Endurance racing in the Middle East is sacrificing Arabian horses “on the altar of sport”

The FEI declined to review a controversial endurance fatality in Bahrain,despite new evidence suggesting both the dead horse and the ride were wrongly identified.

The FEI Secretary General has today provided an overview of a series of measures to be implemented to address serious horse welfare issues in UAE Endurance.

The FEI’s Equestrian Community Integrity Unit is to investigate allegations that the carcass of Ajayeb “disappeared” from the world endurance venue at Samorin before she finally ended up at a pathology lab. The mare, competing for the UAE, was euthanized last Saturday after breaking her leg. But allegations have surfaced that she was found dumped […]

The FEI Bureau has acknowledged that while some efforts have been made by the United Arab Emirates National Federation (UAE NF) to clean up endurance in that country since the reinstatement of the national federation in July, 2015, the UAE NF cannot guarantee that horse welfare would be fully protected at the FEI World Endurance […]

Three closely-spaced endurance rides in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) saw at least two suspected and unreported horse deaths

The FEI is facing calls to remove the 2016 world endurance championship from Dubai, with the opinion of governing bodies now boosted by a public petition. The latest crisis stems from shocking images, which went viral, from the official ride livestream of a junior event at Al Wathba, Abu Dhabi on January 30th. Grooms flooded […]

A delegation of the Swiss Equestrian Federation (SEF) has liaised with the director of the FEI endurance in order to discuss the suggested measures to ensure the development of the discipline and improvement of the respect for horses. The SEF has stressed the need to improve the qualifying system for the elite races and for […]

The FEI is addressing “as a matter of urgency” instances of shock amputation of the lower limbs of Middle Eastern endurance horses

Close to 1,400 people have attended a series of FEI Endurance educational courses in Dubai and Abu Dhabi (UAE) over the past four days in advance of this week’s Endurance season opener, a CEI1* 80-kilometre ride. The attendees, numbering 1,347 in total, included athletes, trainers, grooms, Veterinarians, Judges, Technical Delegates and Stewards. The courses were […]