Dressage-News

Sept. 3, 2024

The international dressage riders and trainers clubs have joined in urging input from the entire dressage community ahead of a global meeting called by the FEI to address “challenges currently impacting” the sport.

Klaus Roeser, secretary general of the riders club, and Linda Keenan, secretary general of the trainers club, representing two of the official stakeholders to participate in the meeting set by the FEI–International Equestrian Federation–asked members and others involved in the sport to contact relevant groups by Sept. 14.

Athletes, officials, organizers, trainers and veterinary experts have been asked to take part in the meeting Oct. 1 that will begin development of a broader strategy to develop a comprehensive long-term strategy for dressage, to ensure sustainability, growth and credibility of the discipline.

Dressage has come under fire with widespread publicity in the past year over abusive training of horses. Andreas Helgstrand of Helgstrand Dressage and Carina Cassøe Krüth in Denmark, Cesar Parra in USA and Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain, all Olympians–Parra for his native Colombia–and all have been suspended. So, too, has Britain’s Paralympian Sir Lee Pearson but reportedly not for an issue involving horses.

“The IDRC and IDTC, as official stakeholders will participate at that meeting and have solicited input from their respective members,” the groups said in a joint statement.

“In addition, they would like to have input from the wider dressage community to insure a representative picture of stakeholder views.”

Email addresses

IDRC: info@idrc.me

IDTC: lk@layhamhall.com