Everyone Deserves Safe Sport

Creating a culture where everyone can thrive is a shared responsibility. EC is fully committed to the principles of Safe Sport and we continue to work diligently to promote welcoming environments and keep participants - both humans and horses - safe from harm. Together, we can make sport safe for everyone.

Canada's Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) calls for all sporting environments to be free from physical, sexual and psychological abuse. It equips everyone involved with our sport including coaches, organizers, officials and others to make decisions that promote athletes’ physical and mental wellbeing and empowers us to foster a culture that contributes to athlete success and enjoyment in competition.

Mandatory Safe Sport Training

Fostering Healthy Equestrian Environments and Concussion Awareness are two free online courses that must be completed by all Sport Licence Holders.

Start the training

EC continues to develop educational resources to create and protect the safe and inclusive environment that all participants in equestrian sport deserve. The equestrian community can also access advice, guidance, and resources, or be connected to Sport Dispute Management (SDM) through the Canadian Sport Helpline.

Reporting Safe Sport Violations

Reporting is critical in creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for all equestrian participants. EC’s Discipline, Complaints, and Appeals Policy governs all reported complaints, including those related to Safe Sport and general complaints submitted under the EC Rules.

EC has retained the services of Sport Dispute Management (SDM), led by Jahmiah Ferdinand-Hodkin to provide the equestrian community with expert and objective third-party facilitation of complaints, and to help support EC’s commitment to Canada’s Safe Sport movement. All complaints are directed to Ms. Ferdinand-Hodkin, who is the official Complaints Manager designate of EC’s President of the Board.

Submit a Safe Sport Complaint

Online Submission

Abuse-Free Sport

Abuse-Free Sport is an independent program that is part of a growing national movement to rid Canadian sport of all forms of harassment, discrimination and abuse. They are responsible for investigating reported violations of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) and for imposing sanctions against individuals who violate the Code. Currently, members of the National Team program and EC staff, officials and volunteers fall under the jurisdiction of Abuse-Free Sport.

The organization works to prevent abuse in sport and to influence a positive shift in Canada’s sport culture.

The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner

The Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) is a trusted, independent entity contributing to the advancement of a respectful sport culture by administering and upholding the principles of the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS)

Abuse-Free Sport Helpline

A free, anonymous, confidential and independent service in both official languages: 1-888-837-7678

Email

Disciplinary Sanctions

In keeping with the Discipline, Complaints, and Appeals Policy, decisions on discipline matters involving a breach of EC Rules or policies are determined by a Hearing Panel and shall be a matter of public record at the discretion of EC. For applicable decisions, a summary of the Panel’s reasoned decision and the sanctions imposed (if any) will be made public.

View Disciplinary Sanctions 
View Medication Violations 

Frequently Asked Questions

Maltreatment involves an act or omission resulting in or having the potential to result in harm. Maltreatment can have far-reaching effects on an athlete or participants’ physical, psychological, social, and spiritual health. Maltreatment is an umbrella term including*:

  • Sexual
  • Physical
  • Psychological (abuse, bullying, neglect, harassment, and discrimination).

The Universal Code of Conduct to Address and Prevent Maltreatment in Sport (UCCMS) provides the foundation for the development of a coordinated implementation strategy to prevent and address maltreatment across all levels of the Canadian sport system, and for all participants (athletes, coaches, officials, administrators, practitioners, etc.). The UCCMS is a result of an extensive consultation process that sought insight and expertise from within the sport system and from external subject matter experts.

*non exhaustive list

Equine maltreatment involves an act or omission resulting in or having the potential result in harming a horse. It encompasses the infliction of injuries or causing unnecessary pain and/or suffering. Maltreatment includes*:

  • Physical maltreatment: hitting, kicking, throwing, beating, whipping, spurring, shaking, poisoning, burning, scalding, suffocation, etc.
  • Emotional maltreatment: on-going and deliberate isolation that results in emotional or psychological distress, training practices that are either mentally or physically dam or physically inadequate for a horse capabilities, failing to intervene, diffuse, a horse mental/emotional distress including excessive stereotypical behavior.
  • Neglect: Lack of care, often resulting from ignorance, poverty, or extenuating circumstances. Usually results in a failure to provide the basic necessities of life such as adequate levels of food, water, shelter, veterinary care, grooming, or sanitation resulting in poor physical conditions.
  • Hoarding: consists of animal neglect on a large scale involving multiple numbers of animals and frequently inadequate housing and husbandry conditions
  • Animal sexual abuse: any abusive act involving the rectum, anus or genitalia; or sexual contact with animals which may or may not result in physical injury to the animal.

*non exhaustive

EC has retained the services of Sport Dispute Management (SDM), led by Jahmiah Ferdinand-Hodkin to provide the equestrian community with expert and objective third-party facilitation of complaints, and to help support EC’s commitment to Canada’s Safe Sport movement.

Independent, third-party complaints management is a directive of Sport Canada, as a condition of access to federal funding for sport.

Please click HERE if you would like to submit a complaint.

When a formal complaint is filed alleging abuse or misconduct, EC undertakes a preliminary inquiry through their independent third party to assess whether the report is within EC’s jurisdiction, and whether there is reason to believe a Code of Conduct and Ethics violation may have occurred. The independent third party may decide to initiate an investigation.

EC has exclusive jurisdiction to investigate and resolve reports of when the respondent is an EC licence holder or Member. EC only has authority to interpret or apply our policies on members of our organization. If EC does not have jurisdiction, you have the option to inquire about jurisdiction at the provincial level.

Anyone may report abuse or misconduct to EC. EC will only be able to take action if the respondent is an EC licence holder or Member.

EC specifically investigates reports of abuse or misconduct affecting equestrians and industries affiliated with EC at national, regional, and local levels.

Yes. All EC employees must report known or suspected child abuse (including child sexual abuse) or neglect to appropriate authorities.

Report first to your local law enforcement—if you are a mandatory reporter, this is required by law—then to EC. You must make separate reports to each entity. Once a report is received, EC may collaborate directly with law enforcement investigations.

EC’s Discipline, Complaints, and Appeals Policy governs all reported complaints, including those related to Safe Sport and general complaints submitted under the EC Rules.

Canada does not yet have an independent complaints processing body, however the Federal government has been working on an initiative that will get Canada closer to that model in 2022-2023, where the Sport Dispute Resolution Center of Canada (SDRCC) will lead Canada’s equivalent to the US Centre for Safe Sport called the Commission for Safe Sport – here is the official announcement.

EC has participated in the preparatory working groups and have been sharing our experience as a National Sport Organization (as have all other NSOs) in the current Federal mandate, which is what we are aligned with.

EC’s Board of Directors has approved safe sport policy suite (all posted on our website) and we engage a third-party independent complaints manager to receive all complaints and assess them based on our policies and jurisdiction. There is only one intake process for incoming complaints.

For any Safe Sport related questions or concerns, please contact Rachel Huebert, Director of Sport Operations at rhuebert@equestrian.ca.

Questions?

To submit a complaint, please use the online complaint form or email EC’s Independent Third Party Complaint Manager, Jahmiah Ferdinand-Hodkin at complaints@sportdispute.com