Think of Sweden and what springs to mind? The fabulous Anni-Frid, Agnetha, Benny and Bjorn from ABBA singing their way through "Thank You for the Music" or actress Greta Garbo's silky voice insisting "I want to be alone"? Or maybe you are picturing Viking longships with Norseman standing at the bow sporting those menacing horned helmets, or a Smorgasbord of delicious food, or some clean-design functional furniture or architecture? There is a character and style about all things Swedish, and it permeates right through to the Swedish Equestrian Federation which operates a uniquely effective model.
Svenska Ridsportforbundet was born in 1993 when four organisations joined forces - the Swedish Equestrian Sports Association which was founded in connection with the 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm, Equestrian Promote which was designed to encourage more people to ride, the Swedish Pony Riders Association and the Association of Rural Riders. Today the Federation has about 190,000 members in approximately 965 clubs but one of the most exciting aspects of equestrianism in this Scandinavian country is the age profile of those taking part. A recent survey shows that 65% of the membership is under the age of 26, which possibly goes some way toward explaining the enormous energy radiating from this corner of the equestrian planet....
Engaging with youth is the ultimate ambition of any politician or sporting organisation but in Sweden that is already a "done deal". Perhaps the relatively minor class differences and family-friendly attitudes in Swedish society contribute to this to some extent. Elsewhere in the world horse sport often struggles with the "elite" label - basically many people cannot become involved because it is financially prohibitive. However the principle of equal opportunity has a strong position in Swedish culture and riding clubs make horses accessible to everyone. Based at equestrian centres, the clubs hire horses for instruction and competition at reasonable cost and many children develop a passion that lasts a life-time.
Appreciating the value of youth involvement, the Federation has a Central Youth Section which has its own General Assembly and is represented at the main General Assembly which takes place every two years when the President and Board are appointed. Each President is elected for two years, and just last month former FEI Secretary General, Dr Bo Helander, was elected to the post.
Government funding is channelled into the system in a variety of ways and there is a special allocation of SEK5million for the Horse Sports Youth Commitment. This money is applied to a variety of projects and is not transferable in any way into the Federation's coffers. A further Government innovation, called The Handshake, has provided SEK1,000million to a number of sports over a four-year period and equestrianism benefitted to the tune of SEK45million during that time.
The Handshake was designed to attract more young people into sports, lower fees, find more leaders and fight against drug-related issues. This year there is a further SEK17million on offer to equestrian sport, some of which will go towards a greater awareness of horsemanship, horse welfare and safety.
The Swedish Federation headquarters is located at Stromsholm in the county of Vastmanland about 100kms west of Stockholm where Swedish King Gustav Vasa built a castle for this young Queen and where the Royal Breeding Stud was established in the 17th century. In 1868 it became the Central Military Riding Academy and a century later was given to the Federation which today employs a staff of 25 on site, while the 19 local districts also have their own offices and staff looking after further education for instructors, the running of courses for stewards and officials and administration relating to competition. About 25,000 people apply for a license to compete each year and licenses are issued at both national and local level with show jumping by far the most popular discipline. In fact 78% of starts are in jumping competitions while dressage is next in line with 18%, followed by eventing with 3% and the remainder - driving, endurance and vaulting - making up just 1%. The statistics for 2006 show 81,376 starts in show jumping, 19.290 in dressage and 1,825 in eventing - and that does not include local or international competitions.
The fact that equestrian sport is thriving in Sweden is underpinned by recent results at world level. Team show jumping silver at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004, at the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain in 2002 and at the European Championships at Arnhem in The Netherlands in 2001 are just some of the most recent highlights while the personal popularity of some of the riders has to be seen to be believed. Wait until you hear the wall of sound that greets Malin Baryard-Johnsson as she rides into the ring during next year's Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Gothenburg. Last year Gothenburg Horse Show attracted a colossal 82,000 spectators and it seemed like the entire Swedish population of 9 million people were roaring their support for their heroine all at once. The dream of following in Malin's footsteps has ensured that, in this country, equestrian sport is second only to soccer in terms of popularity with the general public. No wonder the Swedish model is the envy of the rest of the world.....
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