Change the Rein

Change the Rein is a campaign in association with the NZ Pony Clubs Association to drive a conscious change in direction in equestrian sport in New Zealand.  It is a quest for a positive, welcoming, encouraging and supportive culture in our sport.  The main objective is to create a safe and supportive culture fostered by leaders, management, members, volunteers, parents – anyone involved in equestrian sports.

It is clear – unsupportive or inappropriate behaviour is not normal and not accepted.

There are three stages to the campaign:

• Stage 1 – Rein it In                         
• Stage 2 – Tighten the Reins                        
• Stage 3 – Loosen the Rein

Click here to see the #Gamechanger page 

At the 2024 Land Rover Horse of the Year Show, we were delighted to have the support of our Ambassadors Donna Edwards-Smith, Sav Stirling, Kimberley Clearwater, Lucarne Dolley and Abigail Pratt.  In particular, Abi Pratt and Kimberley Clearwater gave up their time to join us on the stand and take part in this video:

Abi travelled from Whanganui, and Kimberley travelled from Gore in the South Island (a 5-day trip) to compete and join us in her down time.   Thank you so much!

What are our  Ask Me / Leg Up Armbands For?

No matter what discipline, there are likely to be times when you come to a new competition and you may feel anxious, out of your depth, or unsure what you have got yourself into.  The ESNZ armbands are here to help you to bridge the gap and safely help you to enjoy your day.

ASK ME – is a campaign to provide more user-friendly help to anyone attending an event.  Armbands are worn to make “helpers” visible and therefore more approachable.  Anyone should be able to confidently go to someone wearing an ASK ME armband and ask a question about navigating the show and everything in it.  ASK ME helpers make events a much more friendly and welcoming place – especially for inexperienced and new riders and their supporters.

If you are a volunteer or official in the sport and would like an ASK ME armband please contact the ESNZ office on 04 499 8994 or email [email protected]

LEG UP – is for riders who may be new to the sport, may find the warm-up area intimidating or scary, or for someone who  just wants other more experienced riders to be aware that they might need a little bit more space or time to do their warm-up, and to be patient.  The armbands can also be worn by those who need a little assistance from others in certain situations, and are happy to make that known to others.  Such as a person with a muscular weakness or maybe eyesight issue – anything that may see them in a compromising situation (usually in warmups) if other riders are not aware and giving them the space they need. 

The LEG UP initiative is all about helping each other to have the best competition experience possible:  win, lose or somewhere in between. Everyone comes away feeling they did their best, supported by each other and so that all those taking part in a competition feel welcome, encouraged and may also learned something new.

Any rider that would like a LEG UP armband please contact the ESNZ office on 04 499 8994 or email [email protected]

Resources

Key messages to include in schedules and programmes or to print out and put up around your show.

These messages speak to common themes gathered from a survey and common themes that have been identified by ESNZ and Change the Rein Partner, NZ Pony Club.

There’s a variety of sizes and colours for you to put in your schedules and programmes, print out in A3 and staple around the stables, on the secretary’s door, on the toilet doors or wherever you think they will be seen.

ESNZ can get A2 sized corflutes printed for you to put up around your show by request to [email protected] or download from below.