WERC WE Riding Centre

WERC is the acronym for the WORKING EQUITATION RIDING CENTRE, which is a PRIVATE, AUTONOMOUS Non-Profit Organisation, not a part of ANY National Equestrian Federation in any Equestrian Discipline. WERC is registered with the SOUTH AFRICAN EQUESTRIAN FEDERATION (SAEF) in the Equestrian Discipline of WORKING EQUITATION in South Africa, and is entitled to be a Show/Event Holding Body and Organiser of

WORKING EQUITATION and other Equestrian Events. Although WERC is registered to act as a "Club" in South Africa, its functions and services go way beyond normal "Club" activities. The mission of WERC is to develop and promote the Equestrian Discipline of WORKING EQUITATION throughout South Africa, Southern Africa, Africa, and the World, by maintaining the ethics and values of classical working dressage and traditional equitation whilst providing an encouraging and considerate setting for riders, regardless of their choice of breed of horse, tack, or clothing. There are various categories of Membership of WERC, accessed through the Website (https://ingwenet.wixsite.com/werc) - Individual Membership (which is FREE) ranges from SOCIAL Members and Officials, to Riders (Competitors, Recreational Riders/Handlers, and Non-Competitor Riders/Handlers); Special Interest Group Members; and Associate Members. If you are already a member of a Club, that does not stop you from becoming an Individual Member of any category with WERC - our Individual Membership is based on being a Website Member, where you gain access to detailed information about Working Equitation, its Training, Online Events, and Live Online Coaching. WERC shall always prioritise the development of the harmony between rider and horse, as well as providing an environment to enhance the levels of training and riding, aiming to work towards Classical Horsemastership, within the Equestrian Discipline of WORKING EQUITATION anywhere in the world that they have a presence. As a part of the development of horse and rider in a partnership, the principles of kind and horse-orientated preparation of both horse and rider to achieve emotional, psychological, and physical security, roundedness, and balance will always be applied progressively. The unquestioned principal, as a foundation policy of WERC, is that the WELLBEING of the HORSE is paramount.
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To this end, the phrase “Horsemanship Welfare” encapsulates the physical, psychological, and emotional welfare and state of happiness of, in the first instance, the horse himself/herself, as well as stock animals that form a part of the WE Trials, and shall further include the physical, psychological, and emotional welfare and state of happiness of the Athletes/Riders, Participants, Organisers, Guests, Officials, Marshals, Parents/Guardians, Grooms, spectators, and visitors - in fact, anybody or any animal present at any WE gathering or Event of any kind.
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Provision has been made in the WERC Constitution to empower Officials to address any incidents of abuse of a horse or a human at ANY WERC-sanctioned events with a diplomatic, but firm approach. This eventuality is also covered in the comprehensive WERC Code of Conduct, that also addresses the common occurence of bullying on social media, and such activity (amongst others), when exposed, can be curtailed by a comprehensive "Safeguarding Policy Against Harassment and Abuse".