In 2023, Equestrian Canada (EC) proudly announced that it signed an agreement to join Abuse-Free Sport, an independent program to prevent and address maltreatment in sport. This came shortly after the governing body adopted the Universal Code of Conduct to Prevent and Address Maltreatment (UCCMS) from the Office of the Sport Integrity Commissioner (OSIC) in December 2022.
But are they actually walking the talk?
The recent permanent suspension of EC’s Jumping Youth Development Program Advisor, Dayton Gorsline, makes me wonder: why were no preventative measures taken to protect our children while someone in a top position of power was under investigation?
Let me be clear: this isn’t about Dayton Gorsline.
It’s not about the allegations against him, his skill, esteem and/or knowledge as a trainer, or that one time he gave you or your friend’s sister great advice at the ring. None of those things have any bearing on the steps that should have been taken to safeguard the athletes in EC’s Youth Development Program while its advisor was under investigation.
It’s about keeping young athletes safe. Preventing harm must always come first—no matter who is involved.
Think about children in literally any other formal teaching environment.
If a schoolteacher is accused of sexual abuse or misconduct, they are typically placed on administrative leave immediately. This proactive preventative measure is designed to protect minors while the facts are investigated. It would be reckless and irresponsible, not to mention horrifying, to leave a person who has been accused of abuse or misconduct in a position of power over and in direct contact with children. Especially unsupervised contact.
But that is exactly what happened with Equestrian Canada and the Jumping Youth Development Program Advisor. Gorsline remained in his position after the federation was alerted to the investigation, and no public action was taken to protect the minors under his leadership, a fact conceded by EC High Performance Director James Hood in an email to the Chronicle of the Horse.
“The information from OSIC during the investigation was only that there was an investigation underway and that the provisional measure was monitoring,” he wrote. “Once the provisional measure was announced by OSIC, Equestrian Canada reached out and asked if there were any measures that we needed to put in place and OSIC informed us no.”
Equestrian Canada’s response, or lack thereof, speaks volumes about the current state of leadership in horse sport—and what we, as a community, are willing to tolerate.
If Equestrian Canada is truly upholding the UCCMS, they have a responsibility to proactively protect our children.
The UCCMS directly states that maltreatment that results in harm or has the potential for physical or psychological harm is “unacceptable and fundamentally incompatible with the core values that lie at the heart of Canadian sport…Addressing the causes and consequences of maltreatment is a collective responsibility and requires the deliberate efforts of all Participants and other sport stakeholders.”
These forms of harm include grooming and sexual maltreatment, among others—of which Gorsline is accused.
While the investigation and sanctioning of Gorsline fell under the OSIC’s jurisdiction, it was well within Equestrian Canada’s purview to temporarily remove Gorsline from his position overseeing youth athletes. But by Hood’s admission, the federation chose inaction. Gorsline wasn’t removed from his position until the suspension required that he be removed.
That’s simply unacceptable.
When governing bodies relinquish their duty and responsibility to safeguard their athletes, abuse and misconduct are allowed to continue. There is no excuse for inaction, complacency, and zero accountability when it comes to minors.
As a matter of policy, individuals under investigation should be temporarily removed from leadership positions and positions that involve direct contact with children. Full stop.
Protective measures are not punishment or a declaration of guilt—it’s safeguarding.
We must demand that national governing bodies of sport uphold care and accountability for the sake of our sport and our athletes, especially our minor athletes.
The post Op Ed: When Junior Riders Are at Risk, Inaction Is Unacceptable appeared first on Horse Network.