Latest from Horse & Hound in Fei-general-assembly

‘What are we waiting for?’ asks Carl Hester following the FEI General Assembly

Carl Hester — Thu, 13 Nov 2025 10:28:11 +0000

Carl Hester shares his views on why adding give and retake of the reins to the grand prix test must be the way forward

I was doing a clinic in California while the FEI General Assembly 2025 was taking place in Hong Kong, so with a long flight home and then starting teaching at what to me was 1am with the time difference, I was reliant on WhatsApp for a full catch-up.

As I wrote in my column last year, the introduction of a give and retake the reins at prix st georges and grand prix level was Kyra Kyrklund’s idea, which she had already put forward to the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) and the FEI.

As I said then, I think this is a brilliant idea. Correct stretch is a key sign of how your horse’s work is progressing. It shows whether the outline just looks right – or if the horse is truly in self-carriage, without the rider hanging on. In a give and retake, if the horse stretches to the bit and doesn’t go behind the bit, it shows the horse is using its back, from hindleg to hand.

Some people were puzzled and asked why on earth anyone would want to watch it. But if they did, it would lead to a full understanding of why the movements aren’t just “tricks”.

From a training point of view, give and retake should be a part of everyone’s routine. It confirms whether or not your horse is in self-carriage, which is one of the most difficult things to achieve, and whether your horse is working correctly with relaxation. Use it!

Thank heavens there was great support for this initiative tabled on FEI documents under “urgent repairs” – rule changes that cannot wait due to their impact on horse welfare. Denmark has already implemented this change under national rules.

The IDRC, European Equestrian Federation and British Equestrian also expressed support.

The FEI’s dressage technical committee now say they are establishing a working group to review all tests to “include movements where the suppleness and self-carriage of the horse can be better assessed, placing greater emphasis on assessing correct training, in accordance with the scale of training”. So get practising!

But with no immediate changes planned, Kyra wonders what we are waiting for, as do I.

As for Diana Al Shaer’s election as chair of the FEI dressage committee ahead of the favoured candidate, Klaus Roeser, that came as a bit of a shock. The vote, a secret ballot open to all federations, contrasts with the European Equestrian Federation’s approach, where only nations actively involved in the sport can vote. We’ll have to see how it plays out.

Goodnight, Jilly

When I heard the news of Jilly Cooper’s death, like many others, I remembered the immeasurable amount of joy she brought through her sense of fun, knowledge and general frolics.

I was fortunate to sit next to her on several social occasions. She was intoxicating, always laughing, teasing and talking about two of her favourite subjects: sex and horses.

My good friend Roly Luard, co-owner of our adored Valegro, had been a great friend and former neighbour of Jilly’s for many years. Jilly was godmother to Roly’s son Harry, whose 21st birthday was after the Rio Olympics. Jilly stood up to deliver a speech.

As well as congratulating Harry on his birthday, Jilly also congratulated Roly on Valegro’s very exciting and successful performance.

In true Jilly fashion, she finished by asking everyone to raise a glass to Roly and her wonderful “Viagra”. Of course, the whole place fell about laughing. I’m sure Jilly didn’t intend to say that, but no one was surprised. It was just so Jilly. She was unique and will be so much missed.

I wish she’d written a book about the dressage scene… or do I?

● What can dressage do to evolve fast enough while prioritising horse welfare and rewarding correct training? Write to us at hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and county, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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(Image credit: Jason Chan/FEI)

Improve your dressage scores: how and why to ride a give and retake of the reins

(Image credit: Jason Chan/FEI)

Carl Hester: ‘We don’t want tension in dressage – we want collection and energy’

(Image credit: Jason Chan/FEI)

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Thousands sign petition against plan to ‘weaken’ blood rules in horse sport

Becky Murray — Mon, 03 Nov 2025 17:14:27 +0000

Concerns have been raised over whether proposed changes in showjumping are “weakening” the blood rules – as the FEI states its “zero tolerance stance on horse abuse remains firm”.

H&H reported on new proposals – to be voted on by national federations at the FEI General Assembly (4–7 November) – that in cases of blood, horses will be allowed to continue in competition, if deemed fit by the veterinary delegate. For tack- or rider-induced blood, riders will receive a warning and if two offences occur in 12 months, they will be fined 1,000CHF and suspended for a month.

The FEI said the elimination and disqualification wording had been removed, as “other provisions in the rules apply for this” under horse abuse and excessive spur and whip use.

A petition, started by German equestrian journalist Claudia Sanders calling for “this proposed relaxation to be stopped” was signed by more than 50,000 people in its first week. It states that any visible blood – regardless of cause and without exception – should result in immediate elimination “to protect the horse and maintain trust in the sport”.

“The petition is not directed against any individual or organisation, but seeks to support clear and consistent welfare standards across all equestrian disciplines,” Ms Sanders told H&H.

Significant concerns

World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers told H&H the charity has “significant concerns” about the proposed changes, “which risks being a real step backwards for horse welfare”.

“Whilst we can see the benefit of rider sanctions for repeated cases, these should be in addition to, rather than instead of, automatic elimination,” he said. “We believe a rule of such importance to horse welfare deserves more veterinary and ethical consideration, including through the FEI Equine Welfare Advisory Group, before any proposed changes are made.”

An FEI spokesperson told H&H the jumping rules review is to ensure “clarity, consistency and the highest standards of horse welfare”, and that proposed amendments on handling blood are a part of this.

“The FEI’s zero-tolerance stance on horse abuse remains firm and is further reinforced by these new measures. The abuse provisions continue to provide strict protection against any form of mistreatment,” she said, adding that the introduction of a vet check to assess fitness to compete is an “important step forward”.

“The proposed amendments aim to ensure fairness, proportionality and consistency, while reflecting lessons learned from incidents that underscored the difficulty of distinguishing between accidental, minor occurrences and deliberate instances of equipment misuse or abuse.”

Full context

On 28 October the FEI also published a document “to support understanding” and provide “full context” on these proposals.

“In jumping, the vast majority of cases of bleeding are identified after the round has been completed. As a result, whether or not elimination applies does not change the fact that the horse has already finished its round,” it reads.

“The proposed revision does not reduce the level of protection for horses (it actually improves it), nor does it consider bleeding to be inconsequential. All existing welfare safeguards – including veterinary assessments, ground jury authority and follow-up investigations – will remain fully in place.”

The International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) has been vocal in calling for changes to the blood rules and in response to concerns about the new proposals, IJRC director Eleonora Ottaviani told H&H that the club puts “horse welfare and health above everything”.

She said the IJRC worked with the FEI on a proposal that is “even stronger than the previous rule” owing to the introduction of a possible fine and suspension – and highlighted that the horse abuse provisions remain unchanged.

Ahead of the General Assembly vote, the German and Danish federations publicly stated they did not support the change.

“For the federation, the welfare of the horse is at the heart of all our actions. This rule change does not align with this principle,” said the German federation president Martin Richenhagen.

A Danish federation spokesperson said it was the federation’s assessment that the proposal “does not benefit equestrian sport and does not take into account the interests of the horse”.

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Rules on horse abuse, blood, flag penalties and double bridles to be voted on next month

Becky Murray — Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:45:22 +0000

A reduction in eventing flag penalties and double bridles’ being optional at CDI3* could be introduced from 1 January.

The final draft of the rules that will go to the vote at the FEI General Assembly (4-7 November) has been published following feedback from national federations and stakeholders.

Federations will vote on a new rule that will bring abuse protocols in line across the board. The FEI proposed that by 1 January 2027 national federations must have incorporated abuse of horse provisions – and rules against harassment and abuse – that are “generally consistent” with FEI provisions.

“These provisions will help prevent cruelty, promote responsible horsemanship and uphold the integrity of the sport,” said an FEI spokesperson, adding that the FEI has published a safeguarding template policy to facilitate their implementation and will publish horse abuse templates.

“By setting clear standards and consequences for abusive behaviour, national federations will protect both the horses and the reputation of equestrians, striving to align with the FEI rules as much as possible.”

In eventing, which is undergoing a full rules revision, during the first draft of changes the FEI eventing committee rejected a proposal from the Brazilian federation to bring blood rules in harmony across the disciplines.

The FEI eventing committee said it was “agreed that each discipline is different in terms of how blood might be caused” – but in further feedback dated 10 October, the committee said it was told of a proposed change to the showjumping blood rules (news, 23 October) and “although the wording and resulting sanctions differed slightly from those in eventing, the general principle remained the same”.

It was “therefore agreed” that the eventing rules for the jumping phase would be amended based on the showjumping proposal; blood caused by tack or equipment or induced by a rider will result in a recorded warning. In cases of blood deemed as a result of a horse biting its tongue or lip, in consultation with the veterinary delegate, the combination may continue if the horse is considered fit to compete and no warning will be given.

Under the current rule, horses with blood on the flanks and/or bleeding in the mouth are eliminated – and “minor cases” such as when a horse has bitten its tongue, this may be wiped and the combination can continue, unless bleeding continues.

The proposal for penalties for a missed flag to be reduced from 15 to nine will go to the vote. British Equestrian (BEF) is in favour, but said it would like to see research on “the implications of the change of penalties”.

“If the number of penalties is reduced from 15 to nine, could an unintended consequence be that horses are penalised more frequently for missing a flag as a less severe penalty could make the judging more aggressive?” said a BEF spokesperson.

In dressage, the FEI proposal to allow snaffles at CDI3* level – backed by the technical committee and strategic action planning group (news, 17 July) – has been broadly welcomed. Double bridles are allowed up to CDI2* currently.

But calls have been made for this to be a trial; the European Equestrian Federation, German federation and International Dressage Riders Club proposed two years – and BEF favoured a trial, “to inform future decision-making as a prelude to expanding this further to all FEI competition”.

“Given that no qualifying score is required to compete at CDI3* level, the level of rider expertise can vary, including the use of the double bridle. We would therefore recommend that a formal process is established to collect and evaluate data on bridle choice, incorporating feedback from athlete and official perspectives,” said a BEF spokesperson.

“This information can then be reviewed and considered as part of the full dressage rules revision process in 2026, with a clearly defined timeline for implementation. This will be important, as national federations will need to ensure that combinations are assessed for selection under the same conditions that will be in effect at the championships, and allow sufficient time to align their preparations accordingly.”

No further amendments have been made to include a trial, but the dressage rules are to undergo a full revision next year.

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New targeted research projects and Olympic news at FEI General Assembly

Lucy Elder — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 18:22:52 +0000

Targeted research looking at oral cavities, career profiles of sport horses, transport and prohibited substances are under way as part of the latest developments in the FEI’s equine welfare and strategy action plan.

The action plan, which was approved by the board in June and launched with CHF1m (£893,600) backing, is based on recommendations from the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission (news, 9 May). It is made up of 37 projects over six focus areas, including training, riding, tack and accountability.

“It is all about leading towards science-informed decision-making,” said FEI veterinary director Göran Åkerström during the update at the FEI general assembly in Abu Dhabi on 12 November.

“I’m not saying evidence-based rules, because evidence can change quite quickly and we always need to take the practical aspects into consideration when we come up with new rules. So we believe that a better term is actually science-informed decision-making.”

The meeting heard of the many works in progress under the banner of the action plan. These include a rule change that will allow vets and stewards to check any part of a horse’s body, a look at traditional knowledge to review and better understand certain areas and the launch of an online welfare hub as a resource for people to better access scientific papers.

“Previously, FEI wasn’t really a funding research body. We were more reading other research that was coming in. Now we’re actually funding it – we are identifying gaps and we use the fund to do research on that matter,” said Mr Åkerström, noting the budget for the FEI Veterinary Research Fund is separate to the action plan’s CHF1m launch pot.

Looking at some of the specific projects, Mr Åkerström highlighted that the contract for a study into career-profiling jumping horses had just been approved.

“The main focus will be on competition intensity. It’s an epidemiological analysis – we have more than three million FEI jumping results that will be analysed,” he said, adding that the aim will be to identify factors associated with career longevity.

“We believe this can be a very important study to come up with guidelines, rules and policies for the future.”

CHF 466,200 was set aside for veterinary research in the 2024 budget and CHF 460,900 in the 2025 budget.

Somesh Dutt, FEI senior manager in equine welfare initiatives and implementation, shared details of an additional study in this area. He said that the World Breeding Federation for Sport Horses will expand on previous research into longevity of dressage horses to look at jumping and event horses.

Mr Åkerström also reported on a successful pilot project into oral cavity health, conducted during a showjumping tour, which has helped inform next steps in this area.

“The overall purpose of the project is to increase knowledge and awareness of oral cavity health, among all our stakeholders, but it’s also critical to point out that we have to govern horse welfare, and oral cavity health is part of that,” he said.

He added that the objective is to design a protocol for inspecting oral lesions that can be applied both at home and at competition.

“We also need to gather data on oral cavity health on our horses. We know from a literature study that the higher the level of competition, the larger number of oral cavity lesions there are – and of course, we need to take this into consideration,” he said. “But it’s so much about knowledge awareness and taking responsibility – it’s super-important that we work with our stakeholders.”

Mr Åkerström said that for this reason, the FEI is collaborating with a specialist on human behaviour change in the equestrian sector, to find the best way to work with riders, grooms and organising committees.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers said the charity “warmly welcomes” the way the FEI has “embraced the vision of giving all sport horses a good life” and the “pivotal reframing of our relationship to help us recognise that we are guardians of sport horses from birth to death”.

“We also commend the FEI for committing to so many actions and activities in its evolving action plan,” he said.

“There is still much in the commission’s recommendations that will take much time and effort, such as moving towards a more evidence- or science-based approach, to the use of tack and equipment, embedding education on learning theory and equine behaviour and instilling better understanding of the rules and more robust enforcement.

“These are systemic changes, as is building a culture that embraces the continual evolution of our understanding of what good welfare looks like based on science and ethics.”

Olympics update: LA28 and Brisbane 2032

Planning is under way for the next two Olympic and Paralympic Games – LA28 and Brisbane 2032.

The FEI is still waiting to hear final disciplines and quotas from the International Olympic Committee for 2028, which are now expected in March 2025. As H&H has previously reported, eventing’s inclusion depends on its being able to run at the same venue as the other equestrian disciplines, including the cross-country phase.

Galway Downs in Temecula – a wine region around 90 minutes south of Los Angeles – has been identified (news, 4 July). The FEI commissioned an external climatological study to understand the effect of the climate on horses, which it handed to the LA28 organising committee this month. Although temperatures there can be hot, it is a dry climate.

“We will recommend to the organising committee to not have competitions between 11am and 2pm,” said FEI president Ingmar de Vos.

He added that the organising committee will now need to look at the impact on other areas, such as logistics and timelines for TV broadcasting and getting spectators in and out.

“We hope that very soon the venue can finally be approved,” he said. “The good thing is that we will have contingency days, because we do not have to share the venue with another sport.”

Looking ahead to Brisbane, Mr de Vos said “there is a chance” the Olympic stadium, where the opening ceremony and athletics will be held, could be in the venue identified for equestrian sport in Victoria Park.

He added that he is “confident we will be” at the Brisbane Games, noting that there is a “strong commitment” from the Brisbane organising committee and that Australia has “a long tradition in equestrian sports, especially eventing”.

