World Championships organisers explain why dressage schedule has been altered owing to heat – but eventing timetable unchanged
Hot weather has forced a change to the World Championships dressage timetable, but eventing will continue as planned – we asked why there is a difference between the two sports
The team behind the FEI World Championships in Aachen have explained why they have changed tomorrow’s dressage timetable in deference to the hot weather – but not the eventing dressage schedule.
In the pure dressage, the grand prix special will now start at 8.30am local time, rather than 10.50am, with a break in the hottest part of the day between 12.30pm and 3pm. Competition re-starts at 3pm and finishes at 4.50pm as originally planned.
The eventing dressage schedule has not been altered. The action runs from 9.30am to 5pm, although there is a long lunch break across part of the hottest period, from 1.13pm to 2.44pm.
Göran Akerström, veterinary and equine welfare director at the FEI, told the press tonight at the World Championships that there is “quite a big difference” between eventing and dressage in the context of hot weather.
“First, if we look at the horses, eventing horses are relatively lean. They are extremely well trained for that kind of purpose and also, very importantly, their test is much, much shorter than the grand prix special,” he said.
“Dressage horses, on the other hand, have much more muscle mass. They do much more concentrated muscle activity, which generates heat, and therefore they are more susceptible for getting to a high temperature. That’s why we are taking this measure.
“So there’s a clear difference, in relation to the risk between these two types of horses and the activity they are doing.”
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A question was asked about whether the break could have been longer, with the dressage finishing later, but another member of the organising team explained that level playing fields have to be considered and the new timetable mitigates the risk sufficiently.
“We can’t have conditions that are vastly different for one set of horses compared to the other set of horses. So the main concern was obviously welfare and then secondary, level playing fields,” she said.
“I think the solution that was found, avoiding the middle of the day – the risk window – ticked both of those boxes and we’re very confident with that,” she said.
World Championships: planning for hot weather
Göran was also joined by the president of the veterinary commission Dr Friedrich Wilhem Hanbücken.
The pair explained that learnings have been taken from events such as the Tokyo Olympics, while also emphasising that Aachen (with humidity at a maximum of 45%) is a different set of conditions to Tokyo (where humidity could reach 90%).
The organisers here in Aachen are monitoring the conditions every half an hour at 16 different locations.
Thermography cameras are being used to measure horses’ body temperatures – “a system that was developed ahead of Tokyo 2020 and used successfully there; the method has been peer-reviewed and published in scientific publications.”
The system allows the vets to see if horses are becoming too hot and if necessary, to intervene and advise the team to go and cool down the horse.
In addition, the officials spoke about the cooling measures being put in place here in Aachen, including having iced water in preparation and cooling areas and shaded areas.
Cross-country day on Saturday is predicted to be cooler than tomorrow. Iced water and people to cool horses will be available at all the stopping points on course.
At the finish, there is a “really well-resourced cooling area” in the shade, with a number of wash bays, a lot of iced water and huge cooling fans. Veterinary supervision will include all horses having their temperature taken before they are allowed to leave the venue.
Göran said: “So we’re very well prepared for anything on Saturday, but of course we very closely monitor the weather forecast to be prepared for anything.”
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Pippa is a true eventing geek and has been H&H’s eventing editor since 2005. She has first-hand experience of competing up to British Eventing intermediate and international CCI2*-L level, and has worked in the industry on a top event yard. Pippa enjoys nothing more than immersing herself in the sport at the highest level, reporting from the five-stars and international championships, including the Olympics.