1. Ban on using whip ‘out of temper’
A new British Riding Clubs (BRC) rule on whip use has been introduced to help educate riders and improve horse welfare. BRC’s 2023 rules state that the whip must only be used to support the rider’s natural aids, and never when a horse or pony has turned away after a refusal, or after elimination. Use behind the rider’s leg or on the shoulder is allowed but never on the horse’s head or neck. This is with a view to stamping out any use of the whip “to punish”.
Find out more about this new rule
2. Call for safety stirrups to be made compulsory eventing
The FEI is considering whether to make safety stirrups compulsory for eventing – as the British Equestrian Trade Association (BETA) confirmed it is “working towards” a safety standard. The discussion arose during the FEI eventing risk management forum last month.
Five-time Olympian William Fox-Pitt said he feels “very strongly that safety stirrups in our sport are a no-brainer”. “I would not let anyone go without a stirrup that either has a curvy edge, where the foot comes away quickly, or one with a deformable side,” he said, adding that there are many varieties and “some maybe aren’t good enough”, so as a sport, eventing has to find ones that fit the bill.
Library image.
3. Breakthrough in eventing flag debate
The appetite among eventing’s leaders to reopen the flag rule debate has gone from “hell no” to “yes please” after a potential breakthrough in Sweden. Eventing’s flag rules are a spiky subject, concerning the grey area where a combination knocks a flag on a cross-country fence. This results in sometimes lengthy decisions as to whether they were clear (no penalties), ran out (20 penalties), or the horse’s point of shoulder was outside the extremities of the obstacle, but its hindquarters jumped the height of the solid part (15 penalties). However, Sweden seem to have the answer…
This is the Swedish alternative
The horse and rider were clear at this fence. But debate has reignited over automatic penalties for knocking a flag.
You might also be interested in:
British Eventing strengthens rules on horse welfare and abuse for 2023
Pammy Hutton: ‘How long before a whip is deemed cruel?’
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