JEMFEIAlltech2014-normandie.fr5/30/2012
The Organising Committee took a major step forward at the beginning of April by appointing the team in charge of the eight official disciplines. Getting all these experts together and making them an integral part of the Organising Committee was perhaps the most significant part of this development. In short, being able to mould eight individuals into a team!
To help things along, a working seminar was organised at Le Pin National Stud in the Orne area of Normandy – the venue playing host to the Cross Country of the Eventing competition on 30 August 2014. The eight discipline managers were of course present, along with their counterparts from the Fédération Equestre Internationale, who were, by the way, impressed by the sumptuous setting of the Le Pin Stud. “It’s important to get the FEI involved in our work from here on”, explained sports director, Laurent Cellier, just after the seminar.
"In my view, the most positive thing to come out of this experience is the creation of a collective movement that goes above and beyond individual expertise. We have always explained that we would encourage team spirit and with this new group we have everything we need to create a truly great event in 2014.”
This is a feeling shared by the discipline managers, and most notably by Michèle Pfender, the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy’s “Mrs Reining”: “I was delighted to meet the team and find out about all the work that had been done beforehand by the members of the Organising Committee, who are young, competent and enthusiastic. Reining is a relatively unknown discipline and so I was touched by the openness and curiosity that the other discipline managers showed.”
Michèle Pfender also appreciates the spirit of the World Equestrian Games, “particularly the respect shown towards the horse which is a fundamental principle, and then the idea that the event won’t just be a one-off affair but will leave a lasting legacy. That’s really important for reining.”
Other similar seminars will probably take place every six months or so. “The next one will be in Caen in October, so that we can get to go to other competition sites after our stay in Le Pin, explains Laurent Cellier. We are already going over the technical issues to be raised with the FEI. And by then, our discussions will have become more and more regular.”
