Lausanne / SUI – In his opening speech, FEI President Ingmar De Vos recognized the most important sporting achievements of the year. In particular, the launch of the first Longines League of Nations and the hosting of the FEI World Cup Finals. He praised the organizers for their efforts and also highlighted the historic significance of hosting the FEI World Cup finals for the first time in the Middle East, in Riyadh.
Looking ahead to the rest of 2024, De Vos focused in particular on the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris. Presenting equestrian sport on the biggest sporting stage in the world is important – especially for the welfare of the horses. Therefore, the FEI President also encouraged all delegates to submit their ideas for an action plan based on the decisions of the Ethics and Equality Welfare Commission and appealed for its collective responsibility everyone involved. The first item on the agenda dealt with the final report entitled “A good life for the horse – A vision for the future participation of horses in sport”.
In her introduction, moderator Sabrina Ibanez, General Secretary of the FEI, emphasized the responsibility of the entire equestrian community to preserve and promote the welfare of horses. Since the Commission’s mandate has been fulfilled with the final report, it is now time to implement the findings and conclusions.
FEI Horse Welfare Strategy
The report has 30 recommendations divided into six focus areas: training, riding and equipment; recognizing physical and emotional stress; responsibility, implementation and knowledge; horses’ lives outside of competition; competitive pressure; solve health problems. The final report contains 62 recommendations for concrete measures.
One is aimed directly at the FEI. The Commission advises the FEI to be more reliable, more transparent and more proactive and to take on more responsibility. Based on the vision to recognize and respect the natural needs of horses in the context of international equestrian sports, this will be the mission in which the FEI identifies itself as the FEI horse’s guardian. The most important activities include looking after their well-being and leading and developing the sport of horse riding around the world. An essential tool for implementing the strategy is the “Five Domain Model”, which aims to help assess the welfare of the horses. The determining factors are the nutritional status, the environment, health and fitness as well as the interaction with the environment, with other horses and with people. A positive state of mind is synonymous with well-being. The FEI Veterinary and Legal Board presented the model and provided details of some of the key measures recommended. These include a more comprehensive approach to equipment review and the resumption of scientific research on hyperflexion and rollkur. Further development of guidelines, principles and regulations also serves to ensure that training methods are ethically correct. This includes updating the FEI Code of Conduct for Horse Welfare in collaboration with World Horse Welfare and strengthening and implementing the FEI Equestrian Charter.
A comprehensive communications strategy will be presented at the 2024 FEI General Assembly in Oman in November. The FEI General Secretary confirmed that the FEI Horse Welfare Mission and Vision would inform all FEI activities going forward.
stability
The second session of the day was dedicated to the topic of sustainability. A group of experts in this field shared experiences, initiatives and trends. The two-hour session raised several key topics that showed how important the issue of sustainability has been in recent years and that it goes beyond the environmental aspect. As Fabrizio D’Angelo, the sustainability manager of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), emphasized, sustainability also includes issues of gender and inclusion, diversity and human rights.
Johan Fyrberg, secretary general of the Swedish Equestrian Federation, confirmed that a good way to convey a message of sustainability is to include youth ambassadors. He reminded everyone of the importance of young people and that it is essential that they are given the opportunity to express themselves.
New rules on doping
The third session of the first day covered Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medicines Regulations (EADCMR). It is the only FEI rules that will undergo a complete overhaul this year. The session highlighted key aspects of maintaining integrity and fairness across all FEI disciplines and equestrian sport in general. He also emphasized the need for continuous monitoring to ensure fair competition for all participants.
Among other things, liability for tests conducted out of competition was considered. In addition, the need for a special procedure for minors related to controlled substances was suggested. Currently there is only one additional rule for younger children when it comes to prohibited items. The issue of genetic doping was also raised to highlight ongoing efforts to keep pace with emerging technologies and practices that could threaten the integrity of equestrian sport. Another theme was “serving cocktails”. By administering several controlled medications, performance enhancing effects can be achieved without exceeding reporting limits. To counter this, the FEI is proposing to reduce the reporting limit for multi-material issues by 50 per cent.
More information is available here.
2024-05-06 17:14:01
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