Could different rules for different levels work when it comes to penalties for breaking a frangible device – and would “€1m for 1,000 fences” be a boost for the sport?
Those were two ideas debated by top riders, course-designers and other leading sports figures at the 2025 FEI Eventing Seminar (17–19 January).
FEI risk management steering group member Geoff Sinclair highlighted the success of fundraising for specific eventing safety projects in the US. He said the group would like to discuss something similar with the FEI, in the hope of attracting some significant backers, which would allow federations or individual events to apply for subsidies for specific fences.
“If we could reach €1m, we could probably get 1,000 frangible fences built, and that would have a very significant impact on the sport and help the events,” he said.
Course-designer and FEI risk management steering group member Stuart Buntine spoke of the ongoing work around frangibles.
“One of the challenges I’ve looked at, and kept on coming back to, is we don’t want to change what our sport looks like. We don’t want to change the fact that ultimately we want to go out there and jump cross-country fences that look like cross-country fences and are not abbreviated or abridged versions,” he said.
“I’ve been very fortunate over the last 12 months to spend a bit of time in Sweden with Mats Bjornetun [leader in frangible technology] and his team, and he’s done an amazing amount of work on enabling fences that you and I would walk past and say ‘these are just normal fences’ to be a frangible fence.”
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He added: “One of the exciting things that I see is the ability now to start to roll out traditional fences that are built with a frangible mechanism. We’ve got to try to reduce, and continue to reduce, serious falls. There is no doubt that, looking at the stats and the information, frangible fences reduce that risk substantially.”
Mr Buntine said the question of 11 penalties for soft activations is “something that worries me a bit”, but discretionary awarding of those penalties would be a “can of worms”. A “soft” activation is when a frangible device breaks, but doesn’t appear to be the result of a competitor having a bad jump at fence.
“We’ve got to stop rotationals,” he said, adding that work is ongoing in this development tech, but now the price may be the occasional soft activation.
“I think that’s a price worth paying,” he said.
Olympic medal-winning eventer Tina Cook said she is “massively behind” frangible technology and reducing falls, but asked if there could be a “common sense” approach to whether a competitor is penalised or not, rather than a “flat 11 penalties”.
She added that in situations where the horse “clearly hasn’t lost his balance or left a leg” that it could be discussed with the ground jury, rather than a blanket penalty.
The forum heard how technology such as video cameras and fence sensors is progressing all the time. But although it may be possible to have that level of tech at some events, eventing is a global sport.
That led to questions about whether it would be feasible to have a rule whereby penalties for a broken frangible device could be reviewed at the top of the sport, for example four-stars, five-stars and championships.
Five-star rider David Doel said it would be “no different” to other sports such as football, where additional technology is used in reviewing penalties in the Premier League, compared to lower leagues.
Talking points
Samantha Lissington raised the point that thoroughbreds being excluded from world breeding championships is a “downfall” (news, 15 May 2023). FEI eventing committee chairman David O’Connor agreed it is “a valid point” and would look into it again.
The popularity of “tailgaiting” in the US – where people pay to park and picnic in designated areas closer to the action – was aired as a possible opportunity for events.
Creating a series out of the current five-stars was mooted as a possible way to sell the sport.
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Lucy is an experienced news journalist, reporter and presenter. Since joining the Horse & Hound team in 2015, Lucy has reported from major global sporting events including the Tokyo Paralympic Games and multiple European Championships, as well as Badminton, Burghley and London, to name a few. She has covered current affairs and sports news across the full spectrum of equestrian disciplines and racing, as well as human and equine welfare, industry news and court cases.