Talking points

The roll-out of the FEI’s noseband-measuring device has been pushed back from 1 January to 1 May. This is to allow more time to train officials and owing to “slight delays” in the manufacturing process.
Guidance on mental health is to be included in a medical coverage handbook for organising committees for 2025.
A working group is to be established in 2025 to review literature and propose new research projects on air vests.
New rules on out-of-competition testing headline the changes for 2025, which have been voted in to “discourage and catch the administration of banned substances” out of competition.

What do you think? Share your thoughts by emailing hhletters@futurenet.com, including your name, nearest town and country, for the chance for your letter to appear in a forthcoming issue of the magazine

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Calls for all sports to track horse and rider falls after surprising new figures

Lucy Elder — Tue, 05 Dec 2023 17:37:16 +0000

Olympic gold medallist David O’Connor has urged other disciplines to start tracking falls as recent figures show around a quarter of eventing falls do not happen at cross-country fences.

Mr O’Connor, the FEI eventing committee chairman, made the call during his address to the FEI general assembly (21 November).

He highlighted the reduction in cross-country jumping falls in recent years, which H&H covered as part of discussions at the eventing risk management seminar in January (news, 16 February).

“There’s been a 16% reduction in horse falls just in the last six years, which is a pretty significant number, and a 70% reduction in any type of rotational fall in the last 10 years,” said Mr O’Connor, adding that this nods to the positive impact measures, including frangible devices, education, course-design, and minimum eligibility requirements, are having.

But he noted one “standout” figure is that 25% of total falls, which includes horse and/or rider falls, do not happen at cross-country fences. These include falls on the flat, in the other phases and warm-ups.

“That’s a fairly stunning number,” said Mr O’Connor, suggesting other disciplines start tracking their fall data to start to understand more about this.

“I know the United States has actually started the process of looking across all disciplines at what is happening, and not just leaving it up to one.”

Mr O’Connor added that he encourages other disciplines to record data is because numbers can be quite surprising, and only from knowing these can the sport then start to ask questions about reasons for falls.

FEI medical committee chairman Mark Hart told the assembly of several major ongoing initiatives around rider safety. These are headlined by a project to evaluate the performance of equestrian helmets, with the recommendation for additional testing standards.

An equestrian helmet working group was put together this year, comprising stakeholders and experts such as engineers, academics, manufacturers, medical personnel, an Olympic rider, racing experts and the eventing risk management group.

Dr Hart gave a short summary of some of the group’s main findings; the conclusions are set to be released at the end of the year.

“Our goal is to decrease not only falls, but in parallel, we need to make efforts to further reduce serious head injuries in the inevitable event of falls in our sport,” said Dr Hart.

“[The working group] evaluated the performance needs for protective headgear and assessed the existing standards against those needs, to better determine if current standards could be improved to provide better protection for our riders to reduce serious head injuries.

“After extensive review of the available data, the working group is recommending additional testing standards and reduced head injury transmission limits for improved safety.

“It is expected that these recommendations will evolve as scientific criteria are refined and continuing research is taken out.

“We also hope that this will nudge the certification organisations to quicker update their standards, and hopefully eventually have harmonisation of the certification projects around the world and have a universal common standard.”

In a separate project, the FEI medical committee is coordinating the creation of an expert task force on air vest safety and effectiveness. The aim of the air vests working group will be to conduct a complete literature review of available data on equestrian injury patterns for chest, spine and thoracic injuries to determine what role the devices could have in reducing injuries.

They will also evaluate recommendations of other sports, such as motocross, and develop specific research projects, with the eventual aim of translating these findings into new testing standard recommendations for manufacturers and certification organisations.

Other key projects in the pipeline for 2024 include exploring a new system for reporting rider injuries, to create an “overall equestrian database for injuries”, plus guidance for organising committees on how to set up a mental health emergency plan for their events.

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(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

‘A good life for horses’: why equestrian sport’s future rests on all our shoulders, and what are the next steps

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

Rotational falls in eventing at all-time low – but more work ‘still to do’

(Image credit: Alamy Stock Photo)

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‘A good life for horses’: why equestrian sport’s future rests on all our shoulders, and what are the next steps

Lucy Elder — Tue, 28 Nov 2023 17:22:41 +0000

A blueprint for the way forward to ensure the future of equestrian sport was set out at the FEI general assembly, following 18 months of work and research by leading figures.

Professor Natalie Waran presented the FEI-appointed Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission’s (EEWC) final report at the general assembly in Mexico on 21 November, which covered public perception of horse sport and ensuring equines have a good life.

The report, titled A good life for horses: a vision for ensuring the future involvement of horses in sport, comprises 30 recommendations, asks the FEI to define what a good life for competition horses looks like and calls on everyone in the horse world to take accountability. In simple terms, these fall under the areas of: be a leader, be accountable, be trusted, be transparent and be proactive.

It also urges the FEI to adopt the “precautionary principle”. This means putting horse welfare as the focal point in decision-making by understanding that absence of evidence does not necessarily mean evidence of absence.

The recommendations include establishing a permanent FEI equine ethics and wellbeing independent advisory committee, to act as a “critical friend”, and provide external perspective and independent advice, and adopting an evidence-based approach for assessing the impact on horse welfare of new and existing items of tack and equipment. Another is for additional checks by trained professionals to ensure horses are always “fit to compete”. It also asks the FEI to develop and implement a robust FEI internal decision-making process, to ensure that equine welfare and ethics are prioritised when developing policy and in practice.

The main takeaway from Prof Waran’s presentation is that the future of horse sport rests on everyone’s shoulders.

“Everybody knows that changing the status quo can be extremely challenging. It’s hard because often people hang on to the old stuff, because they overestimate the value of what they have. And they can underestimate the value of what they might gain as a result of change,” said Prof Waran.

“That is why we really want to remind you that this is more of an evolution of the equestrian sports and not a revolution.

“The important thing is to earn trust, through listening and engaging and remaining legitimate, credible and accountable to that external scrutiny. Real commitment to prioritising equine welfare needs to be demonstrated not just by what we’ve written in the paper, and the work we’ve carried out over the 18 months we’ve been doing this, but by what is actually being done as a result of that work.

“Leadership is about you, every single person in this room, every national federation, every equestrian organisation and of course the FEI, overarching all of that. We believe that if we all show that responsibility, then we can certainly secure the future of equestrian sports.”

FEI president Ingmar de Vos commended the commission for this “important body of work” and added that this will “contribute to a larger strategy and concrete measures” that will be presented at the 2024 FEI sports forum.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers, who was also presenting at the general assembly, said the report provides the equestrian world with a “really exciting opportunity”, adding that national federations being proactive “makes a huge difference”.

“We must demonstrate our ongoing commitment to both prioritising equine wellbeing and scrutinising everything we do from an ethical standpoint. We must do this in both word and action, because this is not just a communication exercise – ‘welfare washing’ will get us nowhere,” said Mr Owers.

“The ball is very much in our court and the future of horse sport will be dictated by how we play it.”

Proposed U-turn on controversial FEI dressage rule change

Oscar Williams — Tue, 07 Nov 2023 12:54:33 +0000

The FEI is set to reverse a controversial dressage rule change that increased the qualifying score needed to progress in CDI4* and CDI5* shows.

Since the start of this year, riders have had to score at least 65% in the grand prix to participate in the grand prix special or the freestyle at CDI4* and CDI5* shows. The rule was not received well when it was introduced and caused disappointment among riders and event organisers.

The CDI4* at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington only had six combinations progress to the freestyle as a result of the rule and several riders described the change as not in line with the FEI’s mandate to promote participation and interest in the sport.

It has now been proposed that the qualifying percentage should revert to 60%.

The proposal to reverse the rule was brought forward by the German and British federations as well as the International Dressage Officials Club. It is included in the latest draft of FEI changes for 2024, which will be voted on at the FEI general assembly this month (18-21 November).

British Olympic dressage rider Richard Davison, who also helps organise the CDI4* at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, told H&H he welcomed the decision to reverse the 65% rule.

“I think keeping the 60% cut-off is the right thing to do, and if this change reflects [new FEI dressage director] Ronan Murphy’s receptiveness to stakeholder feedback that’s also a positive,” he said.

“From an organiser’s point of view, and for the fairness of the riders, it would be interesting to know if even the 60% cut-off is justified by data or if it’s just an arbitrary figure.

“At a recent meeting I chaired in Belgium, with the International Dressage Riders Club and the International Dressage Trainers Club, Ronan pledged to align with us on using evidence and data-based figures to make changes like this one. If this most recent decision reflects that, then I think it’s the right way forward.”

Another proposed dressage rule change, to abolish minimum qualification requirements to enter CDI4*s and Western European World Cup qualifiers, has been rejected.

“We don’t agree with the part of keeping 63% as the entry requirement for a CDI4*/CDIO4,” said the European Equestrian Federation. “It prevents new and potential top combinations from competing immediately on a higher level.”

The German federation agreed, adding: “Apart from the rationale already expressed, a main factor is that organisers of CDI4* have difficulties to get enough starters.”

The FEI responded to the feedback by saying that maintaining a qualification percentage of 63% at CDI3* to qualify for CDI4* “promotes participation in CDI3* events, and is a straightforward way of qualification”.

On the wider changes the FEI are introducing, including measures to moderate athletes’ and officials’ social media use, Richard was curious as to whether these will result in an increase in the number of appeals to any disciplinary sanctions arising from them.

“The FEI consistently emphasises that these new regulations come from their external lawyers,” he said. “While I do think safeguarding and the idea of policies are good, where sanctions or definitions are involved it’s important for those drafting them to understand the nature of that particular sport in order to achieve the desired effect and also to avoid unnecessary consequences.”

New social media policy for horse sport could mean bans and fines for rule-breakers

Eleanor Jones — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 09:57:22 +0000

A proposed social media policy covers anyone involved in FEI activity, and could mean suspensions and fines for those who breach it.

The change is included in the latest draft of FEI rule changes for 2024, which will be voted on at the FEI general assembly this month (18-21 November).

Having initially suggested the rule cover riders and officials, the FEI has now, after stakeholders’ feedback, included all participants in the policy, to “outline their responsibility”.

The proposed policy includes a section on reporting, stating that anyone who becomes aware of a violation should “report such incidents to the FEI”, citing the “collective responsibility to maintain a positive and respectful online environment”.

British Equestrian (BEF) welcomed the idea of policies but said “some areas are left open to interpretation and are ambiguous”. On reporting violations, it cited concerns, adding: “It is entirely foreseeable that there will be shades of grey in terms of comments or opinions made on social media and officials/athletes may well be left in doubt as to whether they need to report something or not.

“Many will also feel conflicted if they know the individuals involved and may simply prefer to run the risk of breaching the reporting obligations rather than report a concern.”

The German federation asked whether there are rules to cover behaviour offline, and if not “why such restrictions?” Other stakeholders called for more clarity in the policy and suggested a separate body to determine what is and is not offensive and the level of misconduct.

In other changes, the introduction of an FEI-approved tool to measure noseband tightness will go to the vote this month. H&H reported the proposal, to apply in all disciplines, this summer (news, 7 July).

The BEF and Swedish federations welcomed the proposal but other stakeholders expressed safety concerns, and cited a lack of scientific research behind optimum tightness and the tool to be used.

H&H also reported on the proposed charter for the horse, to which all involved in FEI sport should pledge their support.

The final wording for this, to be voted on this month, states: “I understand that it is a privilege to involve horses in sport and this comes with responsibilities to the horse. I commit to respecting the horse as a sentient creature capable of feeling both positive and negative emotions, and to ensuring its welfare is always my priority. I undertake to continually develop my understanding of horse behaviour and welfare needs, seeking evidence-based sources of information, and to proactively use this knowledge to provide a good life for horses with which I am involved.”

‘A violation of human rights’: federations push back on anti-doping investigations proposal

Eleanor Jones — Sun, 05 Nov 2023 19:02:29 +0000

An FEI proposal to demand information or articles relating to anti-doping investigations is a “violation of human rights” and goes too far, it has been claimed.

In the final draft of rule changes published by the FEI is a proposal that would allow the federation at any point to “make a written demand to an applicable person to provide the FEI and/or the integrity unit with any information, record, article or thing in their possession or control that the FEI reasonably believes may evidence or lead to the discovery of evidence of a non-doping violation”.

The applicable person would have to provide the record or information “immediately, where practical to do so, or within such other time as may be set by the FEI and/or the integrity unit”, and would “waive and forfeit any rights, defences and privileges provided by any law in any jurisdiction to withhold any information, record, article or thing requested”.

Failure to comply, or attempts to damage, alter or destroy the information, would be a breach of FEI rules.

As is the case with all proposed rule changes, this was sent to national federations and stakeholders for comment.

The Belgian equestrian federation said: “‘Request access to any information or record (such as personal devices)’. This goes too far. We oppose. This is a violation of human rights.”

British Equestrian (BEF) said that although the investigative powers set out are “beneficial in enforcing integrity matters”, it is “concerned that the broad nature of this waiver may be unenforceable in some circumstances”.

The BEF proposed that the addition of “save where it would be contrary to national laws” be added before the reference to waiving and forfeiting rights.

The German federation agreed the rule would be “an infringement of human rights”, adding: “If nothing else, we are sure that this rule will not stand if put to trial in Germany.” The Dutch, Swiss and Swedish federations are all opposed to the idea.

Solicitor Hannah Bradley, of The Equine Law Firm, told H&H this is “one of the most interesting” proposed rule changes.

“Such wide-ranging powers of investigation are somewhat novel,” she said. “The right to access such a wide range of potentially sensitive documentation or personal items is usually the subject of a court order or warrant in legal proceedings, recognising the potential intrusion to an individual’s private life. The description of items the FEI could potentially demand access to is vague, and it could include access to e-mail accounts or data stored on a mobile device.

“Athletes should be aware that they could soon be subject to this rule, and that records that they previously thought to be private may not remain so.”

The FEI, which had said its lawyers had recommended the change, responded to the feedback by stating: “While there are some concerns raised, it is not against human rights to have the proposed provisions (many other international federations have similar, many even stronger provisions). To have the necessary tools to gather information and evidence to legally prosecute cases, it is an important element to have such provisions. We therefore suggest to maintain the initial proposal.”

The draft rule will be voted on at the FEI general assembly (18–21 November).

New rules on blood-related eliminations and dangerous riding

Becky Murray — Tue, 22 Nov 2022 15:44:31 +0000

New rules around blood-related showjumping eliminations and dangerous cross-country riding are among those to be approved for 2023.

Voting took place at the annual FEI General Assembly in Cape Town (10-13 November), following a rules review process throughout the year where national federations and other stakeholder had their say on proposals. The final drafts went to the vote and all were approved for eventing, dressage, para dressage, and showjumping.

A new rule comes into force for eliminations in showjumping, and follows a proposal from the Swedish national federation after a combination completed their round in Tokyo despite the horse bleeding from the nose. Under the amended rule the president of the ground jury, or in their absence a designated ground jury member, may ring the bell to eliminate a combination while a round is ongoing if it is decided it would be “contrary to the principles of horse welfare” to allow the combination to continue – and this elimination is final and not subject to appeal.

