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Equine Canada chief executive Akaash Maharaj has written to national federations to outline the task faced by the five-strong task force announced by the world governing body last week.

Akaash Maharaj

"If we are to be deserving heirs to the generations of equestrians who came before us, and creditable stewards to the generations to come, then it is our duty to ensure that our international federation is capable of building upon our inheritance," Maharaj said.

The governance structure of the FEI has long been seen as unwieldy, with past attempts at reform enjoying little success.

"The decision by the president and the bureau to surrender the reins from the FEI's centres of power, and instead pass them to national federations ourselves, is without precedent in the international federation's history."

It was, he said, a leap of faith by the FEI.

"As national federations, we now have a unique opportunity to assume responsibility for rebuilding the FEI on a foundation of greater democracy, accountability, and transparency.

"We can remake the FEI as a modern institution, equal to its mandate and worthy of its name."

Maharaj said that, in many vital ways, equestrian sport had never been stronger, in a year which the FEI marks its 90th anniversary.

"Yet, the FEI is indisputably showing its age, as its existing structures and traditional culture creak under the strains of those very successes.

"Having reached the limit of what it can achieve in its existing form, the FEI has gamely striven to reform itself for the better part of a decade.

"Some of those efforts have succeeded; most have come to grief.

"There is no denying that the setbacks have taken their toll," he said.

"Nevertheless, national federations have remained certain that modernisation of the FEI is critical to the global sustainability of our sport."

Maharaj outlined the process to be followed by the task force, beginning with an upcoming meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Federations will be provided with information on best practices from other international organisations, "to enable us all to make informed choices".

He said there would be "genuine consultations" throughout the globe with national federations, with the task force reporting to the 2011 General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro.

The task force's conduct would be open to full public scrutiny, he said.

"Our consultations will be broad, deep, and sincere. We will invite criticism and respect dissent. We will approach our task with humility, understanding that we discharge a public trust in service to others."

The task force comprises César Camargo Serrano, of Colombia; Paul Cargill, of Australia; Kim Guého, of Mauritius; Ulf Helgstrand, of Denmark, and Maharaj.