Most of World’s Leading Dressage Riders Petition FEI to Keep Top Hat for High Level Senior International Competitions

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Isabell Werth (center), Laura Graves (left) and Helen Langenhanenberg with a mix of top hats and helmet at the World Cup Final in 2019, the last global championship before the coronavirus pandemic. File photo. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Oct. 24, 2020

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

A petition signed by 150 of the world’s leading dressage riders has asked the International Equestrian Federation to give senior riders the option of wearing top hats at the highest levels of the sport, reversing a decision to outlaw the traditional headwear from Jan. 1, 2021.

The petition was sent to the FEI for the governing body’s general assembly to be held online next month.

Signatories on the petition are a who’s who of dressage top sport in about 20 nations and include several who routinely wear protective head gear in competitions.

The petition reads:

“The top international dressage riders would like to make a formal demand to the FEI to keep the option to use the top hat in international competitions for Seniors.

“There has never been a serious accident at an international dressage competition, and the riders believe there is no reason to change that for senior competitors at CDI4*/5*, Games and championships on Grand Prix level.

“The top hat is an essential part of the identity of dressage.

“The dresscode makes us unique and we feel very strongly that the top hat remain as optional to use, but only at the highest level of competition.

“For awards ceremonies, the use of protective headgear can remain mandatory.

“It should be noted that there are other disciplines that are not required to wear helmets, and we feel that this inequality is not warranted.

“We urgently request that the FEI add this matter to the agenda for the next General Assembly, and change the rule accordingly.

“We believe it is the right of each individual rider to choose between the use of a top hat or protective headgear. This right cannot be revoked.”

The ban was proposed in 2019 by the FEI Medical Committee chaired by Mark Hart of the United States as a blanket requirement for horse sports except vaulting initially to come into effect this year.

Protective head gear is already a requirement for youth competitions.

The move surprised many national federations and Germany and the Netherlands were successful delaying implementation for dressage for a year.

The list of riders signing the petition:

  Name                        
 1ZachTimna                        
 2ValentaOliver                        
 3WeinbauerBelinda                        
 4GmoserPeter                        
 5HaasKatharina                        
 6LehfellnerStefan                        
 7Max-TheurerVictoria                        
 8DearingStephanie                        
 9SchumachChristian                        
 10ArtnerFlorian                        
 11FriesFranziska                        
 12PenggChiara                        
 13PucherJulia                        
 14OchsenhoferOskar                        
 15FlorianBacher                        
 16GabrielPia                        
 17HimslWolfgang                        
 18PrunthallerUlrike                        
 19Wessely-TruppLuise                        
 20JöbstlPaul                        
 21OchsenhoferLilli                        
 22NeumayerAstrid                        
 23WillibaldIsabella                        
 24HauptmannMartin                        
 25HartungAmanda                        
 26PorscheDiana                        
 27VoglsangRenate                        
 28WerthIsabell                        
 29SchmidtHubertus                        
 30TheodorescuMonica                        
 31HermesMarcus                        
 32KlimkeMichael                        
 33MüllerLisa                        
 34SchneiderDorothee                        
 35LangehanenbergHelen                        
 36von Bredow-WerndlJessica                        
 37WerndlBenjamin                        
 38KittelPatrik                        
 39Ferrer-SalatBeatriz                        
 40ToniuttiJacqueline                        
 41KoschelChristoph                        
 42KyrklundKyra                        
 43WayneChannon                        
 44Hans PeterMinderhoud                        
 45EdwardGal                        
 46LaurensVan Lieren                        
 47Imke
Schellekens-Bartels
                        
 48LyndalOatley                        
 49García MenaJose Antonio                        
 50RawlinsDane                        
 51FernandezElena                        
 52ParberyBrett                        
 53José DanielMartín Dockx                        
 54StephaneMorai                        
 55SennEva                        
 56LogutenkovaInna                        
 57SafronovaOlga                        
 58NetzRaphael                        
 59WachtmeisteLiane                        
 60BrockAllison                        
 61Wientzek PlägeBirgit                        
 62PlägeChristian                        
 63ZweistraThamar                        
 64PachlBenedek                        
 65ZakhrabekovaIrina                        
 66TraurigChristine                        
 67MerkulovaInessa                        
 68AframeevaMarina                        
 69Witte-VreesMadeleine                        
 70
Sayn Wittgenstei
Nathalie                        
 71HelgstrandAndreas                        
 72PrintcevaIuliia                        
 73DufourCathrine                        
 74LinsenhoffAnn Kathrin                        
 75RamelAntonia                        
 76AfanasyevaPolina                        
 77Marcari OlivaJoao Victor                        
 78NilshagenTherese                        
 79HesterCarl                        
 80HuttonPamela                        
 81VargasMario                        
 82GusarovaOksana                        
 83Vilhelmson SilfvenTinne                        
 84GundlageLena                        
 85CaetanoMaria                        
 86FribergPaulinda                        
 87TomlinsonLaura                        
 88EllermannDina                        
 89ReynoldsJudy                        
 90HolsteinHeike                        
 91MerveldtAnna                        
 92MaslovaEkaterina                        
 93HiroyukiKitahara                        
 94ShingoHayashi                        
 95RyunosukeKuroda                        
 96YoshieOta                        
 97MasanaoTakahashi                        
 98KazukiSado                        
 99Żaneta
Skowroński-Kozubik
                        
 100CarrascosaBorja                        
 101Müller-LütkemeierFabienne                        
 102Wandres
Frederic Maximilian
                        
 103ButlerLara                        
 104KarasiovaHanna                        
 105IsachkinaRegina                        
 106TorrãoJoão Miguel                        
 107HernandezTEIA                        
 108ScholtensEmmelie                        
 109JulietteRamel                        
 110WettsteinEstelle                        
 111BoutenMatthias                        
 112Wahlkamp-NilssonMalin                        
 113RuosteHenri                        
 114KirchhoffSenta                        
 115LarsenLone Bang                        
 116Fraser-BeaulieuBrittany                        
 117Fabricius-BjerreMikaela                        
 118TorresRodrigo                        
 119IrvingJill                        
 120SeidelGuenter                        
 121Perry-GlassKasey                        
 122BlakeDavid                        
 123
Bachmann Andersen
Daniel                        
 124DavisonRichard                        
 125BellLouise Anne                        
 126HannaMary                        
 127AndersenHenriette                        
 128WilcoxLisa                        
 129HughesGareth                        
 130FrostMatt                        
 131RogersSarah                        
 132SaschaSchulz                        
 133AlexandraHidien                        
 134KanervaEmma                        
 135silfhoutdiederik                        
 136CharlotteJorst                        
 137Matute GuimónJuan                        
 138TeldeMinna                        
 139LochthoweHendrik                        
 140NicolasWagner                        
 141EyalZlatin                        
 142Marie-LineWettstein                        
 143SerreArnaud                        
 144SerreAnne-Sophie                        
 145VollaPierre                        
 146HenryLudovic                        
 147BastadyRachel                        
 148PintoDaniel                        
 149Moreira LalibertéNaïma                        
 150ChristianeSchaurte