of a committee is a significant first step. 

Increasing participation:  We support individuals participating in therapeutic, recreational, and para-equestrian settings and strive to connect riders and clients with programs and services across the province. Our pillars are unique in that participants can move through physical, emotional and mental challenges that deserve recognition and recognition. Many people from therapeutic riding settings have competed in the BC Summer Games and participated in our annual video competition. Well-supported participation is about more than just the performance. It’s about the powerful impact that coaches, instructors, horses and volunteers coming together can genuinely have. We encourage you to take part.

Focusing on sustainability: By year-end in March 2025, BCTRA will have distributed $340,000 in funds shared with our members across the province. In a changing economy, sustaining operations and moving toward the future means that decisions must be rooted in fiscal responsibility. At the core of our strategic plans, we consider self-sufficiency, program development and capacity-building efforts for our members across the province of British Columbia as the cornerstone of success. Therefore, our granting streams are rooted in this idea of sustainability.

2025 is going to be an exciting year.