The desire of Australia's equestrian dressage riders to match their teammates in eventing had impressed Federal Minister for Sport, Rod Kemp, who was a guest on Thursday at the Sydney CDI
*** Dressage event being held at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre.
The Minister attended the presentations for the first morning's events, and was excited by what he saw and heard. "I'm very proud of our record in equestrian, especially in the eventing, where we are very strong," he said. "I've been very impressed by the sentiments expressed here today that Australian dressage is also determined to be the best in the world. That's the talk we want to hear." Minister Kemp also took the opportunity to have his first look at the Horsley Park complex. "I'm very keen to see as many pre-Olympic events as I can, and this event here today gives me a great opportunity to see what has been done out here ... the facilities are obviously magnificent," said the Minister. The Equestrian Federation of Australia (EFA) has received an increase in Federal Government funding over recent years, which currently stands at just over $1.3 million per year.
Following today's visit, the Minister is more than pleased with the investment. "We're very proud of the success in the sport, it's got a very strong history, and as I've seen here today, strong ambitions," he said. Minister Kemp also congratulated the EFA for being the only national sporting body to receive a Federal grant under the Sport Leadership Grants for Women in Rural and Remote Communities program. The $4,000 grant has been directed at establishing female coach educators in rural and remote communities. This will provide support to over thirty women involved in equestrian coaching.