Eventing Ireland Squads paying?

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Skhosu

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I'm not quite sure I get this whole squads paying thing and what is involved? Anyone any views? And I didn't realise we pay 7.50 levies either, presume this is part of the entry fee etc.
Does this apply to all squads i.e ponies and juniors too?
 
I'm not sure about pony and Junior squads paying, i presume that they would as they are Irish teams.

I dont understand why they have to pay the money, do any british team members pay?

If i were a potential team member, and I paid my money and then didnt get on the team i would be pretty pee'd off tbh
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why pay for them to go to (eg) Hong Kong?!

I would love to find out who the members where who didnt pay, i presume they are the ones who didnt make the team last year.

I have yet to pay a starting fee though
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I have a fair idea of a couple who won't have paid! and the idea of it is to help fund all the training, physio etc. they receive by being on the squad.
I think this also includes covering the costs of sending teams to championships and also to enable Irish based riders to travel to English events in order to complete qualifications/ gain more experience.

Personally I feel they should be asked to pay something, as even non-team, squad member receive a lot of help. The overseas based riders especially should contribute as they dn't regularly pay into the fund by entering Irish events!
If I am paying 7.50 Euro everytime I enter, I would hope the british-based riders are chipping in too, after all I'm never likely to make a squad but am still paying for them to go to the championships!

Rant over! :P
 
yes, same here. I was surprised to hear we're paying 7.50 each time we're entering, as I would query whether this could be better spent on prize money for example?
I have yet to pay a starting fee and am very oppose to them I have to say... think us northern riders are getting the good end of the deal there. I have to say I would consider not competing at events with starting fees.
I can see the money is required but how do other nations do it, similar or different?
 
Listen guys - no matter whether you compete at intro, novice etc - a set amount from every rider reg, horse reg, and entry fee you pay is given to the high performance fund. This is the 87,500 euro that is mentioned in the article. The members of the high performance squad (18), the development squads and the Jun/Pony squads etc were asked to pay a certain amount per person to make up the amount which was needed (ie to add to the 87K provided by the membership in general) to pay for their training, travel etc. It was a few hundred euro a year (nothing in the grand schemo of things comared to the costs of keeping an advanced event horse on the road). I believe the English based riders were asked for slightly more (to cover the fact that they don't pay entries over here, and therefore don't contribute in that way). A couple of them did air their views in this in H&H a few months ago, but as one of them was one of our 'adoptive' irish riders, I felt their complaints were not patriotic or helpful - they could have remained under the British flag if they felt so strongly.

The EI board said from the start that each rider would be asked to pay, it was a condition of joining the squads.

The comparison with BE cannot be used, as they are a MUCH larger organisation.

If the riders didn't pay, our levies (ie extra entry fee) would increase.

Do you want to pay £10 extra every single entry?? because I don't.

The current set up is fair IMO.

Fiona
 
Well said. Also, I have no problem paying a start fee because, knowing a lot of people who host these events, they don't actually make a huge amount of money out of them and it can only help to improve their courses (and interest) year on year.


[ QUOTE ]
Listen guys - no matter whether you compete at intro, novice etc - a set amount from every rider reg, horse reg, and entry fee you pay is given to the high performance fund. This is the 87,500 euro that is mentioned in the article. The members of the high performance squad (18), the development squads and the Jun/Pony squads etc were asked to pay a certain amount per person to make up the amount which was needed (ie to add to the 87K provided by the membership in general) to pay for their training, travel etc. It was a few hundred euro a year (nothing in the grand schemo of things comared to the costs of keeping an advanced event horse on the road). I believe the English based riders were asked for slightly more (to cover the fact that they don't pay entries over here, and therefore don't contribute in that way). A couple of them did air their views in this in H&H a few months ago, but as one of them was one of our 'adoptive' irish riders, I felt their complaints were not patriotic or helpful - they could have remained under the British flag if they felt so strongly.

The EI board said from the start that each rider would be asked to pay, it was a condition of joining the squads.

The comparison with BE cannot be used, as they are a MUCH larger organisation.

If the riders didn't pay, our levies (ie extra entry fee) would increase.

Do you want to pay £10 extra every single entry?? because I don't.

The current set up is fair IMO.

Fiona

[/ QUOTE ]
 
[ QUOTE ]
Listen guys - no matter whether you compete at intro, novice etc - a set amount from every rider reg, horse reg, and entry fee you pay is given to the high performance fund. This is the 87,500 euro that is mentioned in the article. The members of the high performance squad (18), the development squads and the Jun/Pony squads etc were asked to pay a certain amount per person to make up the amount which was needed (ie to add to the 87K provided by the membership in general) to pay for their training, travel etc. It was a few hundred euro a year (nothing in the grand schemo of things comared to the costs of keeping an advanced event horse on the road). I believe the English based riders were asked for slightly more (to cover the fact that they don't pay entries over here, and therefore don't contribute in that way). A couple of them did air their views in this in H&H a few months ago, but as one of them was one of our 'adoptive' irish riders, I felt their complaints were not patriotic or helpful - they could have remained under the British flag if they felt so strongly.

The EI board said from the start that each rider would be asked to pay, it was a condition of joining the squads.

The comparison with BE cannot be used, as they are a MUCH larger organisation.

If the riders didn't pay, our levies (ie extra entry fee) would increase.

