The FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) has published its proposed rule changes for the upcoming general assembly. While some adjustments to the Nations Cup rankings have been agreed upon, many other proposed changes by national federations have been rejected.
The FEI has published its proposed rule changes on October 16th. Earlier, it was announced that the FEI and the IJRC had agreed to adjust the ranking points for 5*, 4*, and 3* Nations Cups. The federation has now made public its proposals for rule changes that will be voted on at the FEI General Assembly in Abu Dhabi in November.
Generally, it is striking that the FEI has largely disregarded many of the adjustments proposed by the national federations. Various national federations, such as BEL, SWE, NED, GER, etc., submitted proposals to the FEI. For example, the Italian federation proposed involving national federations more closely in the decisions and implementation of, among other things, FEI Nations Cup series, especially since these also serve as Olympic qualifiers. The FEI does not share this view. It is of the opinion that the rules for series, such as the League of Nations, are solely the responsibility of the FEI board.
Various proposals to adjust the jumping regulations were also rejected. The Swedish federation, for example, proposed that, due to increasing time pressure on the competition schedule, courses should always be published digitally at least 2 hours before the start. Furthermore, the Swedish federation noted that - in connection with the blood rule - there are different views between different disciplines. The fact that further research and clarification were ignored. The IJRC proposed to clarify the blood rule by stating that it applies when blood is visible to the naked eye. That in another case, with correct rider behavior, no elimination should apply, since horse abuse cannot then be spoken of.
Wildcard for U25 riders
To promote the sport, the IJRC proposed including a wildcard in the invitation system for CSI5* competitions. Specifically for U25 riders. In the rule proposal, the IJRC stated that the U25 rider must meet the minimum requirements for participation. In its defense, the FEI states that it is up to the national federations to invite the U25 riders. Furthermore, the EEF wanted to introduce a U25 (European) championship. This too was excluded from the rule changes for the General Assembly.
Riders see blinders, FEI sees individuals!
Meanwhile, the minutes of the Jumping Committee meeting have also been published. In it, the board speaks of a successful final of the FEI Longines League of Nations in Barcelona. This while the event was heavily criticized by the riders. According to the majority of the participants, the event is a prime example of a breach of FEI rules. They refer here mainly to the mandatory security of the stables and the program that sometimes lasted until late at night. In a response to our editorial staff, the FEI states that it is aware of the criticism. "The FEI is always open to comments and suggestions on where improvements can be made; there are many ways to share this information, such as during on-site meetings, via the groom reporting mechanism, the International Jumping Riders Club, and in the official event reports. When unexpected problems arise, such as the use of fireworks in Barcelona, the FEI takes these seriously and they are addressed immediately." says a representative to Equnews.
"Some points mentioned in the widespread criticism were particularly surprising; for example, the start/finish times of the competitions were almost identical to previous years, and this was not previously considered problematic. Moreover, several improvements were made in Barcelona this year, particularly with regard to the stables, and it is remarkable that the official reports did not mention any concerns about this." "Overall, the debut season of the Longines League of Nations™ has been widely recognized as a success. The unique format proved to be innovative and exciting, and the final was a fantastic showcase for our sport. Once again, the outcome was in the balance until the last jump. This followed a very successful year for the jumping discipline, with an extraordinary Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Riyadh in April and the great jumping competitions during the Olympic Games in Paris."
The FEI has published its proposed rule changes on October 16th. Earlier, it was announced that the FEI and the IJRC had agreed to adjust the ranking points for 5*, 4*, and 3* Nations Cups. The federation has now made public its proposals for rule changes that will be voted on at the FEI General Assembly in Abu Dhabi in November.
Generally, it is striking that the FEI has largely disregarded many of the adjustments proposed by the national federations. Various national federations, such as BEL, SWE, NED, GER, etc., submitted proposals to the FEI. For example, the Italian federation proposed involving national federations more closely in the decisions and implementation of, among other things, FEI Nations Cup series, especially since these also serve as Olympic qualifiers. The FEI does not share this view. It is of the opinion that the rules for series, such as the League of Nations, are solely the responsibility of the FEI board.
Various proposals to adjust the jumping regulations were also rejected. The Swedish federation, for example, proposed that, due to increasing time pressure on the competition schedule, courses should always be published digitally at least 2 hours before the start. Furthermore, the Swedish federation noted that - in connection with the blood rule - there are different views between different disciplines. The fact that further research and clarification were ignored. The IJRC proposed to clarify the blood rule by stating that it applies when blood is visible to the naked eye. That in another case, with correct rider behavior, no elimination should apply, since horse abuse cannot then be spoken of.
Wildcard for U25 riders
To promote the sport, the IJRC proposed including a wildcard in the invitation system for CSI5* competitions. Specifically for U25 riders. In the rule proposal, the IJRC stated that the U25 rider must meet the minimum requirements for participation. In its defense, the FEI states that it is up to the national federations to invite the U25 riders. Furthermore, the EEF wanted to introduce a U25 (European) championship. This too was excluded from the rule changes for the General Assembly.
Riders see blinders, FEI sees individuals!
Meanwhile, the minutes of the Jumping Committee meeting have also been published. In it, the board speaks of a successful final of the FEI Longines League of Nations in Barcelona. This while the event was heavily criticized by the riders. According to the majority of the participants, the event is a prime example of a breach of FEI rules. They refer here mainly to the mandatory security of the stables and the program that sometimes lasted until late at night. In a response to our editorial staff, the FEI states that it is aware of the criticism. "The FEI is always open to comments and suggestions on where improvements can be made; there are many ways to share this information, such as during on-site meetings, via the groom reporting mechanism, the International Jumping Riders Club, and in the official event reports. When unexpected problems arise, such as the use of fireworks in Barcelona, the FEI takes these seriously and they are addressed immediately." says a representative to Equnews.
"Some points mentioned in the widespread criticism were particularly surprising; for example, the start/finish times of the competitions were almost identical to previous years, and this was not previously considered problematic. Moreover, several improvements were made in Barcelona this year, particularly with regard to the stables, and it is remarkable that the official reports did not mention any concerns about this." "Overall, the debut season of the Longines League of Nations™ has been widely recognized as a success. The unique format proved to be innovative and exciting, and the final was a fantastic showcase for our sport. Once again, the outcome was in the balance until the last jump. This followed a very successful year for the jumping discipline, with an extraordinary Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in Riyadh in April and the great jumping competitions during the Olympic Games in Paris."