The original proposal from the Swedish federation asked for the rule to state “Horses bleeding from nostril (airways) will result in elimination”, but during the review process the FEI jumping committee argued that the wording needed to be broader, and the International Jumping Riders Club agreed.

“The IJRC agrees with the jumping committee that believes that a broader concept going beyond just the relatively rare case of blood in the nostrils is needed in order to give the ground jury the clear authority to take action where there are serious horse welfare concerns,” the IJRC said.

In eventing, course-designers will have the right to monitor possible cases of dangerous riding during the cross-country phase and report this to the ground jury, who will take the decision on elimination. This topic was discussed at the FEI sports forum in April (news, 12 May), during which FEI eventing committee chairman David O’Connor highlighted that on the day of the event, often the course-designer is “the most educated person about, on how horses jump”

“We’ve had no backlash from course-designers on this, they’re very happy to do it. To have their expertise I think is hugely important,” he said.

Eventing course-designers cannot officiate at the same venue for more than six consecutive years at CCI4-S and CCI4-L, including championships, and for more than eight years at CCI5*. But they may officiate again after a three-year break.

The timeframe for eventing MERs used for athlete categorisation will be reduced from eight years to four years following a review from the FEI risk management steering group with EquiRatings. Athlete categories will also be updated according to the performances at the end of each month, instead of twice a year.

Horses who have not competed at FEI competitions within 13 months will have to complete a lower-level event to compete at CCI4* and above. To compete in a CCI4-S they must complete a CCI3; for a CCI4-L they must complete a CCI4-S, and to compete in a CCI5* they must complete a CCI4-S or CCI4-L.

In dressage, under the new rules – of which 91.21% of voters were in favour – the short grand prix test will only be allowed in a CDI5* or CDIO5* if the grand prix is scheduled during prime-time sessions; end of the afternoon or evening, and when there are “clear restrictions” on arena availability. In May, the FEI board had approved the option for organisers to offer either the standard or the short grand prix at World Cup qualifiers.

Other changes include competition categories: small, medium and big tours have been replaced with individual CDI star ratings – plus new qualification criteria for CDI4* will come into force, requiring combinations to qualify at CDI3* by scoring 63% in a grand prix or grand prix special.

From 2023, if a horse is stopped in a freestyle event, owing to extreme weather for example, the rider will now be permitted to start either from the beginning of the test or from where they stopped.

Three quarters of riders think horse welfare needs improving

Eleanor Jones — Wed, 16 Nov 2022 16:37:30 +0000

THE fact nearly three-quarters of equestrians feel welfare in sport needs to be improved is an opportunity for both horses and the future of sport involving them.

That is the view of experts in response to the results of a major survey, of thousands of people within and outside the industry.

The statistics came from research carried out by the independent Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission, set up in June to “focus on ways the FEI equestrian community can strengthen its social licence to operate in light of growing public concern related to the welfare and wellbeing of horses in sport”.

Surveys were completed by 27,710 “equestrian enthusiasts”, including riders, grooms, vets and officials, in 116 countries, and 14,273 members of the public, across 14 countries. Results were presented at the FEI general assembly (9–13 November).

In the equestrian survey, 78% of people agreed with the statement, “I believe welfare standards need improving”. Another 16% believed “welfare standards are high” and 6% felt it “impossible to provide adequate welfare protection”. In the public survey, 52% said welfare standards need to improve, 33% feel standards are high and 15% believe it impossible to provide adequate protection.

“The point we were probably most surprised by was that the equestrians seemed more concerned than the public,” commission chair Natalie Waran told H&H. “I reflected on that, as I thought these are people within the camp, and we feel that if they know there are problems, that’s better than not knowing; if they were in denial, it would be a harder task to get them to face up to the fact there are things that need to be better.

“I think this is a big opportunity and shows the time is right. There will be people who don’t really want to change but generally speaking, equestrians recognise that it’s time to do something.”

The survey asked how much people thought horses enjoy being involved in sport. In the equestrian survey, 5% answered “always” and 5% “not at all”, and the rest were almost even between “frequently” and “sometimes”. Of the public, 9% answered “always”, 24% “frequently”, 47% “sometimes” and 20% “never”.

Dr Waran said the equestrians’ views on this were concerning and shows a need for people to understand better how to assess horses’ happiness, and how to enhance their experiences so they have a positive life rather than just one without negatives.

One of the concerns that emerged was on what happens to horses in the “other 23 hours”, when they are not competing or being trained.

“People were concerned or didn’t know enough,” Dr Waran said. “The approach we’re taking is to think if that’s the big concern, we want to do something about it, and how do we address it, in terms of more evidence or education, or communication.”

World Horse Welfare CEO Roly Owers told H&H that this survey, of so many people and countries, is a “watershed moment”.

“We need to be careful not to draw too many conclusions from one set of figures but this is an opportunity, for sure,” he said. “It’s often a defence of the equine sector that the public doesn’t know what we do, but now we have some insight. Yes, the public is concerned but now we know the equestrian world is too, so that’s very much an opportunity to start the conversation.

“I know the commission wants to produce a priority list; this data is interesting but what does it mean, and what will be done about it? That’s a really exciting opportunity.

“It will be for some a real step change, in how they manage and train horses, but I think the FEI should be applauded for establishing this commission, and there’s been real engagement with it.”

The commission will keep working on the figures, and recommendations will be discussed at next year’s FEI sports forum.

“Today’s session is part of a process,” said FEI president Ingmar de Vos. “There is more that can be done, and more that must be done when it comes to protecting the welfare of the horse.

“We need to reconfirm and strengthen the position of equestrian sport in modern society. And to do this, we need to have the courage to look in the mirror and accept not only what we see, but also what the general public sees, unbiased without any filters.”

A time limit on cross-country course-designers? Vote imminent on new eventing rules

Lucy Elder — Wed, 02 Nov 2022 15:18:24 +0000

New time limits on how long a cross-country course-designer can officiate at the same venue, plus changes to minimum eligibility requirements (MERs) for horses returning to competition following a break, are likely to be on the cards for eventing in 2023.

The changes feature in the final draft of FEI eventing rule proposals, which will be voted on at the federation’s general assembly next week (10-13 November).

The suggestion in the first draft, which came from the Dutch federation, was that course-designers should be allowed to design at FEI championships for a maximum of two consecutive years. The rationale was that it would lead to a “diversified” way of building courses at championships.

It follows discussions at the 2022 FEI sports forum on whether course-designers should serve a maximum of six years at any event (news, 12 May). And the first draft of this rule sparked widespread debate, with Britain, Germany, New Zealand, the United States, the International Eventing Officials Club and the European Equestrian Federation all weighing in.

Concerns over costs, the value of building relationships, potential loss of income for professional designers and worries that less experienced designers could be put in a position they are “not ready for” were aired.

The end result is that the final draft rule to be voted on goes beyond championships to set a time limit on a course-designer’s tenure at any four- or five-star event.

“A course-designer must not officiate at the same venue for more than six consecutive years at CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L including championships and for more than eight consecutive years at CCI5*-L,” states the final draft rule.

“The course-designer may officiate again after a break of three years. This requirement is included as of 1 January 2023 and will not apply retroactively.”

The FEI eventing committee gave further context.

“Further to the [Dutch federation’s] proposals as well as several informal discussions on the rotation of course-designers, the eventing committee suggests to introduce a limitation to course-designers to make more opportunities available to upcoming course-designers and encourage more exchange at the highest level to ensure the development of the sport,” said the committee.

“The first FEI proposal was to include a limitation of six years and a gap of three years at CCI4*-L and above only, including championships, as of 1 January 2023.

“Based on the comments received, the eventing committee reviewed the initial proposal and agreed to adjust it: as the CCI4*S/L competitions represents the majority of the events, it is more relevant to have a six-year period for CCI4*-S and for CCI4*-L and an eight-year period for CCI5*-L. The intention is to allow for more opportunities for course-designers to learn and step up at four-star.”

Other significant proposals include elimination for 20 or more showjumping faults, in competitions where the showjumping takes place before cross-country, which was supported by British Equestrian. In the event of a tie in the final results, the result will go in favour of the competitor with the best dressage mark on points – ahead of the competitor closest to the optimum across country time – to reduce the impact of rounding the dressage score to the nearest decimal.

Changes to MERs for horses returning to top-level competition and a rejig of rider categorisation have hit headlines in recent years, and now look likely to come into force in 2023.

FEI statistics show a “significant increase” in risk of a horse fall when a horse competes at four- and five-star level having been away from international competition for more than 18 months. This means horses returning to international competition after 13 months or more will be required to complete an event at the level below, before stepping back up.

British Equestrian asked whether this could be extended to 15 months, and whether national classes could count, while appreciating this could be tricky to monitor. The FEI eventing committee confirmed it cannot monitor results at national events, so the rule applies for international starts.

This will mean horses returning to CCI4*-S must first complete a CCI3*-S/L, those coming back to CCI4*-L must complete a CCI4*-S, and horses returning to compete at CCI5*-L must complete a CCI4*-S/L.

The proposal to tighten up athlete categorisations also sparked discussion. Athlete categorisation is a way of banding riders based on results and experience, which have a bearing on MERs.

The timeframe will be halved from a rolling eight-and-a-half years to four-and-a-half, and the number of competitions on which a categorisation is given will be reduced by around 30%.

British Equestrian called for a grace period, while the Eventing Riders Association (ERA) flagged concerns it could take single-horse riders “longer to get up the ladder”.

ERA voiced worries about a potential increase of “wear and tear” on horses and the impact it could have on amateur riders.

The German federation added: “We are afraid that fewer competitors are reaching the relevant higher category and therefore can’t compete any more as planned and trusted. Riders are planning the careers of their horses often over several years.”

View the final draft of the 2023 FEI eventing rules

Horse sport to vote on rule changes for Paris 2024 Olympics

Becky Murray — Wed, 26 Oct 2022 14:55:47 +0000

A shake-up to the showjumping format, changes to minimum eligibility requirements and dropping the music from the dressage team final are among the Paris 2024 rule-change proposals.

On 14 October, the FEI published the final draft of proposals, which will go forward for voting at the FEI general assembly next month.

For showjumping it has been proposed to revert to holding the team competition before the individual, as at previous Olympics before the format was changed for Tokyo. The proposal has been backed by the FEI jumping committee and stakeholders, including the Swedish national federation.

“This helps the chefs to manage their teams, make substitutions (where necessary) and always line up the freshest and readiest combinations on the way to the most demanding individual final, thus creating better competition and avoiding stress on tired horses,” said a spokesman for the Swedish national federation, when the proposal was raised.

The jumping committee has also put forward a change to the minimum eligibility requirements (MERs), which came under the spotlight when some combinations qualified for Tokyo at shows that had been “mistakenly approved” by the FEI (news, 20 February 2020). Under the new proposals MERs must be obtained at grand prix, Nations Cup or World Cup competitions, with a minimum height of 1.55m.

Tokyo course-builder Santiago Varela was among those to support the tightening of MERs.

“MERs must be obtained only at CSI/CSIO4* and CSI5* therefore having all the competitors under the same conditions. Special MER competitions can’t be allowed any more,” he said.

A clarification to an existing rule has been put forward, that combinations can achieve MERs at “selected” outdoor events up to three-star, providing the height of the course is at least 1.55m. The jumping committee also proposed that competitions counting towards MERs must meet a number of technical specifications around the number of obstacles, obstacle type and distances.

Proposed changes to the Olympic dressage competition include raising the MER from 66% to 67%, and a review of the grand prix starting order. Previously this was based on a combination’s position in the world rankings – but it has been suggested this should be based on the athlete’s position only, based on new separate lists for riders and horses.

There has also been discussion about the use of music for the grand prix special, the team final, in Tokyo. It was brought in to make the sport more attractive to a bigger audience. It was deemed this was “not very successful”, with many riders not bringing their own music, and judges said the differences in quality and volume could be distracting.

“The fairest option is to remove the team test music option,” the FEI technical committee said.

The deadline for national Olympic committees (NOCs) to gain qualification for the Paris Games across all disciplines is 31 December 2023 – and NOCs must submit a certificate of capability by 8 January 2024. This is a confirmation that at least three combinations have achieved the relevant discipline MERs.

In eventing, three combinations must achieve a qualifying result in a CCI4-L and a CCI4-S, or two in a CCI4-L, or one in a CCI5, by the December deadline. All combinations who compete in Paris must have had one qualifying result at CCI5, or at a CCI4-L and a CCI4*-S, between 1 January 2023 and 24 June 2024. Under the new proposal, they must also achieve one qualifying result at four- or five-star, between 1 January and 24 January 2024.

A discussion took place at the FEI sports forum in April around reducing the number of participants who qualify for the individual eventing final from 25 to 20, but this will remain at 25. A new proposal has been suggested that should any of the qualified combinations withdraw before the start of the individual final, they will not be replaced.

Education over ‘policing’: experts discuss the future of horse sport

Becky Murray — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 16:15:31 +0000

Challenging the “status quo” and rider education is fundamental to the future of horse sport, experts believe.

The involvement of horses in sport was discussed by at the International Society for Equitation Science conference at Hartpury University (9–12 August).

Researcher and FEI official Victoria Lewis, who sits on the International Group for Equestrian Qualifications, said she is “very anxious and concerned” that equestrian sport could be dropped from the Olympics in future.

“I think we’re at the stage where we have the opportunity to make some really serious changes with the way we deal with our horses in a competitive environment,” said Ms Lewis, who added that officials, riders, owners and grooms all have one thing in common – their love for horses, and focusing on this “positivity” would be beneficial.

“We’ve still got a long way to go, but from my perspective when working with my student team, our aim is to help riders through education and to protect the welfare of the horse. We’re trying to move away from being the policeman of the sporting environment to try to tie in with regards to education, so riders are aware of what the right thing is to do with their horses.”

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers said that when thinking about horses in sport, education has come through “very strongly” already in countries such as Switzerland and France, where individuals have to pass an assessment to own a horse.

“I think this [assessment] is something we should be considering more at all levels of horse sport in terms of equine safeguarding and what constitutes good welfare and equine learning theory. It can be a bit trite to talk about education, but it is fundamental to the future of horse sport, if it is to have a future,” he said.

“Often when we think about equine welfare in horse sport, we focus on the competition arena, and training, but in fact there are the other 23 hours of a day and when we think about equine welfare, we really need to make sure we’re getting proper balance.”

Mr Owers added that horses cannot be trained appropriately if people do not understand equine learning theory – how horses learn – and when “challenging the status quo”, more consideration should be given to tack and equipment.

“We’re not necessarily coming from a standing start but in terms of education, if we could latch on to one thing; a greater understanding about how horses learn is so important. That needs to start at junior level all the way through,” he said.

More than 4,500 equestrian stakeholders have participated in an FEI survey on topics relating to horse welfare and concerns regarding the use of horses in sport, as part of the work by the newly formed Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission. An interim report of the commission’s work will be presented at the FEI general assembly in November.

Cautious hope hyposensitivity testing is leading to ‘changed mentality’ in endurance

Lucy Elder — Sun, 28 Nov 2021 12:21:41 +0000

A LEADING vet has aired cautious hope that targeted hyposensitivity testing is having a “very deterrent effect” in endurance.

FEI veterinary director Göran Åkerström shared the news of the “very successful control programme” at the federation’s general assembly last week (14–17 November).

