Dressage stakeholders have described fresh instances of horse abuse within the game as “a warning call for the vulnerability” the self-discipline faces – as a gathering is ready to speak about easy methods to deal with the demanding situations.
On 14 February the World Dressage Riders Membership (IDRC) printed an open letter on its website online to the FEI written collectively through the IDRC, World Dressage Running shoes Membership (IDTC), and World Dressage Officers Membership (IDOC) elevating issues about the way forward for the game.
The letter said that the “complete global has now witnessed problems with welfare and horrible cruelty inside of our glorious game”.
“It’s proper that merciless apply is uncovered, and the affect of social media makes this quick. Via the similar token, social media exacerbates detrimental affect, and it must be grew to become to a favorable,” it learn.
“The truth is that our game has now been put at severe chance; the behaviour of the minority has been a present to the critics of our game. It has angry any respectable human being with love and admire for animals as dwelling creatures. They arrive first; now not the ego of people or cash. The belief of the game has been broken and we wish to make a joined-up concerted effort to treatment it.”
The letter provides that “the chance is so important that it would jeopardise the belief of dressage and para dressage as an Olympic self-discipline”.
“It’s something to be thrown out of the Olympics to make room for brand new sports activities to be integrated; however slightly every other to be thrown out for perceived cruelty and beside the point behavior,” it reads.
The IDRC, IDTC and IDOC are calling for the FEI to “treatment the present state of affairs”, and to push for “measured and suitable legislation enforcement at nation degree the place jurisdiction exists and felony motion will also be introduced”.
IDTC president David Hunt instructed H&H that the letter was once caused through photos of former Olympic rider Cesar Parra coaching horses, which has been described through US Equestrian and the FEI as “abhorrent” and “nerve-racking”. The FEI is investigating Cesar and he has been provisionally suspended.
“We get criticised for such things as a relatively brief neck or a horse dressed in a double bridle, after which there’s such things as this occurring. There was once additionally the Helgstrand factor as neatly,” mentioned Mr Hunt, who’s relating to Danish broadcaster TV2’s Operation X documentary, which confirmed abusive coaching strategies filmed undercover at Helgstrand Dressage (information, 30 November).
“All of us wish to pull in combination and get this taken care of. We’re going to have a gathering with the FEI on the Global Cup Ultimate (16-20 April) and in point of fact talk about issues. I feel the FEI is in a hard place, however we need to give you the option spherical it. The primary level is that we’re all a part of the game, and we’re all accountable, so we wish to give you the option that we will all be efficient.”
Mr Hunt added that dressage will have to now not be a “dictatorship” on the subject of the rider’s courting with the pony.
“Riders all have a duty,” he mentioned. “It’s a few horse and a rider having a great courting. We’d like solidarity between horse and rider, the pony wishes to shop for into what we’re doing. Some jockeys can stay a horse in a form and it’ll do the actions, but when a horse doesn’t purchase into it, it’s now not the similar game.”
An FEI spokesman instructed H&H it welcomes the letter, and showed it had invited the IDRC, IDTC and IDOC to a gathering on the Global Cup Ultimate in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to “brazenly talk about the demanding situations dealing with the game, and the collective answers the neighborhood has at its disposal”.
“This was once one of the crucial causes the FEI established the equine ethics and wellbeing fee, with an intention to evaluate equestrian game’s social licence, and thru intensive analysis, neighborhood surveys and data-based suggestions, we’ve already made some essential adjustments inside of laws and are dedicated to proceeding this strategy of self-evaluation and demanding evaluate,” mentioned the spokesman.
“Collaboration is vital to this procedure and the FEI is happy to paintings carefully and at the side of its stakeholder teams to determine a unified technique and power significant alternate – from each a legislative and cultural standpoint – that may ensure horse welfare is prioritised in all decision-making and sports-related projects, with an atmosphere conducive to reporting and sanctioning abuse.”
The spokesman added that, as a governing frame, the FEI has the “duty to verify there are techniques in position to uphold those values”.
“We will be able to proceed to paintings carefully with our stakeholders to additional give a boost to the processes in position and make sure horse welfare isn’t compromised or lost sight of within the title of wearing ambition or prowess,” he mentioned.
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