A new online hub where people can report horse abuse anonymously and upload video evidence was among several radical measures unveiled at last week’s General Assembly (GA) of the FEI in Abu Dhabi as it battens down to retain equestrianism’s social licence to operate (SLO).
Normally, only the main voting sessions of the GA are livestreamed. But due to its significance, the previous day’s welfare debate plus a presentation by FEI department head Ronan Murphy on first steps to rehabilitate the reputation of dressage were broadcast (available to watch here). Murphy revealed that 19 of the 24 protests lodged by members of the public against horse abuse during the Olympic Games involved the dressage competition, with 20,000 allegedly incriminatory images from all sports submitted.
Never before has welfare been discussed at such length at a GA. By coincidence, though also appropriate, it was the turn of the anti-doping rules to undergo a four-year review. Plans to introduce out-of-competition equine sampling ‒ a recommendation of the independent ethics commission ‒ have not gone smoothly so far, but were approved at the GA.
The new horse abuse reporting hub (find the online form here) should ensure that complaints from members of the public reach the FEI legal department. Sometimes evidence has been sent to general FEI email addresses where it was not seen by the right person, or has been too vague or incomplete to follow up. Anonymity is offered, though in some cases witness statements may be needed if a legal case has any chance of success.
The FEI also revealed it had stopped working with the London-based agency Quest, who have provided the Equine Community Integrity Unit for 15 years; no reason was given.
Spurs will become optional in all disciplines. The elimination rule first adopted by jumping ‒ enabling a ground jury to instantly remove any rider or horse from a competition if they look like they are struggling ‒ will be extended to all disciplines. It was used at Paris to eliminate the first-ever Thai jumper to qualify for the Olympic Games, Janakabhorn Karunayadhaj.
A new FEI “welfare hub” is pooling external scientific research and has 19 researchers on board already; FEI is commissioning some of its own. The aim is “science-informed decision making” rather than “evidence-based knowledge.” The FEI does not want insistence that “we’ve always done it this way” to become an excuse for inaction.
It became clear the FEI is under pressure on multiple fronts. It is not moving nearly fast enough to satisfy the increasingly vocal welfare lobby. But on the other hand, FEI rider and trainer groups are resisting some measures ‒ notably the practical implementation of the new noseband tightness gauge which will come into general use on May 1.
FEI veterinary director Göran Akerstrom stood his ground on the need to re-think how we use horses in sport. This led to a robust exchange during the tight-nosebands discussion with Francois Mathy Jr, president of the International Jumping Riders Club, who observed that sport by definition involves some emotional stress for both human and equine athlete.
Mathy had attended the noseband measuring gauge tests when 600 horses were tested in conditions similar to a competition. Mathy said that in real life there will be unfamiliar environments, time pressure on the measuring steward and possible nervousness on the part of the horse, and so the proposed yellow warning card plus elimination for a failed noseband test was too severe; elimination should suffice. (Elimination only affects that particular show, while if the Person Responsible is issued a warning card, it can result in an automatic suspension for two months if they get two or more within one year.)
“Physical and emotional stress are simply part of every sport,” said Mathy. “You want a strict set of rules for horse welfare, but you must also take into account the reality of the sport. In your [the FEI’s] current research, you want to be able to identify signs of stress and emotion and, if necessary, punish them. But sport is simply a combination of factors, including stress and emotion. What is actually the goal of this approach?”
Akerström replied: “In our research, we want to acknowledge that mental fitness is an essential part of the sport. Horses experience emotional stress, although because they are prey animals they often hide it well. For us, it is more important than ever to acknowledge this and not ignore it. Personally, I think this will ultimately benefit the sport.”
Mathy acknowledged that viewpoint, but also wanted the FEI to acknowledge that “stress and emotion are inherent in the sport as a whole.” Again, Akerström replied that is precisely why regulations are there to safeguard “horsemanship.”
However, other riders endeavoured to embrace the bigger picture. The Irish international jumping rider Jessica Kurten is now an FEI board member as athletes’ representative. While she peppered her comments with “maybe” and “perhaps,” it was clear she felt past values of horsemanship had been diluted by over-ambition and lack of education. She was aghast that equestrianism had got to this crisis. She wanted the FEI to review how far and how fast riders and horses could upgrade; some riders contributed to horse welfare issues by competing “way beyond” their ability.
“Maybe we’ve forgotten a bit where we are in sport,” said Kurten. “The horses go into tests that are too much for them at that stage, and so, for example, the noseband is then tightened. Are horses being used beyond their capabilities?”
The dressage riders’ concerns about noseband tightness control were also aired by secretary general of the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC), Klaus Roeser. He wanted the measuring gauge to be used on the side rather than the front of the nose. But Akerström referred to a study by biomechanics experts that concluded the less sensitive bridge of the nose is preferable.
Akerstrom made a further salutary observation: that in some countries, some FEI rules would violate applicable law. The government in his native Sweden is already looking closely at equestrianism ‒ as are France and Denmark.
Abu Dhabi – an ironic choice of host
There was irony that an FEI GA with the emphasis on welfare and dope-testing took place in Abu Dhabi, part of the UAE. Only a few years ago, Abu Dhabi provided a prime example of what happens when a stakeholder decides it doesn’t like tougher welfare rules and simply walks away from FEI jurisdiction.
In 2015, the UAE became the first and only national federation to be suspended by the FEI for welfare concerns, high level of doping positives and other repeated rule breaches. In 2016, amid ongoing concerns, the FEI removed that year’s world endurance championship from Abu Dhabi’s neighbouring emirate, Dubai.
In 2019, the UAE NF actively lobbied against tougher FEI endurance rules, even sending suggested responses to other national federations during the consultation phase in 2019.
Eventually, in 2021 the FEI and re-suspended UAE, and the two parties went to the Court of Arbitration for Sport after the UAE’s two headlining endurance races breached FEI regulations by running under less strict national rules in 2020.
In the end, Abu Dhabi’s premier endurance park, Al Wathba, withdrew completely from FEI competition and ever since has run big money events under UAE rules.
