Shocked that all agreed to add penalties for simply knocking a flag.
Is XC going to become a mostly accuracy test?
Seems so.
What do you all think or the proposed changes?
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Yes but, no but. Given how long threads become on COTH discussing falls and eventing safety, with the majority of people stating that falls and injuries are unacceptable in the sport… Then a rule that makes competitors ride with more care and precision perhaps should be welcomed. On the other hand, I’m not in favour of regulating the “glorious uncertainty of sport” out of the competition.
One thing to remember is that in the FEI all participant nations carry equal weight in voting - even if Eventing doesn’t happen in their country. That does help explain some decisions that seem a bit odd.
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it said they had overwhelming support (show of hands) for a new rule which is 7 penalty points “for when a flag loses its upper attachment”. So, I guess getting the shoulder through the flags, but grazing it causing flag to be out of the clip (but maybe not even falling down), gets you a 7 point penalty. Is this a rule fixing a big problem happening on courses these days?
Yet to be seen I guess.
The GREAT news is that 2022 had the LEAST amount of rotational falls in competition since they started tracking things.
I personally would rather see certain fences not allowed (corners in water, open corners) rather than 7pp for a flag.
7pp seems very high! It throws your dressage score out the window and is almost 2 rails.
However if this makes the sport safer, I have to support it. I just don’t want people riding backwards on course to avoid this.
Interested to see how it all plays out.
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XC has been trending that way for years. And truthfully, I’m not sure what other way it can go given the climate around horses/welfare. There are only so many ways you can make a course harder for the riders, but forgiving for the horses before everything becomes an accuracy issue.
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I can foresee a time when whips and spurs will be disallowed in ALL sports involving horses in the public eye. Training for forward would need to take place of course but at home. I don’t think this would be a bad thing and could make a difference in how horse and rider sports can move forward under animal welfare scrutiny.
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In the past year I’ve heard of a few instances in this direction.
Andrew McLean (Equitation Science) has helped train horses in harness racing to race without a whip.
Norway outlawed the whipping of racehorses in 1982.
A top racehorse trainer in the UK was profiled in Horse & Hound magazine, and talked about all his hobbies (blood sports including bull fighting) and then asked - am I cruel? There are no whips used at my yard.
I just watched part 1 of Carl Hester’s masterclass Fantastic Elastic on Horse & Country TV. In it was a 6 year old Valegro. Carl spoke about how he wants dull horses to get used to light forward aids, and hot horses to accept the leg. Speaking of the dull horses, he said he doesn’t want to use whips in everyday training, especially not for the forward aid. He wants to train the horses by doing gymnastic exercises, forward and back, repetition. Then when he’s ready for a championship where whips aren’t allowed, he doesn’t come out of the ring with a red face and a horse that dropped behind his leg.
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