Dressage-News

Aug. 26, 2024

The FEI will host a meeting with stakeholders Oct. 1 to kick off in-depth talks to address what the international governing body calls “challenges currently impacting” dressage.

This meeting to bring together representatives from national federations, recognized stakeholder groups including athletes, officials, organizers, trainers, and veterinary experts marks “the beginning of a broader strategy to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy for dressage, to ensure the sustainability and growth of the discipline.

The meeting will also provide an update on current and upcoming research and development initiatives, including the oral cavity study.

The “challenges” include widespread dissemination of videos of horse abuse involving British Olympic gold medalist Charlotte Dujardin, Danish Olympian Carina Cassøe Krüth and United States team rider Cesar Parra.

“While the FEI fully recognizes the challenges currently facing the discipline of dressage and has worked to address issues as they have arisen, the primary focus in recent months has been on delivering key events, as well as a successful Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris 2024, which has required considerable attention and resources,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos.

“Our goal now is to collaborate closely with all our stakeholders to address the challenges facing dressage. While many in our community recognize the urgency of the situation, others may not yet fully grasp the critical juncture at which equestrian sport currently stands.

“While the FEI is committed to seeking collective solutions and fostering consensus wherever possible, the safety and well-being of our horses remain our top priority. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that dressage is a discipline where the sport is conducted in a manner that focuses on the horse’s comfort.

“As the governing body, the FEI is prepared to take the necessary decisions to ensure that we are living up to our promise to ‘Be a Guardian’ for our equine partners, and to improve the standards of safety and care in our sport. We have shown in recent months that the FEI is ready to step in and take decisive action when the need arises.

“As the sport evolves, we must adapt and find effective solutions to current challenges. Our success depends on the community’s willingness to approach these issues with an open mind and work together toward common ground.”

The cases involving Charlotte Dujardin and Carina Cassøe Krüth became widely known during the period surrounding the Olympics that ended in Paris three weeks ago. However, the Cesar Parra case that involves numerous horses has been public knowledge for seven months but no action has been announced beyond the initial suspension.

While equestrian has been included in the lineup of events for the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028 some questions have been raised over whether all three disciplines–dressage, eventing and jumping–should be included.

The FEI introduced the “Be a Guardian” initiative in July, which calls upon members “to fully commit to their duties as ‘guardians’ of FEI horses.