Dressage-News

Mar. 25, 2025

The FEI–International Equestrian Federation–asserted its “exclusive jurisdiction” over horse welfare, field of play issues or disciplinary actions at the World Cup Finals of dressage, jumping and vaulting to be staged in Basel, Switzerland next week.

The FEI issued a statement to dressage-news.com on its stance after an entity named R-Haltenswert was invited by the organizers to be present at the annual championship. The entity names its founder, a German businesswoman, and a German lawyer, on its Internet site and declared its role at the World Cup as a “professional monitoring of the warm-up area” while stating in an interview that it will “intervene” if it believes necessary.

The latest competition action comes after years of tumult in the equestrian world leading to suspension for alleged mistreatment of horses by some prominent international riders and trainers. A case against American-Colombian Cesar Parra is still undecided after closed hearings earlier this month.

Some leading World Cup dressage competitors have also become the focus of a new wave of criticism, especially in Scandinavia, for riding and equipment that is alleged to be hurtful to horses.

The FEI, that governs several international horse sports including the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and jumping and para-dressage, owns the World Cup and assigns its organization to business entities such as in Basel this year and Fort Worth, Texas in 2026.

The official statement to dressage-news.com:

“The FEI recognizes that external expertise can contribute to discussions on horse welfare and that constructive feedback is essential for the continual evolution of our sport. However, we maintain that all official decisions–whether concerning horse welfare, field-of-play matters, or disciplinary actions–remain under the exclusive jurisdiction of FEI Officials.

“To ensure that all communications and interventions are managed appropriately, our on-site FEI representatives, including the Sports and Veterinary Directors, will act as the sole liaisons between R-Haltenswert quality controllers and our FEI Stewards. This arrangement is in place to preserve the integrity of our processes and to ensure that all feedback is addressed via our official channels.  This approach guarantees that all decisions are based on comprehensive data and are made in a controlled, responsible manner.

“Our established processes and clear lines of communication ensure that we can address any feedback effectively, while safeguarding the welfare of our equine athletes and the overall integrity of our sport.”

In a separate announcement, the FEI announced a partnership with the American created #WeRideTogether
to provide an online safeguarding training course accessible to everyone involved in equestrian sport.

“The course provides basic awareness on safeguarding participants against harassment and abuse, explaining why safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility, and provides guidance on the actions we can each take to protect ourselves and others,” the FEI said.

“The course is free of charge, is available on FEI Campus and is accessible to all, and in particular is aimed at athletes, coaches, grooms, parents, officials, administrators and volunteers; from recreational to elite level sport. Currently available in English, it is planned to translate the content into other languages over the coming year.”