He said the programme, which ran across 2020 and 2021, was designed to protect horses from being nerve blocked before or during rides.

A total of 395 horses were examined at FEI events, with 452 examinations. Of these, four positive cases were found.

“It’s been a really, really useful tool and the reactions from the endurance community have been very positive,” said Mr Åkerström.

“What we understand from chefs d’equipe, trainers, riders and officials is that this has changed mentality and attitudes at the events and has had a very deterrent effect on these matters.”

He added that the programme has been a “real success”, giving the example that in Jordan, athletes were asking for their horses to be checked, even if they were not selected for testing.

“So far, it’s really good and we’ll keep on rolling this out,” he said.

Hyposensitivity testing involves monitoring a horse’s reaction when pressure is applied to a limb using a blunt “pin” in three separate tests. If a horse does not react to a set level of pressure in these tests, he is marked as hyposensitive and disqualified. This leads to a mandatory four-week stand-down period from competition for the horse, plus dope-testing to check for nerve-blocking agents, among other possible substances.

Mr Åkerström confirmed the four who failed the hyposensitivity testing had “no such findings”. But in cases where desensitising agents are discovered, this can lead to the FEI opening an abuse case.

Nerve blocks have a use in veterinary medicine, but are strictly prohibited in competition owing to the serious associated welfare risks. In a nutshell, they mask a horse’s natural warning system (lameness), which is useful when trying to establish the source of an injury in a horse. But when used incorrectly, such as in horses taking part in endurance rides, they have the potential to hide signs of lameness, which can lead to catastrophic injuries.

Other major news included a scientific breakthrough on glanders testing. This looks likely to be particularly significant for those transporting horses to nations that require a glanders test, such as the US.

“We have suspected for some time that there are regional variants of this bacteria and that has meant that not all the analytical labs have been able to detect all types of bacteria,” said Mr Åkerström.

“This is really concerning as it creates a distrust between countries. And now there has been a breakthrough. There is evidence that there are differences and this means that we can move on. There is also a new test method that is easy to use, as we understand, and is waiting just to be evaluated.”

FEI 2022 rule proposals: marshmallow fluff, eventing routes and frangibles prove hot topics

Lucy Elder — Wed, 27 Oct 2021 20:31:36 +0000

An alternative route to help less experienced event riders climb the ladder to the top of the sport has received strong support as the FEI finalises its rules for next year.

The current rules were changed midway through the 2021 season, which required less experienced riders to achieve an additional qualifying result at CCI3*-L level before stepping up to CCI4*-L.

The New Zealand federation voiced concerns that this “may discourage riders from pursuing an eventing career”. It cited major delays for those in countries with few CCI3*-L classes and the potential knock-on effect that this could make CCI4*-L classes “non-viable” in those countries owing to small entry numbers.

The federation put forward a “safe and progressive” option for riders to undertake one CCI3*-L and two CCI4*-S, instead of two CCI3*-L and one CCI4*-S.

Britain has “fully supported” the alternative route, as has Switzerland and the US.

H&H covered the first draft of proposals in detail this summer (news, 10 June, 29 July, 5 August), and the FEI has now pressed pause on several major changes mooted in those initial documents.

These include changes to how penalties are allocated for activating a frangible device – a hot topic this season – and the so-called re-qualification rule. The latter of these stems from data showing there is a “significant increase in horse fall risk when a horse returned to play” at four- and five-star after not competing internationally for 18 months or more.

“We recognise why the FEI would like to introduce this rule but there is a very strong feeling from British riders that if re-qualification must be taken that it can be taken at the short level and not long,” stated feedback from British Equestrian, requesting that re-qualification at a national event also be considered as an alternative.

The FEI eventing committee has now temporarily shelved the suggestion until 2023 to allow time for “additional study and review before implementation”.

There will also be no change to the frangible device rules in 2022, with the suggested changes sparking strong reaction from federations.

Currently, combinations receive 11 penalties for activating a frangible device where the dimensions of a fence are modified. For example, a horse hits a jump, the device activates and part of the fence comes down. The FEI suggested clarifying this so penalties are given “if one of the frangible device clips clearly breaks (hook clearly opens from the bolt)”.

The British federation has urged the FEI to consider hind-leg activations “in a different light” to front-leg activations, while others found the FEI’s wording confusing and that the change would put “a lot of responsibility on the fence judge”.

“Although the [German federation] strongly encourages the use of the MIM clip and other new inventions, the stakeholders want safety devices only to prevent horse falls and not [changing] the cross-country [into] another kind of showjumping competition,” states feedback from the German federation, adding that it prefers the current wording.

The German federation also suggests that the course-designer, ground jury and technical delegate are given the freedom to decide ahead of a competition whether 11 penalties are waived for fences using new types of frangible devices.

“This would still encourage the [course-designer] and [organising committees] to make use of new devices to gain more experience with it but would not result in penalties that are felt as unfair,” it adds.

The addition of a rule stating that air jackets are “recommended” received mixed feelings, with Britain and the US among the federations that both supported – and requested further evidence – to back this up.

‘Marshmallow fluff’

The question over where to draw the line between treating and cheating in dressage was sparked by the first-draft suggestion to ban “any type of white substance” that could indicate foaming at the mouth and potentially cover lip injuries.

“Some horses foam when given a sugar cube or gum bits, which should not be penalised by this rule change,” noted the US federation. “If the intent is to prohibit “marshmallow fluff” or similar substances, it should be specifically noted, as to not potentially penalise a horse given a sugar cube/gum bits, etc.”

The final rule stands that it is: “strictly forbidden to use any type of white substance (like “marshmallow fluff”, shaving cream, etc…) around the horse’s mouth to imitate foaming; this is considered cheating and against horse welfare as it can hide lip injuries. This will result in a warning or a yellow card.”

The suggestion to split the single harmony mark into two – in broad terms, one mark for horse and one for rider – received support from federations, but has been thrown out by the FEI.

Blood rules across all disciplines, never far from the debating table, were tabled for discussion by the European Equestrian Federation this year. But while there will be no changes for 2022, the topic has not gone away.

An FEI response stated that the “short timeframe” and “complexity” of the issue meant the FEI Board has tasked the technical chairs to discuss [and] review the existing blood rules within the discipline-specific rules and veterinary regulations, in consultation with the FEI legal department.

“The matter will be further discussed after such review, acknowledging that changes to the blood rules, if any, would be deferred to a later stage,” it added.

Voting on the final draft of proposals will take place at the FEI general assembly in Belgium (14–17 November), at which point the final set of 2022 rules will be rubber-stamped.

View the final proposals ahead of the vote at the FEI general assembly

Ban on trimming horses’ whiskers for international competitions starts today

Lucy Elder — Thu, 01 Jul 2021 10:55:12 +0000

The FEI has outlawed trimming the whiskers of competition horses, with any breaches of the rule resulting in disqualification of the horse from the event.

The new rule was passed during the federation’s general assembly on 23 November 2020 as part of the veterinary regulations covering sport horses competing internationally under FEI rules in all disciplines.

From today (1 July), horses who have had their sensory hairs removed, unless for veterinary reasons, will be disqualified from FEI events.

The wording, which was voted through unanimously, states that horses are not permitted to compete in FEI events “if the horse’s sensory hairs have been clipped and/or shaven or in any other way removed unless individual sensory hairs have been removed by a veterinarian to prevent pain or discomfort for the horse.”

It adds: “Areas of hair that must be clipped, shaven or removed to allow veterinary treatment are exempt from this rule. As of 1 July 2021, sanction 39 in annex VI will be applicable.”

The sanction referred to is disqualification of the horse from the event.

The reasoning from the FEI veterinary committee for the change is that they believe a horse’s sensory hairs must not be trimmed or removed as it “reduces the horse’s sensory ability”.

“The change will align with legislation in a number of national federations where trimming or removal of sensory hairs is forbidden and in some cases carries a heavy sanction,” it adds.

France, Germany and Switzerland are among the nations where whisker and or ear hair removal is banned to some degree, in some cases it is written into animal welfare law and in others the removal of specified vibrissae is not permitted for horses competing under sporting federation rules.

International reaction

The German federation welcomed the news and, in its feedback submitted to the FEI during summer 2020, called for the FEI to take an even stronger line.

“Clipping or shaving of sensory hairs is forbidden in Germany as well, therefore this addition is very welcome,” states the comment from the German federation.

“This rule should — like in Germany — also apply to the hair inside the horse’s ears, which is part of an organ as well and have a protective function. Clipping the hair that is protruding [from] the ear conch is permitted.”

However, the US federation voiced concerns.

“While there has been an addition to the [FEI] glossary regarding sensory hairs, there is still a great deal of subjectivity which could lead to irregular enforcement at different competitions,” it states.

“Since clipping the sensory hairs results in disqualification, is it to be understood that any trimming or shortening of these hairs would cause disqualification? Clipped “at all” or clipped down to skin level?

Continues below…

pink nose (Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

Call for whisker-trimming to be banned in UK H&H Plus

(Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

To trim or not to trim your horse’s whiskers? The jury’s out…

That show is coming up, you want your horse immaculately turned out, but do you shave his whiskers?

(Image credit: Lucy Merrell)

“It should be considered that when sensory hairs around the eye are left at full natural length, they can become tangled or trapped in the blinkers (blinders) of the driving bridle and potentially cause discomfort. Is there any consideration for whether this has been done at the event vs away from the event?

“We recommend removing these changes and addressing when the complete review of the FEI veterinary rules will be conducted.

“This would allow for more input to be gathered from veterinarians and professional horsemen. It is too subjective at this point and could provide difficulty in enforcement.”

The FEI veterinary committee responded to add that the hairs in the horse’s ears “are not considered to be sensory hairs and there is no perceived problem of sensory hairs around the eyes being trapped in blinkers of driving horses”.

The proposal stood and was unanimously approved by the general assembly.

What do you think of this rule? Email hhletters@futurenet.com for your chance to be featured on our letters page. The letter of the week wins a bottle of Champagne Taittinger.

Horse & Hound magazine, out every Thursday, is packed with all the latest news and reports, as well as interviews, specials, nostalgia, vet and training advice. Find how you can enjoy the magazine delivered to your door every week, plus options to upgrade to access our H&H Plus online service which brings you breaking news as it happens as well as other benefits.

Anti-doping rule changes agreed for horse sport

Becky Murray — Thu, 26 Nov 2020 13:01:33 +0000

The new rules, agreed at the 2020 FEI general assembly, aim to give more flexibility in the event of positive tests that are likely caused by contamination. H&H finds out more

A NUMBER of “important” anti-doping rule changes were among the decisions made during the 2020 FEI general assembly (13–23 November), which took place online owing to the coronavirus pandemic.

Addressing the assembly on 23 November, FEI president Ingmar de Vos said it had been a “difficult year for everyone” and despite still being in a global pandemic, now was the time to “rebuild”.

Ahead of the new World  Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Code being introduced on  1 January 2021, which includes international standards on education and result management, the FEI stated it was obliged to revise its anti-doping rules to align with it –  with new rules being voted on affecting areas such as contamination, disqualification and sample analysis.

For 2021, national federations must update their rules to incorporate “key provisions” of the FEI’s anti-doping rules, provide anti-doping education and report any potential violations to the FEI.

Changes to the rules mean after a sample has been reported as negative, it may be stored and subjected to further analysis later by the anti-doping organisation that called for the sample – or the FEI, in line with the WADA Code. While concerns were raised in August by British Equestrian that with time it may become “impossible” to identify the cause or provide evidence on contamination, the FEI said retrospective testing is an important tool and the introduction of a new atypical findings policy would help mitigate issues.

This policy aims to offer more flexibility in the event of positive samples, likely caused by contamination. This means substances will be treated initially as an “atypical finding” instead of an “adverse analytical finding” – allowing the FEI to carry out a review before the result is reported as positive and proceedings are officially commenced. Should the FEI choose to pursue an atypical finding as an adverse analytical finding, this is final and not subject to an appeal.

Other changes agreed include an amendment to the disqualification rule following “a lot of confusion and debate”.

Where a positive test occurs at the Olympics or Paralympics, this will lead to disqualification of all the rider’s results obtained at that event, with all horses.

Mr de Vos closed the assembly stating “important decisions had been made”.

“We have a lot to look forward to and we also have a great legacy to preserve,” he said. “We need to show how unique we are in the sporting landscape, from the incredible horsemanship in the arena, to the inspired teamwork behind the scenes making it all happen. There is no sport that compares to equestrianism and it is our responsibility and due to ensure we present the very best of who we are.”

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High hopes for better things after endurance rule changes approved H&H Plus

Eleanor Jones — Thu, 28 Nov 2019 12:00:52 +0000

Campaigners are hopeful for a sea of change in endurance after a raft of rule changes was approved at the FEI general assembly.

National federations voted in favour of measures including an increase in qualifying criteria and the introduction of minimum rider weights for all distances, with the aim of slowing horses or eliminating them before they suffer serious injury.

A spokesman for Clean Endurance said the group is “relieved”.

“Although seven articles were amended to reflect certain national federations’ desire for a loosening of the new rules, the overall rules package should nonetheless be effective enough to have a real impact on horse welfare in endurance,” she said.

“Clean Endurance had written to all national federations, urging them to vote in favour of the rule proposals to ensure the survival of endurance as an FEI discipline.

“We said the letter was a last resort to try to convey the absolute emergency situation endurance is in, and that a positive vote was of the utmost importance.

“Given that for the past several years, attempts at improving the endurance rules failed due to commercial or political interests prevailing over horse welfare, Clean Endurance is hopeful today marked a turning point in endurance history.”

The rule proposals came about after a year’s work by the FEI temporary endurance committee, which had been tasked with taking the discipline back to its roots of good horsemanship and away from winning at all costs. Its proposals also included changes to mandatory rest periods.

Endurance GB (EGB) operations director Esther Young said EGB is “extremely pleased” by last week’s vote.

“It shows the level of support worldwide for a real culture change in the sport,” she said.

FEI looking to introduce dope testing outside competition H&H Plus

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 17:23:10 +0000

News from the recent FEI general assembly includes the latest clean sport initiatives and wearing protective helmets when mounted to become compulsory

The FEI is looking at introducing dope testing outside competitions as well as testing from hair and saliva samples.

Veterinary director Göran Akerström updated national federations at the general assembly in Moscow (16 to 19 November) on the FEI’s clean sport work, urging delegates to have national head vets and testing programmes, as “we will not be able to protect horse welfare and ensure a level playing field and development of sustainable sport without it”.

He spoke of “lots of discussion” about contamination and stable security, adding there is a “huge need” for education of all stakeholders.

“We’ll introduce an electronic system giving us information on horses,” he added, “to enable us to start looking at out-of-competition testing, as it’s very important to ensure horses aren’t being trained on painkillers, for example.

“We’re looking into hair testing, opening up the possibility of detecting anabolic steroids for a longer time, and to deter micro-dosing of sedatives and heart rate-lowering substances on the field of play, especially in endurance, we’re looking into developing saliva testing.”

Mr Akerström also cited certain “problematic” specified substances, which have caused problems in areas including South Africa and Mexico (news, 24 October).

“Further research is important and will be carried out,” he said.

