FEI and Horse Welfare

[Cowgirl]

I am not satisfied with the response to horse welfare issues by the FEI…are you? I started digged around and my first internet search told me that only 3,000 riders competed in FEI dressage events world wide in 2019 (pre-pandemic). According to the FEI’s annual report, only about 3,600 dressage riders are registered, world wide. FEI Facts and Figures – FEI Annual Report 2021.

If this is true, WHY are we letting 3,000 people dictate horse welfare for the entire sport? I say, we need to dictate to them. I would bet the number of people who ride dressage outnumber by multiples the number who compete in the FEI.

WHY OH WHY do they need video licensing rules for a teeny tiny sport? The NFL gets 25 million views for one game!!! We are not even comparing fruit to fruit here!

Some more stats that I found–there are only 30,000 members of USDF. Of course they all don’t compete. Remember, owners have to have memberships and I think parents have them too.

I am trying to figure out how we can influence horse welfare. I believe there are more people on the riding dressage for the improvement of the horse side of the coin than the competing side of the coin. Why are we letting them run the show?

Thoughts?

[Cowgirl]

Petition to USA & International Equestrian Governing Bodies to Ban American Cesar Parra for Life Reaches 4,000 Signatures - Dressage-News
4,000 signatures is more than the number of dressage riders registered in the FEI. What is going on?

[pluvinel]

@Cowgirl

Why are we letting them run the show?

Because they can. Because they have a monopoly.

Just like the PGA had no competition until the LIV Golf series came along…LIV basically bought the players by offering larger prizes. I am not a golf aficionado, but if I recall, the PGA threatened to ban players who played in the LIV series, but eventually relented and they arrived at some truce. LIV Golf is run by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.

[yaya]

@pluvinel

@Cowgirl

Why are we letting them run the show?

Because they can. Because they have a monopoly.

Just like the PGA had no competition until the LIV Golf series came along…LIV basically bought the players by offering larger prizes. I am not a golf aficionado, but if I recall, the PGA threatened to ban players who played in the LIV series, but eventually relented and they arrived at some truce. LIV Golf is run by the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.

Like the FEI threatening to ban riders riding in unsanctioned shows?

[Knights_Mom]

There needs to be a competing body to the FEI.

The FEI has failed their Mission Statement.

[Willesdon]

If there is no FEI, who does look after horse welfare? Personally, I’m not impressed by the ability of the USEF, as the national body, to deal with any welfare issues.

[SBrentnall]

Anyone can sign the petition - I did. You don’t have to be an FEI rider to sign.

[Cowgirl]

I should have been more clear: I was expressing that there were more people who signed that petition than riders in the FEI–why haven’t they acted? (that’s what I should have written). And yes, I signed the petition too.

[Incantation]

FEI doesn’t exactly seem to be doing a bang up job either.

[Manni01]

The FN ( German counterpart of USEF) is not interested in the welfare of the horses…. They developed the whole show system into a money making machine for Professionals and their most recent efforts (they went up and beyond for that) were not for the welfare of horses but for reducing vet bills …. But ai believe FEI and FN and probably USEF as well are all run by the same people… they are all friends and they are networking so it doesn’t really matter…

[Willesdon]

@Incantation I agree that the FEI is not perfect but a petition from 300, 3,000, 30,000 Americans will not have very much impact on a multinational body. A petition of 3,000, 30,000, or even more, to the USEF demanding more effective action on horse welfare might carry some weight.

[Knights_Mom]

It would have to be more than 52,000. We did a petition against rollkur that got 52,000 signatures and the FEI didn’t even acknowledge it.

They are very bad. Very corrupt.

[Manni01]

A new case…. Another blue tongue…. https://www.aftonbladet.se/sportbladet/a/Xbx2l7/english-version-patrik-kittel-s-horse-lost-oxygen-in-its-tongue?fbclid=IwAR1m6t_xT-7jRxGHx8tmUH5g4VB-AcIs-SNKkLRbwJggmGVtpT3CnYf34Ho

FEI "Actively Looking Into" Swedish Newspaper Report on "Blue Tongue" in...

[chancellor2]

There are a few issues with this article Manni. I am no fan of Patrick Kittel. But the author of this piece questions why the judges did nothing about the blue tongue.
It’s really easy to say that when you have a static picture to look at. It is entirely different when you are trying to judge the entire horse and that horse is only close to the judge for a short amount of time.
I’m not sure it is appropriate to blame the judges for not seeing this blue tongue.

Also, it is interesting that the FEI is now saying that it needs to stand on its copyright privileges. Is it theoretically possible that the writer of this article enhanced those pictures to make it more blue? I’d be curious to see what comes of this article.

[Manni01]

Did you read the other article? There seem to be more blue tongues…

[chancellor2]

I did! And quite honestly, I tend to believe them. Where there is smoke there is fire and this is not the first time Kittel has been accused.

[pluvinel]

The judges were blind.

[Knights_Mom]

Crispin Parellis did not alter the pictur in any way. Also, there is video I believe.

[Warmblood1]

All three of the top 3 placed riders for the World Cup qualifiers have blue tongues.

The argument that this could be photoshopped is pretty null and void when blue tongues have happened with these very same rider(s) before.

If you want to make the argument that the judge did not see this during the ride - that the tongue was hidden and judges paid attention to other details - fine. I personally start to question competency when all three horses were missed. However, it becomes an issue for me when nothing is done now that we are all painfully aware of how severely these horses are being ridden.

Not to mention that this is more damage to the sport and I think very little will actually be done about the situation. I’m quite tired of a handful of riders and players dominating and dictating the future of dressage.

[Knights_Mom]

You’re exactly right. These same riders will destroy this sport in the public eye. No more Olympics, etc.