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

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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