Compulsory headwear from 2021

In other news from the general assembly, federations voted in favour of a rule that all riders must wear protective headgear when mounted on showgrounds from 2021.

“Tradition is important in our sport, but it’s difficult to not follow the medical community’s advice,” said FEI dressage committee chairman Frank Kemperman. “There’s no really strong argument against the use of protective headgear in dressage.”

Riders may still be allowed to go without safety helmets in prize-givings — although in a report from FEI medical committee chairman Peter Whitehead, it was revealed that of 581 records submitted on non-eventing injuries in FEI competition, this year seven were in dressage. Two were head injuries, one sustained in a prize-giving and the other in a trot-up.

The New Zealand federation, which introduced the rule for national events three years ago, supported the change.

All systems go for Tokyo 2020 Games as calls made to support new formats H&H Plus

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 26 Nov 2019 12:55:46 +0000

The excitement of the Tokyo Olympics will “resonate across the country” to the benefit of equestrian sports, it is hoped, as preparations for next summer’s Games continue.

Alec Lochore and Haruta Yasuhiko, of the Games’ organising committee, updated national federations on progress at the FEI general assembly in Moscow (16 to 19 November).

Mr Lochore said the test event held in August had allowed the team to gather data, on issues such as mitigating the heat, travel and the way volunteers and officials will have to work.

“We needed to build a team that’s extremely committed to delivering a great Games,” he said.

Mr Lochore said more than 200,000 applications were made for 80,000 volunteer positions at the Games, which will be very popular, if the recent Rugby World Cup is anything to go by.

“That’s generated mass interest in sport and the power of hosting it has resonated throughout the country — we hope we can do the same for equestrian sport,” he said, adding that 3.9m tickets have been sold, and that equestrianism sales have been “very successful”.

From April, there will be festivals to “create anticipation” while the Olympic torch relay starts in March.

Mr Lochore said the athletes’ village is 26km — about an hour’s journey — from the equestrian park, where all dressage and showjumping takes place, and which has been completely rebuilt since it was used for the 1964 Games. Sea Forest Island, where the eventing cross-country will run, is 28km, or about 70 minutes, from the park, but only 8km from the village.

In the equestrian park is grooms’ accommodation, 332 stables in air-conditioned blocks, an 80x100m main arena, the surface of which was praised at the test event, plus a further five arenas. There is also a grazing and cross-country schooling area, plus seven cooling zones, as well as the cooling facilities in the stables.

At Sea Forest Island, there are two air-conditioned stable blocks, sand and grass warm-up areas and 400sqm cooling tents.

“We’re going to do all we can to ensure the success of Tokyo 2020,” Mr Lochore said.

FEI president Ingmar de Vos had also told delegates all team spots have been filled — 20 teams in showjumping and 15 each in dressage and eventing — from a total of 28 nations. A “select few” nations have qualified teams in all three disciplines, including Britain and Ireland. Eventing first-timers include Thailand and China — it is also a first for China in showjumping.

Mr de Vos pointed out this increased number of nations was a direct result of the new format — three to a team with no drop score — that will feature next year for the first time.

He also stressed that the formats had come about as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) was “adamant our product had to adapt”.

“It was change or be changed and as always, we went for a proactive approach,” he said. “The key goals were to allow more nations in, and make events more exciting and appealing to the broader audience, and more broadcast-friendly.”

Mr de Vos said London 2012 was the first time all sports were evaluated by the IOC, and that this included media coverage — the FEI was “made very aware” this needed to improve.

By allowing more nations to compete, this ensures coverage in more areas, and as all sports will be evaluated again in Tokyo, it is “vital” audience figures increase, “to consolidate our position in the Olympic programme”.

“We need to give these formats a chance and focus on the positives,” he added. “Failure is not an option. It’s important we’re open-minded, and we need to look at the excitement the formats will bring. There’s one way forward, and that’s to work together.”

New FEI 2019 eventing rules: five-stars, no collectives and new rules for flags and whips

Lucy Elder — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 19:02:30 +0000

The world’s top events will be renamed CCI5*-Ls from next season as the FEI rule changes for 2019 are approved.

All the disciplines face some changes to their rules for 2019, but eventing faces the most.

The flag, blood, and whip rules, as well as the new star system, have been among the much-debated areas of the sport this year and these all face changes for 2019.

Olympic teams in the equestrian disciplines will be made up of teams of three horse and rider combinations, as decided at the 2016 general assembly. However the FEI was still to finalise how substituting combinations would work in eventing.

Following trials at Strzegom and Millstreet in 2018, the FEI has now decided the penalties and criteria that will apply.

Major changes to the eventing rules are as follows:

The star system has been revised to include the new 1.05m level as the new “one-star”and to get rid of the CIC definition for international one-day events. This was approved at the 2017 general assembly, but the introduction of the new system was always planned to take place over two years so 2019 will be the first time the new star system is in force (see table below)

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Flag rule: missing a flag when the majority of the horse’s body has passed through the flags will result in 15 penalties, instead of the current 50. This rule has also been reworded to define that if the body of the horse fails to pass between the extremities of the obstacle, that will be considered a run out (20 penalties) and continuing will result in elimination. Only official video recording can be used as evidence.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

No unattached neck straps and no hackamores without a bit will be allowed for cross-country. The lever arm on any bit must not exceed 10cm.

Flying changes: at four-star championships and above, if the score for a flying change varies by three points or more from the average of the other judges’ scores for that movement, it can be corrected.

No more collectives in the dressage phase: these will be replaced with one“overall impression of athlete and horse”mark, which will carry a double coefficient.

Bits: wording and diagrams over permitted bits has changed (see p77 here)

Time faults: in the showjumping phase, competitors will now receive 0.4 of a penalty for every second over the optimum time

Frangible penalties: 11 penalties for activation of any frangible device. The ground jury can no longer remove these for an “unexpected activation” from a “light tap”.

CCI5* entries and prize money: there will be a graduated increase inminimum total prize funds— €125,000 for 2020 and 2021 and €150,000 by 2022. The decision over set minimum and maximum number of starters has been postponed.

Whips: ground jury’s scope for dealing with excessive use or abuse of the whip has been extended so it is “not limited to” example scenarios set out in the rule. However these scenarios have also been revised and extended for 2019. The whip is now not to be used more than twice per incident; multiple excessive uses between fences can be a cause for a review by the ground jury; if the horse’s skin is broken or has visible marks, the use of whip will always deemed to be excessive. These clauses are in addition to the five others already in place.

The FEI has also outlined a ranking system for recorded warnings and yellow cards, clarifying which abuse or blood on the horse situations should result in a recorded warning, which are punishable by a yellow card or stronger punishment, and what happens in cases of multiple recorded warnings either for blood or for the same offence.

Blood: eventing’s blood rules have had a major overhaul and are as follows:

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Olympic eventing 2020 rules

Three to a team — travelling reserve can be substituted in part-way through the competition
Combinations that do not complete the dressage or showjumping phase will be given a score of 100 penalties, and those who do not finish the cross-country will receive 200 penalties
Substitutions on medical or veterinary grounds are allowed, but will be penalised with 20 penalties
Only one substitution will be allowed per team and these are not allowed for disqualifications, or for eliminations for dangerous riding or abuse of the horse
Penalty-free substitutions apply up at the first horse inspection and up to two hours prior to the start of the dressage

National federations voted on the changes at the 2018 general assembly in Bahrain (16 to 20 November 2019). Click here for the full 2019 rule book.

For more on the discussions and changes, don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound, out Thursday (29 November).

The end of WEG as we know it? FEI opens bids for individual world championships

Lucy Elder — Tue, 20 Nov 2018 18:03:44 +0000

The World Equestrian Games (WEG) may be separated into individual world championships due to a dearth of bids to host the 2022 event.

The FEI announced the decision at its general assembly in Bahrain on Saturday (17 November).

A number of previous hosts have found holding the games expensive and logistically difficult.

A statement from the FEI bureau said the organisation has twice opened the bidding process for the 2022 games, but this has “not resulted in any realistic bids”.

The governing body will open the bidding process for individual world championships and preference will be given to multi-discipline bids.

“The president stressed that this does not necessarily mean the end of [WEG] bids to host the full seven-discipline games for 2022 and 2026 will be considered,” added the statement

“However, he made it clear that securing world championships for 2022 in the Olympic and Paralympic disciplines was crucial as these serve as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Games.”

The ill-fated endurance saga

A report into the endurance failings at WEG 2018 by the independent Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU) found there was “no single reason” for the chaotic scenes during the competition.

It concluded the problems arose from multiple issues, mainly a lack of communication between officials — particularly a lack of radios — and between the organising committee, national federations and athletes.

There were also troubles with delays to the preparation of the vet gate and the endurance trail, plus the decision to maintain a full schedule of events at Tryon that “stretched an already under-resourced team required to deliver both these events and the games”. The ride was cancelled part-way through.

A second report, regarding allegations of misconduct, will be reviewed by the FEI legal team to decide whether further disciplinary proceedings will be brought before the FEI tribunal.

FEI secretary general Sabrina Ibáñez presented an overview of the games, including their delivery, communication, the management structure of the organising committee.

“To be completely honest we, as a community, were fortunate that Tryon were courageous and willing to take on the enormous challenge to host the Games only 22 months prior to the event,” said Ms Ibáñez. “Without them we would have had no WEG 2018.”

For more detail and reaction to the WEG news, don’t miss this week’s issue of Horse & Hound, out Thursday (22 February).

Six changes to Olympic horse sports you need to know about

Rachael Turner — Sun, 26 Nov 2017 15:55:50 +0000

A new eventing structure, the partial removal of collective marks in dressage, and a phased ban on certain boots for showjumping are among the influential changes to be introduced to international competitions.

Following the FEI general assembly (GA) in Montevideo, Uruguay, (18-21 November) the GA signed off the implementation of a new eventing competition structure in 2019.

The structure includes the Olympic and World Equestrian Games being recatogorised as five-star long, and CCI4* as five-star major.

CCI3* and CIC3* will be renamed four-star long and short respectively.

Changes to categorisations continue through the levels down to a new introductory level. FEI competitions at the new 1.05M level will be held during the 2018 season. This will become one-star in 2019.

“The new competition structure has adapted to the current global level of the sport, supporting the implementation of the Olympic strategy,” said an FEI spokesman.

“It is also part of the continued effort to address risk management and the cost effectiveness of the discipline together with encouraging the development of the number of nations participating in eventing.”

The dressage coefficient will also be removed as of 1 January 2018.

The FEI said this was to address “risk management issues through rebalancing the importance of cross-country skills”.

In dressage, the plan to introduce HiLo drop scoring was withdrawn, although the judging format will be tested next year.

A change to collective marks was approved and as of next year, only the rider mark will remain.

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Meanwhile in showjumping, the GA voted on the phased implementation of a rule mandating that hind boots must only be used for protective purposes. The rule will begin to be enforced in 2019.

The proposal for CSI invitation rules was also voted on and approved.

Under these rules, for regular CSI5* shows, 60% of riders must come from the Longines ranking list, 20% must be selected by the host national federation and 20% are made up of invitations by the organising committee.

For more information and analysis on these changes and further plans for equestrian sport following the GA, don’t miss next week’s H&H magazine, out Thursday 30 November

FEI shelves controversial dressage scoring system

Lucy Elder — Wed, 22 Nov 2017 11:12:43 +0000

The FEI has dropped plans to introduce a new scoring system for international dressage tests.

The HiLoDrop scoring system removes the highest and lowest scores for each movement so an average mark is formed from the remaining scores.

The proposal was put forward by the FEI dressage judging working group and was met with mixed reactions by national federations.

Following discussions at the FEI general assembly (18-21 November), the proposal was withdrawn.

A statement from the FEI said the working group will now look at a testing plan for 2018 to trial the scoring system among other proposals.

“We have listened to you and we will withdraw HiLo and test it first in 2018 at all levels,” said FEI dressage committee chairman Frank Kemperman.

“We will then have an independent panel to analyse the results of the testing.”

A statement from the working group ahead of the latest discussions said a similar system is “widely used” in other Olympic disciplines.

“While the changes are almost invisible for the vast majority of cases, in a few cases an important correction would be made,” the statement added.

“HiLoDrop ensures that the consensus view of the jury predominates in the final result and is not unduly influenced by one judge being exceptionally high or low for whatever reason.”

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Italy is the first country to adopt a variation of HiLoDrop scoring in its national competitions, for tests judged by five or more judges.

The Italian federation agreed to “experimentally implement” the scoring system, whereby judges’ overall scores that deviate by 4% or more from the panel’s average will be dropped.

“The system is adopted on a temporary basis, pending the approval of the new general regulations, until February 2018,” said a spokesman for the federation.

“This period will be useful for the federation to test the practical operation of the software [needed for the scoring system].

“This approach is based on the fact that the judges are in fact a team.”

For a full report on the FEI general assembly, don’t miss next week’s Horse & Hound — out 30 November

Three riders for Olympic teams confirmed

Eleanor Jones — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 08:16:46 +0000

Olympic teams will consist of three combinations and drop scores will be removed, it has been agreed, as part of major changes to the Games’ format.

National federations today (22 November) voted in favour of the format changes, at the FEI general assembly in Tokyo.

Reserve combinations will still be allowed “but will be even more important and a key element in ensuring horse welfare”, an FEI spokesman said.

“This was a really important vote for the future of our sport if we are to increase universality in accordance with the recommendations of Olympic Agenda 2020”, said FEI president Ingmar De Vos said after the vote.

“We need to increase the number of participating nations at the Olympic Games but within our existing quota of 200.

“Reducing team members to three per nation was probably the only way to boost the number of flags. Of course this now has to be approved by the IOC, but it opens the door to countries that previously could only see the Olympics as a distant dream.”

Of the 107 national federations represented at the conference, 11 – including France, Germany and New Zealand – voted against the new format.

A number of changes to each discipline were also voted through, including a new heat system involving “lucky losers” to qualify for the dressage grand prix freestyle.

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These were voted through unanimously, although Britain was the only nation to vote against changes to para dressage, which include allowing each team only to bring four combinations.

“There were some national federations that didn’t agree with the proposal, but that’s all part of the democratic process,” said Mr De Vos. Now we need to work together to make this a success.”

The format change is subject to final approval by the International Olympic Committee next year.

The changes:

Showjumping:

20 teams
15 slots for nations which did not qualify a team, one combination per nation
Individual event will take place before the team competition
The exact cut-off score and resulting penalty, and the penalty for elimination, will be finalised

Dressage:

One individual per nation not qualified as a team (no composite teams)
Team medals will be decided on the grand prix special results only (as opposed to the current combination of grand prix and grand prix special)
A new heat system to qualify for the special: the top two from each of six heats, plus the next six overall best results
Top eight teams from the grand prix to qualify for the special
A new system for starting order in the grand prix
Run the grand prix special to music

Eventing:

If a reserve combination is substituted in, the team will incur a penalty, which is to be finalised
Two individuals allowed per nation not qualified as a team
Order to remain unchanged — dressage, cross-country, showjumping — but dressage to be reduced to one day
Technical level to be defined as “Olympic level”: 4* dressage and showjumping, 3* technical difficulty cross-country, with 45 jumping efforts and 10-minute optimum time
Qualification to be achieved on the same cross-country technical level
For team classification, any combination not completing a phase can progress to the next if accepted as fit to continue
For team classification, penalties for not completing a phase will be 100 for dressage and showjumping, 150 for cross-country
Individual rules are unchanged

Para dressage

Each directly qualified team may bring four combinations, of which three will be declared for the team after the individual test in which all four will compete
Maximum of two individuals per nation not represented as a team (no composite teams)
Team medals to be determined solely through team test, as opposed to the current combination of team and individual scores
Top eight per grade to qualify for the freestyle
The order will be individual championship, team test, freestyle
Team test to be set to music

‘It’s going to be tough’: riders react to teams of three proposal H&H VIP

Amy Mathieson — Fri, 27 Nov 2015 11:05:50 +0000

Riders and industry figures are worried that limiting an eventing team to three members could have welfare implications for horses.

