Do I have this right? (from Eventing Nation article) British Eventing (which controls International events in the UK) rules that if a venue is to host an FEI event, then it is not allowed to host any national events, which are less expensive and generally run on the same track. So, the folks who run Barbury International said no thanks to British Eventing and canceled it, so they can run their national events. This move by British Eventing would seem to break the economic model for venues. This sort of thing has happened in the USA as well (not just eventing, but jumping, etc) as sanctioning bodies attempt to exert a monopolistic hold on venues, locations of events, etcā¦ Most riders are not 3*, 4*, 5*, or even 2*. They perhaps donāt see value in the added expense of an FEI event, to run or to enter.
Not quite. British Eventing is the NGB just like USEA is here in the US. They govern both FEI and national level events. What BE is prohibiting is venues that host FEI events from also holding unaffiliated events - the equivalent of unrecognized or schooling trials in the US. Thereās probably more nuance than that, but thatās the general parallel. The UK is also somewhat different since they also have a Riding Club/ Pony Club structure that doesnāt really match anything of scale in the US. Venues are still allowed to hold those shows.
ETA: thereās quite a bit of debate on this on the Horse and Hound forums.
Wonder why that applies in the UK and no other country? I thought it was FEIs doing, but looks as though itās solely BE?
Hopefully it doesnāt catch on in the US-- so many of the FEI and USEF events are subsidized by unrecognized competitions.
BE is rapidly haemorrhaging lower level riders to the new unaffiliated series that are being set up (e.g Cotswold Cup, Brigante Cup) which are cheaper to enter, run over BE courses and usually with the same volunteers etc that help at the BE Events. Prizes are MUCH better and the championships are meant to be brilliant.
Last season BE set up their own cheaper-to-enter version at the lower levels, called Go BE, to try to entice some riders back. Not overly successfully I think. This just feels to be a tightening of the screw, sold under the auspices of āSocial Operating Licenseā.
Itās not the first time something along these lines has happened. There was a push to sanction FEI riders who participated in the show jumping Global Champions Tour until the tour organizers and FEI came to an agreement. When WEC Ocala didnāt get USEF licenses the first year and elected to run non-USEF shows, the USEF threatened to suspend any FEI riders or judges that participated. There was (still is?) a restriction on certain level dressage judges judging online shows.
Iād have to go back and find the rule, but yes, FEI/NGBs do have the ability to restrict participation by FEI members in unaffiliated events. The argument the NGBs make is usually āhorse welfareā because they donāt have oversight of drug testing, etc. But given how it only seems to apply in cases of sufficient prestige or size it certainly feels like protecting the NGBs own financial interests. In the end FEI and NGBs are just private member organizations and can make and implement rules in accordance with their charters.
It is interesting how the National bodies can pick and choose whether they want to follow FEI it seems? More changes to come down the pipe?
BE, the organisation, has had itās problems for some time now, such as a new computer system that did the usual belly flop and cost a fortune, Covid19 stopped competition, the high cost of living and falling membership numbers. Unaffiliated, by contrast is going from strength to strength, with no central coordinating organisation and itās associated costs, often the same course designer, builder, volunteers and better prizes. UA still runs at lower level, usually 70, 89, 90 and 100 cm so BE is the way to advance but the largest segment of the market, for both BE and UA, is 100cm.
Currently, it is BE that is attempting to stop UA running at the same venues, not the FEI. Many long standing events have been cancelled or arenāt running. The stench of gun powder is strong as BE apparently has shoot itself in the foot.
In the longer term, Eventing as a sport is weakened because it is BE that does research, sets standards for course design, sets standards for medical cover, provides training for volunteers, officials and and riders, supports breeding and runs the data base for all registered horses and ridersā¦ and other things I canāt think of right now. That all costs money and depends on membership and competition participation.
Eventing is dying. A slow and painful death. There are too many bad deciscions coming in from all levels and ends of the sport in Europe. It is heart breaking
