Rider licensing was on the agenda at the eventing round table at Lausanne.
Course-designers, organisers, riders and trainers discussed ideas for testing more thoroughly whether a rider is able to ride in higher level events.
FEI eventing chairman Guiseppe della Chiesa said future rule changes must emphasise a rider’s personal responsibility for their own safety.
“The qualifying system has created a thinking that you are competent and you are almost urged to upgrade,” he said.
“Some people may be great two-star riders, but should not go three-star. We must find a way to make it clear that if and when you upgrade is a matter for the rider under the control of their national federation.”
Equally, riders could be downgraded for two falls in a 12-month rolling period.
However, further safety-led proposals to reduce speeds at CICs to 20 metres per minute less than CCIs were not favoured by technical delegates Mike Etherington-Smith, Roger Haller of the USA and Rudiger Schwarz of Germany.
This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (10 May 2012)
Do you want to buy an eventer? View our online database of horses for sale