There are concerns that a lack of a discard score could also affect safety for riders, with tired horses being pushed on to complete, which could lead to falls.

“It would be very tough,” Olympic rider Mary King told H&H, “both to be selected and also for welfare and safety reasons.”

The idea was frowned upon by several nations — including Britain, Germany, Holland and the USA — when the proposal was put forward at the FEI general assembly earlier this month (12 November).

“Harmonising” Olympic equestrian sport with a cap of three team members across the three disciplines has the aim of increasing the number of nations competing at the Games.

Separating individual and team events and removing team drop scores were also put forward in the proposal.

Although three in a team would be across the board, eventing would be most heavily affected.

In a proposal by the European Equestrian Federation (news, 12 November) a group led by Mike Etherington-Smith suggested that the team competition ran in CIC format — dressage taking place on one day, the showjumping phase as it is now and the cross-country to be between eight and 10 minutes long to ensure time is influential.

The medals come after the team cross-country, with the top 20/25 going through to a final showjumping decider for individual honours.

Regarding numbers, the EEF proposed four per team with three to count.

“Horse welfare is taken care of, the time required for the two medal competitions is a maximum of three and a half to four days although if it can be condensed into three days this would be better, and the logistical issues are manageable and do not interfere with the pure dressage and jumping competitions,” read the proposal.

However, the FEI proposal at the general assembly stated that a CCI format would still be followed, but with the dressage phase condensed to a single day using a shorter five-minute dressage test.

The traditional order of dressage, cross-country and showjumping would be kept to “retain the essence of the discipline, protect horse welfare and ensure reliable, immediate results”.

The individual showjumping phase would be used as the qualifier for the top six or seven teams to go through to the team final, with the potential of having all three team members in the arena together, jumping one after another, so that a team result would be instantly available.

Addressing Agenda 2020

The suggestion came from the FEI eventing committee’s proposals to fall in line with the Olympic Agenda 2020 — to entice a new audience to the sport.

“Agenda 2020 is a driving force in this process, but even prior to that we already knew that changes needed to be made to our formats and the presentation of our sport,” said FEI president Ingmar De Vos.

“But why do we want to change our formats and the way our sport is presented? The answer is simple — because we want to remain relevant in today’s ever-changing sporting landscape and gain the exposure and visibility our sport deserves.

“We need to take advantage of the excitement and drama of our sport, make it easier to understand, attract young and larger audiences, be broadcast friendly and see more nations represented.”

Sparking debate

The British Eventing (BE) Olympic Agenda 2020 working group was formed in July, consisting of all the key stakeholders in the sport including organisers, riders and owners, and is meeting next week

(2 December).

David Holmes of BE told H&H: “The working group first met on 29 July and produced a paper outlining the various options that the group felt were possible. In looking at these options the group considered carefully the strengths and weaknesses of each against the headings of format — CCI, CIC, universality, presentation and cost, all of which are key for the Agenda.

“Based on our discussions at our first working group meeting, and also on the feedback from members of the working group immediately prior to the FEI general assembly, it was felt much further discussion and consultation, both in Great Britain and with other national federations involved in eventing, was required over the proposed three rider team — ie, no drop score.”

H&H’s eventing editor Pippa Roome has concerns about the plans: “Teams of three is detrimental to horse welfare because riders, vets and team officials will be more inclined to push a horse to complete if there is no discard score, whether that means continuing on a tired horse across country — which is also a safety concern — or trying to get an unsound horse through the final trot-up.

“From a sport point of view, teams of three worries me because it rewards mediocrity. A team with three average or even poor completions would win a medal over one with two great results and an unlucky fall. That doesn’t seem right.”

Eventer Alex Hua Tian said having only three riders for the big team nations at the Olympics is “going to be tough, especially without the drop score”.

“It will certainly change the dynamics of team selection and will make the cross-country phase more influential without making it more difficult,” he said.

Eventer Bruce Haskell told H&H that many riders oppose the three-in-a-team idea and it could be a horse welfare issue.

“Once this is all ironed out, though, we all have to get behind one concept and make it work,” he said

Name change?

A new name — “equestrian triathlon” — was also suggested to improve understanding of the sport for a mainstream audience.

“I don’t have a problem with a name change, but they’d be better off simplifying confusing things like CIC and CCI first,” said eventer Paul Tapner when the idea was first mooted in April.

Detailed format changes based on feedback from the session will be taken to the FEI sport forum in April, and they will be voted on at next year’s general assembly

H&H 26 November ’15

Twice and you’re out: dressage riders react to wrong course rule change

Amy Mathieson — Thu, 19 Nov 2015 08:55:34 +0000

Dressage riders who take the wrong course twice during a test at an international will be eliminated, following a rule change approval at the FEI general assembly (13 November).

A first error will result in a 2% penalty. A vote was held between a 3% penalty and a 2% penalty — the latter took the majority.

Under current rules, two marks are deducted from each judge for the first error and four for the second, with the third triggering elimination.

The regulations will come into place on 1 January 2016.

The FEI’s Frank Kemperman explained that the rule change “brought dressage more in line with jumping, where a single error of course means elimination”.

H&H reported ahead of the vote that judges objected, with Katrina Wurst stating she was “totally against this”.

Carl Hester also said that he won’t be supporting the rule change, stating it would put “crazy pressure on judges”, adding: “I do wonder whether anyone on the FEI dressage committee really likes or cares about dressage.”

However, Richard Davison told H&H that although it “might appear harsh” the rule is a lot softer than if you make a mistake in either showjumping or eventing.

“In jumping one error means you’re out — and you have a lot less time to learn a course than a dressage test,” he said.

Rider Tahley Reeve-Smith agreed: “Most people who have an error will only do it once. It should encourage better knowledge of tests and so hopefully better prepared for championships where no readers are allowed.”

The rule will apply to seniors, under-25s and young riders only.

Errors of course in the juniors, pony riders and children categories will be penalised in the same way as young horses — with a 0.5% penalty for a first error, 1% for a second error and elimination for a third error of course.

British Dressage’s Paul Graham said that no immediate changes would be made to national rules, but they would be looked at over the coming year.

Another rule that comes in on 1 January means that all children, pony riders, juniors and young riders must wear protective headwear during horse inspections.

Don’t miss Carl Hester’s views on the rule in his exclusive VIP comment — read it here

British showjumping star Jessica Mendoza collects FEI award

Lucy Elder — Mon, 16 Nov 2015 16:58:04 +0000

British showjumper Jessica Mendoza was among the five winners at the FEI awards 2015.

Dubbed the “Oscars of the equestrian world”, Jessica won the Longines rising star prize.

This award was open to riders aged 14-21 who demonstrate “outstanding sporting talent”.

Nineteen-year-old Jessica made her senior championship debut this summer at the Europeans in Aachen.

This made her the youngest British senior championship team member for nearly 40 years.

Jessica has taken top honours a number of high-profile shows across Europe, including the Gucci Masters in Paris in December 2014.

She has won gold medals at pony and junior European level and also has numerous Olympia and Horse of the Year Show titles to her name.

“I want to say a huge thank you to everyone, I really wasn’t expecting this”, she said.

“I am honoured to be amongst such great sporting talent.”

Australian driver Boyd Exell fought off competition from Charlotte Dujardin and William Fox-Pitt to take the Reem Acra best athlete award.

Jose Eduardo Garcia Luna of the USA won best groom and Oriana Ricca Marmissolle (URU) was the winner in the “against all odds” category.

The FEI solidarity honour went to the Haitian project Les Chevaux Qui Pansent Les Plaies (horses that heal wounds).

“The FEI awards recognise talent and excellence in all aspects of equestrian sport across the globe,” said FEI president Ingmar de Vos.

“We know that all the winners will continue to achieve distinction, whatever their involvement in our sport.

“It is humbling to meet such incredible individuals and celebrate their achievements.”

Six other Brits were shortlisted for the awards, which were presented by actress Bo Derek at the FEI general assembly gala dinner in Puerto Rico on 13 November.

These were Alan Davies (Valegro’s groom), Charlotte Dujardin, Ben Hobday, Phoebe Peters, William Fox-Pitt and Imogen Mercer (groom to eventer Sam Griffiths).

“I would like to offer my sincere congratulations to the recipients of these prestigious awards, and particularly to Jessica Mendoza, winner of the Longines Rising Star Award”, added Juan-Carlos Capelli, from Longines.

Search is on for equestrian heroes

Lucy Elder — Tue, 07 Jul 2015 11:55:36 +0000

The FEI has launched its search to find exceptional equestrians from across the world.

The FEI awards 2015 will celebrate excellence, courage, commitment and dedication. There are five categories and nominations opened on Friday, 3 July.

These are the Longines rising star award, the Reem Acra best athlete, the against all odds award, best groom award and FEI solidarity award.

Nominations for the awards will close at midnight on 28 August 2015.

Winners will be flown to the awards gala, presented by Longines, in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which takes place on 13 November at the FEI general assembly.

FEI president Ingmar De Vos said: “Our sport is unique and extraordinary.

“Our athletes and everyone working in the equestrian community have amazing track records of success, incredible personalities and fascinating back stories.

“Time and time again as spectators and on television we see sensational victories, but there is so much more to our sport than meets the eye.”

He added that these awards honour “everyone who makes our sport happen”, highlighting the true value of horse sport and its contribution to our global society.

Former FEI president Princess Haya started the awards in 2009.

Last year, Great Britain’s Jackie Potts took home the best groom award, which is dedicated to behind the scenes team members who work 24/7 to ensure their horses get the best possible care and attention.

Jackie (pictured above with the other 2014 winners, credit FEI/Liz Gregg) has spent more than 20 years as groom to London 2012 Olympic silver medallist William Fox-Pitt.

Other 2014 winners included vaulter Lambert Leclezio, who at the age of 17 was the first athlete to represent Mauritius at a world championship and American para dressage rider Sydney Collier and her service dog Journey.

Visit www.feiawards.org/nomination to nominate a candidate for this year’s awards.

FEI president one step closer to securing paid position

Amy Mathieson — Fri, 01 May 2015 09:25:55 +0000

Ingmar de Vos is likely to be paid in his position as FEI president after a vote at the FEI Sports Forum earlier this week (Tuesday 28 April).

The vote was taken at an extraordinary general assembly, where 59 nations were present. There were also 27 powers of attorney — totalling 86 valid votes.

The nations voted unanimously to change the statutes to allow the president to receive remuneration.

For the past 60 years the role of FEI president has always been unpaid. However, before Ingmar, members of the Royal family had held the position since the 1950s.

However, this must now pass through the FEI Bureau before being confirmed. A final decision is expected in June.

Dr Claude Nordmann of the Swiss National Federation spoke briefly after the vote, calling for a study to be conducted on salaried positions and commenting that the contents of the study would also be useful for other International Federations.

Belgium’s Ingmar De Vos took over from Princess Haya as president of the FEI after a vote in December — in which he received 98 votes out of a possible 131.

Princess Haya had been in role for eight years. She was allowed to stand again for another four-year term, but decided to step down to focus on her family and humanitarian work in Gaza.

When campaigning to become president last year Ingmar was clear on his intentions.

“The FEI is now a professional organisation that needs professionalism at all levels. Many international federations and organisations now have presidents that receive remuneration. There is nothing unusual about this. It is, in my view, not a good practice that the presidency would only be limited to volunteers that can afford it,” he said at the time.

“If the EGA were to reject, I would of course respect this and would continue as a volunteer [president], though in that case I would probably also have other occupations not related to the FEI.”

International endurance rules to be tightened up

Amy Mathieson — Sun, 22 Jun 2014 08:00:45 +0000

Endurance rules are to be tightened up in the wake of the high-profile welfare crisis in the sport.

The revised rules will be implemented on 1 August, rather than waiting to voted on at the FEI general assembly in December. The rules were approved by the FEI Bureau yesterday (Tuesday 10 June).

And as a further step to remove any “conflict of interest” FEI first vice president John McEwen will take over full responsibility for endurance during Princess Haya’s term of office.

Concerns had been raised after her husband, Sheikh Mohammed’s, equine operations were involved in racing and endurance scandals.

Sheikh Mohammed himself was given a six-month endurance ban after a positive steroids test in 2009.

Endurance has been plagued with reports of injuries and doping in the middle-east.

At the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne (29 April) the FEI announced “bold steps” to help improve the welfare of horses in international endurance events — including athlete penalties, extended rest periods and increased accountability for riders, as well as a review of all 2,700 endurance officials.

“The new rules are a great step forward and we strongly believe they address the key issues that the discipline has been facing,” said Brian Sheahan, chair of the FEI endurance committee.

“Now we can go forward with confidence to the World Equestrian Games, knowing that we have the right regulations and the right officials in place to ensure horse welfare and fair play, and also knowing that the athletes and their teams are confident in the rules and their implementation.

“While we will of course continually monitor the effectiveness of the new rules to make sure they are fit for purpose, this is definitely a major breakthrough for endurance that means that we can now turn the focus back onto the sport.”

However at the Forum, concerns were raised that the rules will not extend to national events, where there are also problems, and that trainers would not be held responsible for injuries.

Princess Haya to stand for a 3rd term

Sophia Heath — Tue, 29 Apr 2014 10:08:34 +0000

The FEI has announced that HRH Princess Haya has signaled her intention to stand for re-election as FEI president for a 3rd term.

The FEI statutes had previously limited presidents to 2 consecutive 4-year terms. However, a vote on amending the statutes to prolong the term of the president took place at the FEI extraordinary general assembly in Lausanne today (29 August).

103 national federations voted in favour and 3 voted against the amendment.

Princess Haya is the junior wife of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai. Several nations had said they would oppose any movement to allow a 3rd term for Princess Haya because they believe it creates a “conflict of interest”.

Her husband Sheikh Mohammed had to order an investigation into his own equine operations, following a series of doping scandals.

The report, which was led by former Metropolitan Police Chief Lord Stephens, concluded that Sheikh Mohammed had no knowledge of the drug-related incidents and that the problems came from “a sense of complacency” within the Sheikh’s management structure.

Princess Haya was first elected in 2006. Since then she has brokered a number of high-value sponsorship packages for the FEI, including a 9-figure deal with watchmaker Longines.

Princess Haya, who had previously ruled herself out of a 3rd term, said she was “hounoured to be given the opportunity”.

“I always felt that when people are given a responsibility, given faith and given belief, they are given an opportunity to do well in their lives and that’s what you’ve always given to me,” she added.

