The above ten photos were taken at two FEI Endurance races in 2009, both in the UAE. One of them was the President of the UAE Cup race, the other was not identified to me by the very civic minded photographer who agreed to allow me to publish this irrefutable evidence of what Endurance races look like in the UAE. I have just one question for you to consider: Does this look like an activity that should be sanctioned by the FEI?

Now that I have them all up as a group, the photos leave me with a collective impression that the horses in them are being treated exactly the same as the motorized vehicles that are everywhere around them. And if I didn’t know better I might even suspect that this was a car race like the Dakar Rally, only with outriders on horseback instead of support vehicles. Take a look at that first photo again. See the lopsided looking guy slouching in the saddle on the right? That’s Sheikh Mohammed. Apparently when someone wins, he grabs a flag and makes the poor exhausted horse double as flag bearer before its long day is done (fact: the average career length of an international endurance horse these days is 12-24 months)

Last week, the American Endurance Ride Conference (note use of ‘ride’ and not ‘race’ in their name – it says a lot about their values) passed a motion that makes the Swiss Federation look, well, kind of neutral – Swiss, if you like. Randy Eiland at the AERC gave me permission to publish the motion, which was issued by the organization’s Board of Directors,  in its entirety. Here it is:

AERC Board of Directors

MOTION PROPOSAL

Motion Name: AERC NOTICE TO FEI

Proposing Committee:  SPONSORSHIP

Date of Motion:  PASSED AT ANNUAL BOD MEETING – MARCH 9, 2014

 Motion: 

In order to address the growing alarm among AERC members that mounting drug violations and fatalities and fractures in international endurance riding conducted in some Region VII Countries by the FEI are injuring the reputation of our sport worldwide, the AERC shall immediately notify the FEI, through USEF, in writing of:

 1)            The AERC’s grave concerns that drug violations and horse fatalities and fractures are excessive in FEI endurance events by some participants from Region VII countries, that the flat courses and high speeds characteristic of FEI international rides contribute to horse injuries increasingly similar in severity and frequency to those occurring in flat track racing, that some FEI officials inadequately enforce the FEI’s own rules, and that the administration of FEI events favors certain competitors and member countries over others.

 2)            The AERC’s intention to consider joining the exploration with like-minded endurance groups in other countries of the formation of a new international organization to conduct international endurance riding events if the FEI does not demonstrate measurable progress towards addressing the AERC’s concerns by January 1, 2015.   Measurable progress would include, but not be limited to, greater transparency in public reporting of fatalities and fractures occurring at or associated with FEI endurance rides. 

The AERC looks forward to working with the USEF to prepare a joint response to the ESPG Report that meets both organizations’ interests. The AERC’s International Committee is directed to monitor and evaluate the FEI’s progress towards meeting the AERC’s concerns.  The AERC’s International Committee is also directed to prepare periodic reports to the AERC Board who will determine yearly if meaningful and measurable progress is being made. The AERC shall continue to support the efforts of the USEF to improve the FEI’s conduct of international endurance riding and shall remain affiliated with USEF.

Randy made some insightful comments to me in an email. I asked for and obtained permission to share those thoughts with you here as well:

“To the best of my knowledge this is the first time AERC has taken a bold, public stand on this kind of an issue related to international competition and I have over 20+ years as a director, vice president, and president of AERC.  It wasn’t that we weren’t concerned – one of the first purposes in our bylaws and founding documents is equine welfare –  it was the fact we were operating separately from the rest of the world in a state of isolation.  With the internet, cell phone cameras and videos, and other instant communication vehicles, AERC can no longer act as if the rest of the endurance world is none of our business and doesn’t have an impact on us.  AERC is the founding organization of endurance competition as the world knows it and we must be a part of the solution – we think our Motion brings us to a position of equal leadership on these issues with other “right thinking endurance federations”, federations that take pride in what they are doing and the fact they are doing it the way it is supposed to be done.

 “Ultimately we believe FEI intends to make measurable progress to resolve the problems and we also think there are many competitors in the ME who wish to have a level playing field; wish to join the rest of the world in protecting the welfare of our equines.  We hope that belief becomes a reality.”
I did confess to Randy that when it comes to optimism that the FEI is going to clean up this toxic horse welfare spill my glass is half empty (three-quarters, actually). But I also see that an organization like AERC must show solidarity with the FEI’s intentions, provided those intentions are the same as those that have been declared, and provided that there is measurable change within the ten month deadline AERC has deemed a reasonable amount of time to enact such change. Let’s just keep this in mind: In competitive sport results, not effort, are rewarded.  The FEI must be held to the same measuring stick.
As soon as I’m given the green light, I will post again here with something brand new about the FEI Endurance debacle that is just about to be dragged kicking and screaming into the light. If your hair isn’t already standing on end from the images you see above, perhaps this new chapter in the book of ‘you can’t make this sh$@ up’ will light a fire under all of you to take more than a passing interest in an exploitation of horses so atrocious I’m running out of adjectives. And by ‘you all’ I don’t mean just Endurance people or Texans. If you are from an Olympic discipline or any other FEI discipline for that matter, you can cut the denial crap right now.  This blight on the FEI and on equestrian sport is going to spread like phylloxera if the rot isn’t stopped very, very soon.