Riders’ children can now come to British Eventing (BE) fixtures as part of the organisation’s latest amendments to its sport resumption rules.
A maximum of two children, aged 11 years and under who are connected to the rider, may attend and “must stay under the direct supervision of the [rider’s] support team and or owners”.
Children over the age of 11 may attend if competing, or where they are the “support person” for the rider, and all children must abide by BE’s sport resumption rules.
The change is one of several updates to the Covid rules, which were introduced to allow the sport resume during the pandemic.
The policy for returning dressage sheets will now be detailed in each event schedule. Options include leaving a stamped, addressed envelope, allowing photography of sheets at an information point, or a drive-through collection on exit if the organiser is capturing the data on the sheets, so they can be released in time to satisfy the “arrive, compete, leave” protocol.
More helpers are also allowed per horse for long-formate competitions.
“These competition types recognise the need for additional assistance in the management of horse welfare, specifically on the cross-country phase and official horse inspections,” stated the update.
In addition to the current rules for owners and support teams, at long-format competitions riders with one horse can have an additional three support staff, those with two horses can have an additional four helpers and three or more horses an additional five people to help.
In the cross-county “D box” and preparation areas, all helpers, medical and veterinary staff should wear face coverings and gloves “where appropriate and social distancing cannot be maintained”.
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For on-site stabling at events where competitors are staying overnight, face coverings are to be worn if “social distancing is likely to be compromised”.
“Events have the right to mandate face coverings if considered necessary,” adds the update.
Stable manager services are also to be done online, pre-event where possible and the on-site stable manager’s office is to be “in a protected and social distance environment”.
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