The FEI presidential election will take place at the general assembly in December. The FEI Bureau will decide on the application period for presidential candidates during its in-person meeting on 9 and 10 June.

The Swiss National Federation has already announced its support for Swiss businessman Pierre Genecand, although his candidacy has yet to be officially declared.

Para squads stay as 5 riders, thanks to GBR

Flora Watkins — Fri, 15 Nov 2013 14:00:59 +0000

There were celebrations in the British camp at the FEI general assembly as an 11th hour attempt to keep the number of para riders in a squad at 5 was voted through.

At the FEI’s sport forum in April, FEI para dressage director Trond Asmyr had said capping the number of riders at 4 was necessary to “open the sport to more countries” and align para dressage with the other Olympic disciplines.

But this drew an impassioned protest from Britain, who said the move was designed to discriminate against Team GBR’s success.

At London 2012, Britain fielded a team of 4 and 1 individual, with 1 athlete in each of the 5 categories of disability. We won a 5th consecutive team gold.

BEF president Keith Taylor told the general assembly (7 November) that the FEI’s proposed rule change was “unfair and discriminatory”.

Mr Taylor lobbied hard behind the scenes in Montreux, persuading other federations to vote for his amendment. He proposed that individual qualification places were made open to all nations, and did not exclude those who had already qualified a team of 4.

The FEI stated its opposition to the move, but delegates voted it through. This means Britain, and other nations who are able to do so, can field 5 athletes at Rio 2016. Natasha Baker — who won 2 golds as an individual at Greenwich — said she was “thrilled”.

“It’s fantastic for the sport,” she told H&H. “There are so many other countries coming through; the Irish were never expected to get the bronze in London. Yes, Britain is up there — but the gap is getting smaller each time.”

Deb Criddle, who helped secure team gold in Greenwich, added that limiting the number of riders to 4 would have been a retrogressive step.

“When you go to the Paralympics, you want to feel you are competing against the best,” she said.

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound magazine (14 November, 2013)

Endurance, Princess Haya and para dressage dominate FEI general assembly

Flora Watkins — Thu, 14 Nov 2013 09:00:00 +0000

This week H&H reports on all the news from the FEI general assembly in Switzerland (4-7 November) — where the decisions governing international horse sport are taken each year.

We have a full report on the hard-hitting plan to clean up abuses in endurance — and why some leading figures think it penalizes the vast majority of amateur riders in this discipline.

There is also news of a dramatic attempt to secure a third term for the FEI’s controversial president Princess Haya — and how Team GBR saw off attempts to reduce its dominance in para dressage.

Don’t miss the new issue of H&H — on sale today, Thursday, 14 November.

Revamped showjumping Nations Cup is unveiled

Charlotte White — Thu, 15 Nov 2012 11:44:45 +0000

A new-look showjumping Nations Cup series is secure, with a four-year sponsorship package worth €16million from the Saudi Equestrian Fund.

The deal was announced at horse sport’s annual meeting, the FEI General Assembly, in Istanbul last week (8 November).

The old Nations Cup format was considered unwieldy and difficult to understand, but was an important route by which countries qualify for European and World Championships.

The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup will be a knock-out competition that splits equestrian nations into six regions.

Instead of final placings being decided by points accumulated through the series, teams will try to qualify for a new 18-team final next autumn, the venue for which is still to be decided.

The wording of the rules was still to be released.

British showjumping chef d’equipe Rob Hoekstra said: “I am not sure what they [the FEI] have decided, but the European federations, the top shows and chefs d’equipe put a proposal to them [before the General Assembly] and told them it was the only one we were going to go with.

“The idea of a competition with a final is a good one, but they needed to assure us that there was sufficient [prize] money and that the existing Nations Cup venues would be able to take part.”

The FEI has announced that the eight top league venues from the 2012 series — including Hickstead and Dublin — will host a leg. Teams must compete at their home plus five other shows over the season.

But Hickstead’s Lizzie Bunn said “fine tuning” is still in progress, especially about how the series will be funded and the concept of wild cards and invitations.

“We will have the eight European ‘super league’ shows, but European countries only need to compete at six. We have asked if we can use the two spare slots to invite two more teams [for example Brazil or the USA],” said Ms Bunn.

Funding SAUDI Arabia — a well-funded and expanding equestrian nation who claimed showjumping team bronze at Greenwich — took over the funding of the 2012 competition after the loss of sponsorship from the owners of Dubai racecourse, Meydan, in 2010.

This meant the FEI sponsored the series itself in 2011.

The Saudis promised to extend their funding in return for a more inclusive format.

European nations will now compete in two separate leagues and teams may be promoted to or demoted from the top league, depending on their results.

Nine European teams, plus two each from North and Central America; South America; the Middle East; and Asia, and one from Africa will take part in the final.

This makes a possible 19, as the host of the final automatically qualifies.

Mr Hoekstra feels that’s too many. “That number is fine for an Olympic Games, but only so many championships of that size should take place, otherwise they lose their cachet,” he said.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (15 November 2012)

FEI faces £824k loss due to huge sponsorship costs

Charlotte White — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 16:16:15 +0000

The cost to the FEI – the body governing global horse sport – of sponsoring the 2011 Nations Cup series was 3.4m Swiss Francs – £2.3m.

Meydan, owned by Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Makhtoum, funded the series in 2010 but now sponsors FEI endurance.

FEI financial director Neerja Tannan said the federation’s income in 2011 was 24.1m CHF ( £16.5m) but expenditure was 27.5 CHF ( £18.8m).

The FEI managed to find £1.3m extra revenue from FEI TV, cutting the loss to £824k.

And the previous year the FEI was forced to spend £824k to refloat the finances of the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, reducing its income surplus to £52k.

The FEI is set to break even in 2012, added Mrs Tannan.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (24 November 2011)

Plans for an eventers’ Nations Cup discussed at FEI General Assembly

Charlotte White — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 15:20:52 +0000

Eventers could soon have a nations cup, similar to that

in showjumping.

Pre-existing three-star horse trials may start hosting team competitions from 2012, Giuseppe Della Chiesa, who chairs the international horse sport’s eventing committee, has told H&H.

“Boekelo and Aachen already run team competitions and this is a way for us to increase interest in eventing without any added cost,” said Mr Della Chiesa.

He said riders would be consulted and the matter decided at an FEI sports forum in Lausanne next spring.

HSBC will sponsor the FEI Rider Rankings again next year, Mr Della Chiesa also said.

And for the first time, second-, third- and possibly fourth-placed riders will receive prize money.

This prize is separate from the £95k HSBC FEI Classics, won by Mary King in October.

International riders have also been consulted about eventing’s competition format, qualifications system and the rules and responsibilities of the ground jury.

“A very extensive consultative process is going on,” said Mr Della Chiesa.

To read the full news story on the FEI’s annual General Assembly see the current issue of H&H (24 November 2011)

FEI General Assembly 2011 Rio: It’s GA day

Horse & Hound — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 21:06:33 +0000

I’m feeling pretty overdressed as I write this blog from the FEI General Assembly 2011 in Rio de Janiero.

Today was the fabled general assembly (GA) and tonight it’s the FEI Gala Evening at the very swish Copacabana hotel, and I’m already in my glad rags.

From 9am until 4.30pm the FEI has been doing what it does very well, reporting on targets hit and those set, voting on regulations and making plans.

There have been rule changes and wording changes in all the sports — except endurance, which got a gold star from first vice-president John McEwen, who has in the chair instead of president HRH Princess Haya, whose baby is due in January.

I will give more of a low down in H&H next week. but some interesting issues were raised during the four days of the conference.

But all in all the GA was without the big issues that have monopolised discussion in years past — like the non-steroidal drug issue or last year’s presidential election.

There was also a feeling of anticipation with presentations by Tim Hadaway and Jeremy Edwards of the London 2012 equestrian organising committee and the organiser of the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy.

I don’t know if it was just the scenes of my local park, Greenwich, but I must admit to feeling a little emotional as the inspirational video promoting London 2012 blared out in the assembly hall.

And while I don’t necessarily have Jeremy’s confidence in London’s transport system or Andrew Finding’s in the weather, I know next year is going to be amazing.

Must go now as my carriage awaits but a final thought — one lady received an award today for attending 15 general assemblies. Ask me again next year, but at the moment I’m glad I’ve only got the one to make sense of!

FEI General Assembly 2011 Rio: It’s a hard job…

Horse & Hound — Sun, 13 Nov 2011 19:56:47 +0000

It’s has been my first taste of an FEI General Assembly and it’s exhausting!

International horse sport’s annual get together gets through so much business in a day it’s enough to make your head spin – and so are the drinks here in Rio, but that’s a different story all together!

Today, Sunday 13 November, was the first afternoon the press were allowed in to see what issues the FEI’s 130-odd national federations (NFs) have brought to this year’s Assembly.

And they are pretty diverse.

European equestrian federations are concerned about a clash between next year’s Global Champions Tour and Nations Cup competitions.

They also want the FEI to review Olympic qualifications before the Games come to Rio in 2016 as they say some routes to the Games are easier than others.

The South Americans want the International Dressage Riders Club expelled from the FEI because of its expulsion of their candidate to be rider rep on the Dressage Committee.

And there is German concern over proposals for all horses involved in FEI competition to be microchipped.

Improvement of the structure of the FEI was on the agenda this afternoon (see H&H on Thursday for more on this story).

The FEI Constitutional Task Force presented its hot off the press review of the role of regional groups, continental associations, how nations are represented on the Bureau, fees and membership.

It was a head-spinningly fast insight into how happy the wider FEI family is, presented by Equine Canada’s Akash Maharaj.

As with all families, get everyone together in one room and there are differences of opinion, as the review shows, but overall there has been broad consensus on most subjects discussed at Rio so far.

The slightly muted atmosphere could also be put down to the consequences of last night’s welcome dinner from the Brazilian federation.

Delegates were taken to a restaurant on the edge of the white sands of Copacabana beach, where the hospitality was exceptionally generous, with deadly green cocktails, a wine lake and meat mountain.

Waiter after waiter presented choicest cuts of this that and the other on skewers in a never-ending parade of ribs, steaks, racks, hearts… and “baby cow”.

I predict that even the most confirmed carnivores will be inquiring about the vegetarian option tonight.

Alas those of you who have visited South America, however, will know that’s a vain hope.

The FEI hotel is also beside Copacabana beach and the thought of the former Met coppers on the FEI Integrity Unit – including Lord Stevens himself – wandering among the bikini-clad ladies in their dark suits is a mental image that will stick with me.

As I left this evening delegates were off for cocktails at the Rio de Janiero International CSI-W team jumping event.

Of course the real meat will come tomorrow at the General Assembly itself, before the gala dinner and FEI Awards.

As they say – it’s a hard job, but someone has to do it!

FEI postpones contentious votes on blood rule and dressage committee

Horse & Hound — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 15:06:16 +0000

The FEI General Assembly opened in Rio de Janeiro yesterday with a decision to postpone the vote on two of the most contentious subject to be debated there – the “blood rule” and the question of who should replace Margot Otto-Crepin as rider rep on the FEI dressage committee.

The FEI Bureau unanimously approved a proposal from the dressage committee to withdraw the much-debated “blood rule” – which states what should be done in the event of blood being seen on a horse during a high-level dressage test.

The Veterinary Committee has been asked to propose a general rule, in consultation with the various disciplines, that is valid and applicable for all FEI disciplines.

This will be discussed at the FEI Sports Forum in April 2012 and voted on by the General Assembly in 2012. Implementation will be on 1 January 2013.

Para dressage will also be covered by this new rule.

The Bureau today also agreed to postpone a decision on the appointment of the athlete representative to the Dressage Committee member, a subject which had drawn them into discussions with the International Dressage Riders Club.

“We we are keen to maintain a healthy working relationship with the IDRC as both the FEI and the Club have a mutual goal, which is to have democratic athlete representation on the Dressage Committee,” said FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos.

“The term of the outgoing athlete representative on the dressage committee has come to an end, so we need to move forward on this rapidly. We would like to thank Margit Otto-Crepin for all her dedication and hard work in the past.”

“Blood rule” to be discussed at FEI General Assembly

Charlotte White — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 17:11:29 +0000

International dressage is steeling itself for discussion of the “blood rule” at the FEI General Assembly in Rio (11-14 November).

The FEI’s 133 national federations will decide whether to approve a new regulation that would bring dressage into line with other sports.

But rumours are that members may push for the amendment to be taken off the voting agenda and redrafted.

Under the rule, which would only apply at FEI championships, a test would be stopped and the horse examined by an FEI vet if blood is seen.

But if the vet feels the injury is minor, the horse may continue.

In both international showjumping and eventing, blood on the body or in the mouth means disqualification. But in minor cases, for example where a horse appears to have bitten its lip, a rider may be allowed to continue.

The idea of ditching dressage’s “any blood and you’re out rule” has prompted opposition from some riders.

And British dressage personalities are weighing in on both sides of the argument.

Laura Bechtolsheimer has signed a petition against the rule. She opposes the suggestion that a rider could re-enter the ring even if cleared by a vet.

“We would lose all credibility for the sake of a few very rare unlucky incidents,” said Laura.

“Dressage is not the same as showjumping or eventing.”

Her views are shared by the International Dressage Riders’ Club, the Officials Club and the Association of International Dressage Event Organisers.

Germany and the US said they will vote against the proposal.

But the International Dressage Trainers Club (IDTC) sides with other federations to champion the new rule.

Dane Rawlins, a member of the IDTC board, told H&H: “If blood is seen, the test is halted and the horse will be examined. Under the ‘automatic elimination’ option, there is no guarantee or requirement for further veterinary attention.”

The “blood rule” stems from the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, where Adelinde Cornelissen’s Parzival was eliminated because he had blood around his mouth. It transpired no FEI rule covers a bleeding mouth.

Speaking at the Global Dressage Forum in Holland (30-31 October), chairman of the FEI dressage committee Frank Kemperman said when the proposal had been sent to all 133 nations in June, only two opposed it. The rest did not reply.

If passed at the general assembly, the rules will be implemented on 1 January 2012.

H&H will be reporting from at the General Assembly. Follow at: www.horseandhound.co.uk and on Facebook and Twitter.

This news story was first published in the current issue of Horse and Hound (10 November, 2011)

Who will join the FEI dressage committee at Rio?

Charlotte White — Thu, 10 Nov 2011 15:49:39 +0000

As the world’s equestrian nations gather in Rio de Janeiro for the 2011 FEI General Assembly, dressage figures are still smarting from a perceived slight by the international body for horsesport.

Delegates at Rio are due to vote as to whom should join the FEI Dressage Committee following the resignation of athlete representative Margit Otto-Crepin of France.

The International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) had thought felt the seat should automatically go to another member of their group and that the FEI would accept their nominee, Wayne Channon, uncontested.

But Luis Lucio of Spain and Maria Ines Garcia Cuellar of Columbia joined the contest after being nominated by their national federations.

Neither was a member of the IDRC at the time of nomination, but joined soon after.

The IDRC’s next action was to exclude them from membership of the group.

But following a meeting of its tribunal the FEI parried by announcing that the place on the committee is not exclusively for an IDRC member.

So where does this leave the issue?

