The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

ALL the work that Catherine Ramsingh-Pierre would have done over the years in Bahamas Equestrian has paid off as she was appointed as the Group IV representative to the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI) solidarity committee.

Ramsingh-Pierre’s appointment was ratified at the FEI 2021 General Assembly in Antwerp, Belgium. She will represent the USA, Canada, Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean.

Other committee members hail from Denmark, Kyrgyzstan, Costa Rica, Chile, the Philippines, Swaziland and Morocco.

The committee is chaired by Ingmar De Vos, president of the International Federation for Equestrian Sports.

The FEI solidarity programme was launched in 2011 and works with national federations to provide a catalogue of technical programmes, consultancy services and financial support to facilitate the development of equestrian sport, from the grassroots to the world stage.

“It is an honour to have been selected by my FEI colleagues,” Ramsingh- Pierre said.

“Equestrian sport in The Bahamas has been the recipient of support from FEI Solidarity.

“I look forward to assisting other countries in the FEI’s efforts to develop equestrian sport through various initiatives worldwide.”

Ramsingh-Pierre got started in the sport at the age of nine and she has been a part of the association for the past 40 years. But she admitted that throughout the years she has been involved, her only mission was to ensure that the sport continues to make its stride through the local community.

“When I was a child in the 1970s the sport was very vibrant and we had an internationally-recognised federation,” she said. “However over the years the sport diminished in popularity and the federation became defunct.

“The administrative and governance aspects became priorities for me when my son began riding and wanted to compete abroad.

“So along with others I worked to rebuild the sport locally and to re-establish a federation that could be affiliated with the international body (the FEI).”

And now as president of the Bahamas Equestrian Association, Ramsingh-Pierre said she hopes that this international post will inspire persons involved in the sport now to continue to make it a vibrant entity in the country.

“As president, I see the appointment as an opportunity to gain further insight into the work of our international organisation, and to raise the international profile of The Bahamas in equestrian sport,” she said.

In being appointed, Ramsingh-Pierre became the first Bahamian to sit on an international board in modern times.

Without overlooking those who paved the way before her, Ramsingh- Pierre said her appointment is just an affirmation of the work that “we have done locally in rebuilding the sport.

“Hopefully it represents an opportunity,” Ramsingh- Pierre stated.

For a little more insight on her appointment, Ramsingh-Pierre will sit on a board that is based on the “Four Pillars” of sport - the National Federation, the Athlete, the Coach, and Values.

The FEI solidarity programmes have supported over 280 projects worldwide since 2012.

As a member of the FEI solidarity committee, Ramsingh-Pierre will be part of the team that reviews programme applications. And the team that allocates annual funding for solidarity projects.