PO Box 320120, Lusaka, Zambia
zambia.nf@gmail.com
www.http//zambiahorsesociety.com
2015 Report Zambia National Equestrian Federation
Compiled by Zara Nicolle
20 June 24, 2015
MEMBERSHIP 24 June 2015
Members: Adults 76. Juniors 55. Life 25.
Registered horses: 192
Affiliated Clubs: 12
DISCIPLINES
Show Jumping: Show jumping continues to be the most popular discipline. An FEI Solidarity grant has
helped ZANEF to employ an Irish coach to coach our riders and coaches. Comdt Gerry Flynn uses the
exacting coaching system and methods developed by the Irish Army and then adopted by the FEI. Gerry
has visited Zambia on 2 occasions and will visit a total of 6 times in 2015. During his last visit he ran a
coaches workshop with 8 coaches attending and taught 77 sessions. The improvement in the horses and
riders is already evident.
Zambia has run the FEI WJC Comp. 1 and enjoyed the new format. The finals will be held over the same
weekend as the National Championships.
Dressage: Dressage has an ardent following in Zambia and has enjoyed a recent surge in interest due to
the reintroduction of eventing in Zambia. Dressage needs more qualified coaches, better arenas and more
judges in order to improve. There are very few specialist dressage horses registered – most horses that do
dressage also jump. The improvement of dressage will be a focus for ZANEF in 2016. To help encourage
interest in dressage ZANEF is implementing a dressage league table that was developed on a trial basis by
Dennis Lambert in Zimbabwe. The FEI WDC continues to be a highlight in the dressage calendar.
Eventing: With the help and inspiration of Patricia Clifton and David Evans through FEI Solidarity ZANEF
has reestablished eventing as a discipline. Eventing seems to be a popular discipline and one that attracts
different people to equestrian sport, our first graded event had 104 entries. Zambia will plan to hold a
One* Event in 2016.
Vaulting: Vaulting is a popular sport with young people in Lusaka and more recently the Copperbelt. It
seems that vaulting in Zambia will not develop further than grass-roots level because of the lack of a
vaulting coach. Vaulting continues to introduce young people to equestrian sport and affiliated clubs
continue to invite coaches to visit Zambia from time to time.
COACHES
FEI Level 2 = 2. Level 1 = 10. Zambia sent two coaches to the Pre Level 3 Coaches Workshop in Jo’burg in
2014 and one coach to the Level 2 Coaches Course in Harare in June 2015. We hope to send more coaches
to the Level 2 Course in Namibia.
The National Sports Council is structuring a coaches union that will outline several areas that will help to
promote qualified coaches and encourage other coaches to hold proper qualifications before they are
allowed to manage athletes.
OFFICIALS
Zambia has a shortage of officials in all the disciplines and needs to invite officials from around the region
for most events. It is an ongoing exercise to run national workshops and courses that encourage new
resident officials to be qualified at a national level.
In 2014 ZANEF held a National Stewards Course in Lusaka and in 2015 another National Stewards Course
was held in Kitwe, Mrs Valorie Beuster (FEI Level 3) ran both the courses. Valorie has also been coaching
national show jumping judges and has been invited to Zambia to judge at all the FEI WJC events and the FEI
Int. Child Classic Bronze Tour - at all these events she will identify and mentor new judges and stewards.
ZANEF has promoted 16 new National Stewards and 2 new National Jumping Judges since 2014. ZANEF
has designed a progression ladder for Jumping Judges to follow up to FEI Level.
ZANEF held a Course Designers Course in November 2014 and qualified 1 National Course Designer Show
Jumping. Several other people are close to receiving national status. ZANEF has designed a ladder of
progression for Course Designers to follow up to FEI Level.
For most dressage and show jumping events ZANEF has to bring in judges from either Zimbabwe or South
Africa.
ZANEF sent 3 vets to the FEI Veterinary course in Zimbabwe.