Right back where they started, says FEI General Counsel, Lisa Lazarus.

“The dismissal of the IDRC appeal means that the status quo is maintained with regard to the process for appointing the athlete representative on the Dressage Committee,” she said.

“The three proposed candidates will be presented to the Bureau with their candidacy files, along with the nominations committee’s recommendation, for a decision on who should be appointed.

“The Bureau will make its appointment on 11 November at the FEI Bureau meeting in Rio. The Bureau is not bound by the nomination committee’s recommendation.”

H&H will be reporting from the FEI General Assembly. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and the H&H website for all the news.

Battle lines are drawn in Copenhagen: general assembly blog

Horse & Hound — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 08:23:41 +0000

It feels like battle lines are drawn here in Copenhagen this morning, as the general assembly of the FEI gets underway.

Yesterday’s discussion on whether bute should be allowed in horse sport seemed to be a good outlet for underlying tensions. But the atmosphere this morning is still tense — there seems to be a move to revolt against the FEI governance, which is evidently seen as becoming less democratic.

Whether or not bute is allowed in competition was the crux of the debate yesterday, but national federations were angry that the FEI had not consulted them on the plan. On 20 October, for the last consultation with NFs, the FEI sent out the “current list”. It made no mention of the “progressive list” until yesterday.

Information was sent out on 13 November in an email, but it appears very few NFs had actually noted the changes.

The FEI insists it remains impartial on the subject. The actual rule allows for a small single dose of one of three non-steroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAIDs) up to 24 hours before competition — but they don’t appear to know whether this can be “bent” and bute given to a horse on the day it competes.

Where the idea of allowing low levels of NSAIDs in horse sport came from, no one knows. During the debate FEI chief executive officer Alex McLin said the rules and levels allowed had been drawn from the US Equestrian Federation (USEF) — which allows bute.

The discussion implied the plan had come from the USEF – to the point that USEF chief executive Jon Long stood up and said he had not proposed the idea of allowing NSAIDs in horse sport and did not support it.

Other countries were outraged the plans had been presented to them at the workshop — former FEI secretary general Bo Helander, of Sweden, seemed particularly incensed.

But the other strand of discontent was that, should NSAIDs be allowed in the sport, national federations would have to adopt them in their home countries — though with the caveat that countries that banned NSAIDs outright would still be entitled to that ban.

How can this be a fair sport, asked France. Other countries have even stricter rules than the FEI is proposing — another source of anger.

I’m looking forward to today — it’s going to be a busy one!

• To read yesterday’s blog, click here

Clare Balding to present FEI Awards in Copenhagen

Amy Mathieson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:59:28 +0000

BBC sports presenter Clare Balding is to present the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Awards in Copenhagen tomorrow (Thursday 19 November).

Former amateur jockey Clare heads live horseracing coverage for the BBC and also presented at the Olympics, FEI European Jumping Dressage Championships at Windsor and HSBC European Eventing Championships from Fontainbleu.

More than 1,200 competitors, organisers and grooms from around the world have been nominated for awards which include:

Athlete of the year — for a rider, driver or vaulter who has shown exceptional sportsmanship and ability

HSBC rising star — for a rider aged 14-21 who has not only demonstrated significant talent but also a love of the sport and great commitment

Alltech development award — for a development project, individual or organisation which has shown exceptional skill, dedication and energy in expanding the sport

Against all odds — for a disabled rider of any age who has demonstrated that disability is no hindrance to sporting proficiency

Groom of the year — for the often uncelebrated yet vitally important person who works behind the scenes

The awards have been judged by a panel chaired by FEI president Princess Haya and includes top event rider and Olympic medallist Mark Todd, Dominican Republic dressage rider and judge Diana Ramos, Italian show jumping organiser Eleonora Ottaviani and German vaulting champion Kai Vorberg.

Check www.horseandhound.co.uk for the results on Friday

Fireworks in Copenhagen: FEI general assembly blog

Horse & Hound — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 10:54:43 +0000

There’s an interesting undercurrent at the FEI general assembly, taking place this week in Copenhagen. People are expecting this to be a volatile meeting, and seem to be watching and waiting for the fireworks.

There were quiet fireworks yesterday — when the proposed changes to statutes and restructuring process was voted down by just one vote. But everyone was fairly polite afterwards “we agreed with the proposals, but not the way it was done”.

Reading between the lines — and reading the comments on the proposals issued in my welcome pack — this may actually have been a vote more against FEI president Princess Haya’s rather overpowering leadership style.

No-one disputes that the many changes she has made to the FEI have been anything but positive for a sporting federation that needed a shake-up — but she does seem to rule with a strong hand.

Rumours abound that various “abrupt departures” from the FEI have resulted from differences of opinion with the president. And anonymous blogs talk about the Princess surrounding herself with “yes men”.

This afternoon’s session on clean sport will be an interesting one. New plans will be unveiled in a two-hour session ahead of a debate, and the FEI hopes, approval, during the general assembly tomorrow.

Apparently some countries are pushing for a certain level of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs – such as bute) to be allowed on the medication list.

Some countries, such as Switzerland, have had a zero tolerance policy towards drugs for 20 years. Others, such as America, allow low levels of some substances in all competition horses bar racehorses. Maybe that’s where the fireworks will come.

Democracy rules at FEI general assembly in Copenhagen

Horse & Hound — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:26:59 +0000

Equestrian federations from around the world voted with their feet this morning in the first meeting of the FEI (International Equestrian Federation) general assembly in Copenhagen.

The FEI had hoped to approve plans for a new structure in the last steps towards a modernisation process that began when the FEI held its general assembly in London in 2005.

But in an extraordinary general meeting this morning, 49 out of 98 national federations (NFs) voted against adopting the statutes.

Voting on a new board had been planned should the statutes have been approved, but although the votes were narrow (48 votes for, 49 against and 1 abstention) the EGM was immediately adjourned.

Speaking afterwards, a representative of the Norwegian equestrian federation said: “Everyone liked the statutes, but not the way it was done — the FEI took away the democratic process”.

It seems NFs didn’t have enough time to look over the proposals — a representative from India told me he had received them only three weeks before this meeting in Copenhagen.

Vladimir Platov from Russia said his country also voted against the statutes — “It wasn’t done properly” he said.

Andrew Finding from the British Equestrian Federation declined to say which way he voted, but said it was now time for the FEI to work with NFs for to find a way forward.

“We all know change is necessary, the NFs want to modernise, we need to find a way to make that possible now,” he said.

The extraordinary general meeting was the first of three days of meetings at the FEI general assembly in Copenhagen.

It was started with a plea from current president Princess Haya for all NFs to approve the statutes to enable the FEI to “take the next step”.

“There’s no more that can be done to move forward other than restructure,” said Princess Haya.

“If you wish us to serve the sport, you must take this step.”

Among the proposals was that the FEI would be governed by a 7-member board rather than 19-member bureau.

But with a slim but definite vote against, the current statutes must remain in place and it’s back to the drawing board for the FEI. The modernisation process will not be on the agenda for the 2010 general assembly.

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But he noted one “standout” figure is that 25% of total falls, which includes horse and/or rider falls, do not happen at cross-country fences. These include falls on the flat, in the other phases and warm-ups.

“That’s a fairly stunning number,” said Mr O’Connor, suggesting other disciplines start tracking their fall data to start to understand more about this.

“I know the United States has actually started the process of looking across all disciplines at what is happening, and not just leaving it up to one.”

For example, of the 1,165 falls in 2022, 842 were at cross-country fences, 87 non-fence related on the cross-country, 146 took place in the showjumping, and 90 during warm-ups.

Mr O’Connor added that he encourages other disciplines to record data is because numbers can be quite surprising, and only from knowing these can the sport then start to ask questions about reasons for falls.

FEI medical committee chairman Mark Hart told the assembly of several major ongoing initiatives around rider safety. These are headlined by a project to evaluate the performance of equestrian helmets, with the recommendation for additional testing standards.

An equestrian helmet working group was put together this year, comprising stakeholders and experts such as engineers, academics, manufacturers, medical personnel, an Olympic rider, racing experts and the eventing risk management group.

Dr Hart gave a short summary of some of the group’s main findings; the conclusions are set to be released at the end of the year.

“Our goal is to decrease not only falls, but in parallel, we need to make efforts to further reduce serious head injuries in the inevitable event of falls in our sport,” said Dr Hart.

“[The working group] evaluated the performance needs for protective headgear and assessed the existing standards against those needs, to better determine if current standards could be improved to provide better protection for our riders to reduce serious head injuries.

“After extensive review of the available data, the working group is recommending additional testing standards and reduced head injury transmission limits for improved safety.

“It is expected that these recommendations will evolve as scientific criteria are refined and continuing research is taken out.

“We also hope that this will nudge the certification organisations to quicker update their standards, and hopefully eventually have harmonisation of the certification projects around the world and have a universal common standard.”

They will also evaluate recommendations of other sports, such as motocross, and develop specific research projects, with the eventual aim of translating these findings into new testing standard recommendations for manufacturers and certification organisations.

Other key projects in the pipeline for 2024 include exploring a new system for reporting rider injuries, to create an “overall equestrian database for injuries”, plus guidance for organising committees on how to set up a mental health emergency plan for their events.

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It also urges the FEI to adopt the “precautionary principle”. This means putting horse welfare as the focal point in decision-making by understanding that absence of evidence does not necessarily mean evidence of absence.

The main takeaway from Prof Waran’s presentation is that the future of horse sport rests on everyone’s shoulders.

“Everybody knows that changing the status quo can be extremely challenging. It’s hard because often people hang on to the old stuff, because they overestimate the value of what they have. And they can underestimate the value of what they might gain as a result of change,” said Prof Waran.

“That is why we really want to remind you that this is more of an evolution of the equestrian sports and not a revolution.

“Leadership is about you, every single person in this room, every national federation, every equestrian organisation and of course the FEI, overarching all of that. We believe that if we all show that responsibility, then we can certainly secure the future of equestrian sports.”

FEI president Ingmar de Vos commended the commission for this “important body of work” and added that this will “contribute to a larger strategy and concrete measures” that will be presented at the 2024 FEI sports forum.

World Horse Welfare chief executive Roly Owers, who was also presenting at the general assembly, said the report provides the equestrian world with a “really exciting opportunity”, adding that national federations being proactive “makes a huge difference”.

“The ball is very much in our court and the future of horse sport will be dictated by how we play it.”

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Proposed U-turn on controversial FEI dressage rule change

The proposal to reverse the rule was brought forward by the German and British federations as well as the International Dressage Officials Club. It is included in the latest draft of FEI changes for 2024, which will be voted on at the FEI general assembly this month (18-21 November).

British Olympic dressage rider Richard Davison, who also helps organise the CDI4* at the Royal Windsor Horse Show, told H&H he welcomed the decision to reverse the 65% rule.

“I think keeping the 60% cut-off is the right thing to do, and if this change reflects [new FEI dressage director] Ronan Murphy’s receptiveness to stakeholder feedback that’s also a positive,” he said.

“From an organiser’s point of view, and for the fairness of the riders, it would be interesting to know if even the 60% cut-off is justified by data or if it’s just an arbitrary figure.

Another proposed dressage rule change, to abolish minimum qualification requirements to enter CDI4*s and Western European World Cup qualifiers, has been rejected.

“We don’t agree with the part of keeping 63% as the entry requirement for a CDI4*/CDIO4,” said the European Equestrian Federation. “It prevents new and potential top combinations from competing immediately on a higher level.”

The German federation agreed, adding: “Apart from the rationale already expressed, a main factor is that organisers of CDI4* have difficulties to get enough starters.”

The FEI responded to the feedback by saying that maintaining a qualification percentage of 63% at CDI3* to qualify for CDI4* “promotes participation in CDI3* events, and is a straightforward way of qualification”.

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Having initially suggested the rule cover riders and officials, the FEI has now, after stakeholders’ feedback, included all participants in the policy, to “outline their responsibility”.

In response to the initial proposal, the European Equestrian Federation said policing social media is not a matter for FEI rules.

“The FEI cannot simply become a regulator of equestrian-sport related social media separately and without taking into consideration the principles of freedom of speech and relevant EU legislation (and maybe other jurisdictions as well),” the federation said.

The proposed policy includes a section on reporting, stating that anyone who becomes aware of a violation should “report such incidents to the FEI”, citing the “collective responsibility to maintain a positive and respectful online environment”.

“Many will also feel conflicted if they know the individuals involved and may simply prefer to run the risk of breaching the reporting obligations rather than report a concern.”

The German federation asked whether there are rules to cover behaviour offline, and if not “why such restrictions?” Other stakeholders called for more clarity in the policy and suggested a separate body to determine what is and is not offensive and the level of misconduct.

The BEF and Swedish federations welcomed the proposal but other stakeholders expressed safety concerns, and cited a lack of scientific research behind optimum tightness and the tool to be used.

H&H also reported on the proposed charter for the horse, to which all involved in FEI sport should pledge their support.

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Failure to comply, or attempts to damage, alter or destroy the information, would be a breach of FEI rules.

As is the case with all proposed rule changes, this was sent to national federations and stakeholders for comment.

The Belgian equestrian federation said: “‘Request access to any information or record (such as personal devices)’. This goes too far. We oppose. This is a violation of human rights.”

British Equestrian (BEF) said that although the investigative powers set out are “beneficial in enforcing integrity matters”, it is “concerned that the broad nature of this waiver may be unenforceable in some circumstances”.

“In the UK, for example, certain statutes provide that an individual may not contract out of their statutory rights. It would be helpful if the FEI could confirm that the breadth of the waiver in this rule will not undermine the consent being given.”

The BEF proposed that the addition of “save where it would be contrary to national laws” be added before the reference to waiving and forfeiting rights.

The German federation agreed the rule would be “an infringement of human rights”, adding: “If nothing else, we are sure that this rule will not stand if put to trial in Germany.” The Dutch, Swiss and Swedish federations are all opposed to the idea.

Solicitor Hannah Bradley, of The Equine Law Firm, told H&H this is “one of the most interesting” proposed rule changes.

“Athletes should be aware that they could soon be subject to this rule, and that records that they previously thought to be private may not remain so.”

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“The IJRC agrees with the jumping committee that believes that a broader concept going beyond just the relatively rare case of blood in the nostrils is needed in order to give the ground jury the clear authority to take action where there are serious horse welfare concerns,” the IJRC said.

“We’ve had no backlash from course-designers on this, they’re very happy to do it. To have their expertise I think is hugely important,” he said.

Eventing course-designers cannot officiate at the same venue for more than six consecutive years at CCI4*-S and CCI4*-L, including championships, and for more than eight years at CCI5*. But they may officiate again after a three-year break.

Other changes include competition categories: small, medium and big tours have been replaced with individual CDI star ratings – plus new qualification criteria for CDI4* will come into force, requiring combinations to qualify at CDI3* by scoring 63% in a grand prix or grand prix special.

From 2023, if a horse is stopped in a freestyle event, owing to extreme weather for example, the rider will now be permitted to start either from the beginning of the test or from where they stopped.

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Eventing course-designers cannot officiate at the same venue for more than six consecutive years at CCI4-S and CCI4-L, including championships, and for more than eight years at CCI5*. But they may officiate again after a three-year break.