Calling for Scottish Eventers opinions?

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Mhal

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There has been a move by one of the major Scottish 3 day events that to qualify for the 'Best Scot Trophy' the rider will only need to have been a resedent in Scotland for 5 years.

Are you, Scottish Eventers, happy with that or would you like the 'Best Scot Trophy' to go to a rider born in Scotland? This was the general rule in the past.
 
Hmm, tricky one - isn't someone resident in Scotland who supports the Scottish circuit ok? The Scottish circuit at top-level is pretty small, I suppose this way there's more chance of the trophy being presented every year as it opens up the pool a tiny bit more.

Every sport has that 'can they really be on that team' thing - one of our best Scotland rugby team players, Dan Parks, is from Australia but has one Scottish grandparent so is allowed on the team - and thank goodness for that in his case I reckon, we need him!

That said, I don't think someone who actively represents another country and enters with a different flag on their saddlecloth and in the programme etc should be able to be Scottish just cause they live here - sorry Caroline - because they are clearly saying by being on another team that they don't want to be Scottish/British. Good job Matt Ryan doesn't live north of the border, he'd complicate it even more - Aussie, Brit, Scot?!!!!
 
Well, I know from education-system experience that being in Scotland 3yrs is enough to make you viable for all 'benefits' (in terms of funding and so on) granted to native Scots, so it's certainly not unusual to have a residency rule. There's also complaints made when the problem's in the opposite direction: born in Scotland, but not lived there. I know for example my workmate is treated as a foreigner by Scotland, despite living here 'til she was 8 and have a British passport. The wording of the title though suggests it's for a Scot, not someone based here. Best of Scotland might be a more suitable name if non-Scot residents are to be included. The whole national identity thing and what 'qualifies' a person to be of a certain nationality goes far beyond the debate on Scottish Eventing!
 
I think it would be very harsh to restrict this to people who are born in Scotland, and this is a quite touchy issue. Some people could get quite upset at the suggestion that they were not Scottish enough... and rightly so.

Where one is born is a bit of a coincidence - if you needed to be born in Scotland this may exclude people who were born in England to Scottish parents, and who have lived their entire life in Scotland from a young age... surely they are as Scottish as any.

If one or more of your parents are Scottish people still consider themselves Scottish, no matter where they live or were born.

It should also be possible for foreigners (even without British passports) to eventually be considered Scottish, if they live in Scotland.

For this type of competition I think it sounds pretty reasonable to have been resident in Scotland for 3 years. That way it is open to local riders.
 
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