NEW VENUE & EQUESTRIAN CLUBS
All but one of the competition venues in Zambia are owned privately and all are affiliated to ZANEF as
clubs.
In April a new venue was opened in Mazabuka (South of Lusaka) by Ceri and Shane Coventry – facilities
include a large club house, an eventing track designed by David Evans (UK) who will extend the track to
include a One* course in 2016, an irrigated show jumping arena, sand dressage arena, 80 pole under shade
cloth stables and a fully equipped campsite. Mazabuka Equestrian Centre is also situated close to a
modern, fully equiped equine surgery.
Bridlewood is the second new equestrian center and is in Lusaka. It is owned and developed by Patrick
Phiri and has an all weather arena, 24 loose boxes and a club house and is supported by many new riders.
COMPETITON STRUCTURE
All equestrian competitions are organized by ZANEF Affiliated Clubs – the main ZANEF competitions such
as the FEI WJC, WDC, Child Int. Classic and National Championships are put out to tender the year before
and are allocated to the successful applicants by the executive committee. ZANEF Premiere events are
part funded by ZANEF – usually in the form of an air ticket for an official. All affiliated shows must have
their schedule approved by the executive committee.
HORSE MOVEMENT
ZANEF is on the brink of signing an MOU with the Government of Zambia Veterinary Department. The
MOU will outline the recognition of the HHHP concept according to OIE Guidelines and will implement
special conditions to allow fast track movement of all horses registered with ZANEF. The Government Vet
Department will have access to the ZANEF Database and the database will contain all such information
such as microchip numbers, ids, vaccination dates, blood tests etc. ZANEF will purchase 2 microchip
readers for the government departments. Jean-Philippe Camboulives was part of the original talks in April
between ZANEF and the Government Department.
In March Zambia took horses to compete in Zimbabwe at their National Championships. The paperwork
needed was extensive and took many weeks to complete - including blood tests for mares (blood was sent
to Zimbabwe for testing). However, the border went smoothly both on the journey there and the return
journey. All the horses and vehicles were pre-cleared on both sides and it was just a matter of inspecting
the goods and processing the human documents that took 2.5 hours on the way there and 30mins on the
return.
Zambian athletes are planning to compete on their horses at the Harare Show in August and in DRC in
October.
FEI SOLIDARITY
Zambia applied for Solidarity Assistance for the first time in 2014 for 2015. Zambia was awarded: Athletes
Training to pay for 6 visits from a jumping coach (Gerry Flynn), Sports For All to help introduce young
people to equestrian sport, IT Program – Zambia is one of the countries chosen to join the pilot in
designing the database and finally we were awarded a visit by Jean-Philippe Camboulives who spent 4 days
in April visiting members, yards, government officials etc. to assess the state of the federation.
SPORTS FOR ALL
Jean-Philippe was part of the initial talks held with the Ministry of Youth and Sport in Zambia. Further talks
have been held through the National Sports Council to implement a Sports For All Program in Zambia that
will include equestrian sport introduced into the school curriculum of local mid to high-income schools.
The project will be targeted at Zambian children aged between 10 and 12 years. The Solidarity grant
ZANEF received this year will be used to fund a test run starting in September with a couple of the targeted
schools both in the Copperbelt and Lusaka Provinces.
ZANEF believes that the future growth of equestrian sport in Zambia must include Zambian children and in
turn to ensure that this investment is sustainable these children should ideally come from advantaged
backgrounds. Part of the promotional drive is to promote equestrianism as a possible career opportunity.
INCLUSIVITY
ZANEF supports a grooms’ training initiative designed by an affiliated club in Lusaka. The grooms’ training
has been received with remarkable enthusiasm. Several of the grooms chosen for training are from
disadvantaged backgrounds and are part of an empowerment drive through an NGO – this project is part
funded by NGOs. Grooms receive certificates and are registered with ZANEF once qualified. Grooms’
training is held both in Lusaka and Copperbelt. The highest qualification is a Stage 3.
ZANEF also supports a riding for the disabled initiative.