What will happen to horse racing in 2023?

Complaints about increased power to get riders on course and short Grand Prix dressage test features in Phase 1 of next year’s FEI rules plan.

A first draft of the 2023 rules was released in July. At this stage, the changes have not yet been finalized as these are just suggestions.

Two proposals that stand out in different areas are those that give authorities more power to stop combinations on showjumping courses and eventing across the country. These follow his discussion on the FEI Sports Forum (News, May 5th and 12th).

Both the Swedish and Dutch federations have always required bleeding from the nose (epistaxis) and blood in the mouth to rule out revisions to the showjumping rules. Non-minor cases of flank blood and mouth bleeding are already covered by removal after the round.

“Nosebleeds can arise from bleeding in the upper and/or lower respiratory tract. […] Horses should be checked by an FEI veterinarian after riding to distinguish them from suspected minor bleeding due to minor lacerations to the nostrils,” said the Swedish federation. Rather, it should be grounds for exclusion because of general perception, that is, the social acceptance of surgery.”

The Dutch Federation put forward a similar proposal for the same reason, adding that the rule “should be added to the rules in all other disciplines”.

More broadly, the FEI Show Jumping Committee has suggested stopping the combination mid-round.

“The Show Jumping Board understands the rationale behind this proposed change. [it] A broader concept (beyond the relatively rare care of blood in the nostrils) is needed to give the arena jury a clear mandate to take action when there are serious horse welfare concerns. I think it is.

Instead, the President of the Ground Jury (or designee) may decide that a horse and rider are “in their sole discretion” if they determine that “it would be against the principles of horse welfare to allow the combination to continue in the round”. He suggested that he had the authority to remove that horse and rider. .

Eventing’s ‘dangerous riding’ rules also include proposed changes to give certain officials the power to stop combinations on the course. Ground juries and technical delegates already have the power to pull up and remove horses and jockeys riding dangerously, and it is proposed that course designers should be able to do so too.

A review of the classification of riders and the eligibility of horses returning to top level after a break is being considered in terms of eventing safety.

“Statistics have shown a significant increase in fall risk when horses return to play at four- and five-star levels. [who] I have not competed in an FEI competition for over 18 months.” “The Eventing Risk Management Steering Group has decided to add an additional requirement to verify that a horse has competed in an FEI event within the last few months before competing in 4 and 5 Stars. I recommend it.”

This means that horses must complete CCI3*-S or -L in order to compete at CCI4*-S in the 13 months before competing at 4 or 5 stars. Competing with CCI4*-L, he is CCI4*-S. And in either CCI4* -S or -L he competes with 5 stars.

EquiRatings, a risk management steering group and data analytics firm, has proposed halving the timeframe for lidar classification from the current eight years, which is backed by mathematics, to a rolling four years. Passengers are grouped into categories based on their experience and are associated with minimum eligibility requirements (MER) required at each level.

“The Eventing Commission will support the shortening of the MER time frame so that more current MERs will be taken into account in the classification of Athletes,” said the FEI Eventing Commission’s response.

Discussions about the future of the Short Grand Prix test were highlighted in the Dressage Proposal.

“We believe further discussion is needed on the relevance of the Short Grand Prix test and/or the limited use of this test in competition. British Equestrian.

The US also called for an “evaluation” with further feedback, adding that there may have been “unintended consequences.”

The German Federation and the International Dressage Riders’ Club have called for the short grand prix to be “discontinued” as it is “not in the horse’s best interest”.

“The order of the individual exercises is too close. [grand prix] So it puts weaker riders at a disadvantage,” they said.

The International Dressage Trainers Club has agreed on moving too close together, what this means for the horse, and that it “puts weaker riders at a disadvantage”.

He suggested that it should only be used when the Grand Prix is ​​scheduled for primetime and there are “clear restrictions on arena availability”.

The FEI Board agreed in May that World Cup Qualifier organizers could choose to use either the Short Grand Prix or the Regular Grand Prix for each match of the 2022/23 series. The final adopts the usual Grand Prix test.

National federations and sports officials have until August 24 to comment on the proposals before the final draft, which will be voted on at the General Assembly in November, is published.

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