Do you want to pay £10 extra every single entry?? because I don't.

The current set up is fair IMO.

Fiona

[/ QUOTE ]

I think that is what I was saying?!
I was always aware that some of the entry fee etc. went towards the squad and it's development, but if every EI member has to pay then it is just as fair to ask the actual squad members to provide a little more!

But the truth of the matter is though that hardly any squad members actually own their Advanced horses! They rely on owners who pay for everything. The overseas riders were asked for 600E as far as I am aware, which is a large sum of money in anyones books and I don't think it is fair to say it is nothing in the grand scheme of things, as it is a large amount to be paying out!

I can see it from their point of view but after all, it is them who will be benefiting from it in the long run and not just on their top horses, it will be beneficial to their younger, up and coming rides too! If I and most other EI members can contribute approx 150E per annum, then it is not too much to ask for squad members to contribute also.
 
I can certainly see that is it necessary, presumeably if you wish to not pay you can opt off the squads but still compete at a high level (without all that training etc.?)
I certainly can see that for all the benefits they get it is probably fair to ask them to pay and I am glad the british based riders pay more.
Just interested to discuss it really!
 
[ QUOTE ]
You and I cross typed C - there were only 2 there when I started to type.

I wasn't lecturing - honest
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!!

Fiona

[/ QUOTE ]

Well that's ok then!
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I think it is a good idea but can see why the squad members are reluctant. Once everyone is used to it though I'm sure it will help develop Irish eventing back to where it should be again!
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you know if people added up the cost of the training they are getting,if they were paying for it privatelythey would be paying a lot more than 400.also you cant compare the british system its like trying to compare samson and goliath
 
[ QUOTE ]
The overseas riders were asked for 600E as far as I am aware, which is a large sum of money in anyones books and I don't think it is fair to say it is nothing in the grand scheme of things, as it is a large amount to be paying out!


[/ QUOTE ]

But I have heard figures such as £10-20K per year for an owner to keep an advanced horse on the road with a professional rider, so 600euro is fairly minimal % of running costs.

The type of training they receive as part of a squad could easily cost them £60 per hour or more, so they are being asked to pay for their first ten hours of training (just trying to think of an example) and everything else they receive all year is free to them (paid for by us or the HSI).

Just my opinion again, but I still think it is a small contribution to have to pay towards total costs of maintaining our new improved professional high performance squads. The ordinary everyday rider cannot be expected to pay any more towards it.

You did point out yourself - we could be competing against said professional in a novice class - they have had training funded for them - we have paid for our own.

Fiona
 
I think the problem with this is that they still have to pay for many of the lessons up front and then claim the money back! I know they get the money eventually but it still relys on initial expendature
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
The overseas riders were asked for 600E as far as I am aware, which is a large sum of money in anyones books and I don't think it is fair to say it is nothing in the grand scheme of things, as it is a large amount to be paying out!


[/ QUOTE ]

But I have heard figures such as £10-20K per year for an owner to keep an advanced horse on the road with a professional rider, so 600euro is fairly minimal % of running costs.

The type of training they receive as part of a squad could easily cost them £60 per hour or more, so they are being asked to pay for their first ten hours of training (just trying to think of an example) and everything else they receive all year is free to them (paid for by us or the HSI).

Just my opinion again, but I still think it is a small contribution to have to pay towards total costs of maintaining our new improved professional high performance squads. The ordinary everyday rider cannot be expected to pay any more towards it.

You did point out yourself - we could be competing against said professional in a novice class - they have had training funded for them - we have paid for our own.

Fiona

[/ QUOTE ]

Yes but the owner of the horse won't be paying the 600E! It is the rider who pays it as a number of the riders have multiple horses on the squad and it doesn't have to be squad horses that go to the training!
Was only trying to point out that for riders struggling to make a living 600E is a large payout!
 
We'll have to agree to disagree - I think it is a relatively small amount (and no before anyone makes a smart remark - I am not well off at all (OH and I enjoy our eventing, but on a fairly shoestring budget).

Also - I can't see any other option apart from..
- cut down on numbers in the squads (short sighted in the extreme)
- cut down on expenditure on squads (also short sighted if we ever want to get anywhere in the major champs again - EP's result at Badminton seems to show that we are on the right track again)
- ask HSI for more money(not going to happen, as funding is cut this year in all horse sports including racing)
- ask general EI membership for more money (already paying more than last year)

The riders get a lot of back up and training for the money they pay.

Fiona

I have just had a thought though - perhaps in a couple of years (if results continue to be good and the recession eases) we may get some more major sponsors (I know there are some already) involved which might ease the burden on EI.
 
I guess all I'm saying is that the top riders are also eventing on a budget. Imagine if you were asked to pay 400E extra every year in order to keep eventing at the level you do and to help better yourself. Just having seen it first hand at As it is not like they are making huge amounts of money from their owners!
But as I have said before... I am pro these payments!
 
I agree that €400 is not very much for squad members to contribute for all the training, support etc they get
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I'v never had to pay a starting fee either, I wonder if any events have actually charged these yet?
On a bit of a tangent, but the thing that anooys me most is having to pay €85 for entries, when they're only £55 in the North
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love to know which riders on the squad are freeloading by not paying their fair share.i presume they wont be named and shamed
 
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