Changes to flag penalties, whip use, and hats at trot-ups proposed in eventing
Whip use, flag penalties and ensuring that horse and riders are ready before they move up a level are among the topics under discussion in the FEI eventing rules revision.
The first draft of the 2026 rule change proposals has been published, as the eventing rules undergo a full review this year.
The US federation has called for the whip to only be permitted “to support the natural aids in encouraging the horse forward” and not to be used “to discipline”. The FEI eventing committee supported this and added that the whip is not to be used when its action is not related to a fence in cross-country or showjumping.
The FEI also proposed that pressing a tired horse should mean an automatic 25 penalties, and the existing recorded warning.
British Equestrian (BEF) tackled the topic of horse and rider experience, proposing that in addition to minimum eligibility requirements, the horse form index (HFI) – developed by EquiRatings and the FEI to track performance – be used for three-star competitions and upwards.
A BEF spokesperson said this would “stop those athletes, parents and owners” who take a “because I’m qualified, I’m ready, approach to competition”.
“This has been successfully used in Ireland. This is especially relevant to the CCI4* and CCI5* events where good pictures of the sport and social licence are very much in the public eye,” said the spokesperson.
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The FEI eventing committee disagreed with this and “would instead like to encourage federations to be more vigilant and review what competitions riders are entered”.
The Swedish and German federations and the European Equestrian Federation (EEF) eventing working group suggested a reduction in the penalties for activating a frangible device from 11 to four, stating that there are more frangibles now and “therefore the chance to get a MiM is much higher than it was”.
The FEI responded: “The eventing committee is not in support of reducing the penalty of activating frangible devices, especially as it has improved cross-country riding; it is meant to prevent a rotational fall, and the consequence of activating it should remain as is.”
But the FEI was in agreement with reviewing missed flag penalties. The Pan-American Equestrian Confederation suggested this be reduced from 15 to seven as while missing a flag is an error, it is one that “does not result in potential harm to horse or rider”.
“The eventing committee agrees that the penalty for missing a flag should be less than that of activating a frangible. However, it should still be larger than that of knocking down two obstacles during the jumping test,” said the FEI, proposing that missed flags should result in nine penalties.
Dressage scores at championships and five-stars was raised by the BEF, the Swedish federation and the EEF eventing working group, who called for a permanent judges’ supervisory panel to ensure a “level playing field”, following a pilot on this last year.
The FEI said although the idea of introducing a remote review process was discussed at the Sports Forum, there are cost concerns. But “as a compromise” the eventing committee suggested changes to dressage scoring disputes.
“If the score for a flying change, halt or rein-back varies by three points or more between judges, the ground jury will review the official video as soon as possible after the test,” said the spokesperson, adding that the review must be on the same day, score corrections will only be made with ground jury agreement and “should be based on one or more of the original scores”.
The Polish federation has called for under-18s to wear safety helmets at trot-ups. The FEI medical committee is “investigating” – but felt that safety during horse inspections requires a broader approach, “not solely based on age”.
National federations have until 26 August to give feedback on the proposals. A final draft will be published in October, ahead of voting at the FEI general assembly on 7 November.
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Since joining H&H in 2018, Becky has covered a broad range of equestrian news including welfare matters, veterinary studies, FEI Tribunal hearings and road safety campaigns. She has also interviewed top riders including Scott Brash, John Whitaker and Ian Stark, to name just a few. Becky’s reporting has taken her to Canada for Spruce Meadows and France for Pau five-star, as well as the Royal Highland and Blair Castle International Horse Trials closer to home. She was also a key part of the remote reporting team for the Tokyo Olympics and the Europeans.