FEI level: French Links Illegal In Dressage

[beowulf]

Rule update for FEI competitors

We have received confirmation from the FEI regarding the use of the French Link for Eventing Dressage.

It is not allowed for the Dressage test.
The 2020 Eventing Rules Annex A -Permitted bits does not include any diagram with a “plate” section in the bit under “permitted mouthpieces”, therefore any bit with a “plate” is currently not allowed.
All Permitted bits for eventing Dressage are included in Annex A of the Eventing rules. If a bit is not included in this Annex, it means that is not allowed for Eventing Dressage.
We would advise all FEI competitors to carefully consider Annex A of the Eventing Rules, to ensure they are fully informed as to which bits are and are not permitted.

This is going around my FB, but… wasn’t it always the case that flat linked center mouth-pieces (AKA Dr Bristol) were illegal in dressage, given “any bit that lies against the tongue” / any “tongue plate” is not permissible?

As usual, the wording seems confusing… Lots of comments about it on both sides.

I’ve had to remind a few friends it’s FEI-level only… :winkgrin:

[skipollo]

I’m hoping someone has more information for this as well because my horse goes in a French link and is happy in it. The comments are so mixed, some saying it’s only Dr. Bristol bits and the photo and info in the post are wrong, some are saying yes French links are also banned now, and I can’t find anything official from FEI about it?

I can easily get him an oval link and he will be fine with it, it’s just irritating because it’s another thing I would have to buy, if I competed at that level :lol: some people are also saying that USEF follows all FEI bitting rules, so this would affect regular horse trials? Not sure how reliable any of this information is because it’s all coming from FB comments.

[OverandOnward]

This is going around my FB, but… wasn’t it always the case that flat linked center mouth-pieces (AKA Dr Bristol) were illegal in dressage, given “any bit that lies against the tongue” / any “tongue plate” is not permissible?

Re this remark in post #1, a ‘regular’ flat-link is not the same as a Dr. Bristol. The Dr. Bristol is more severe because the bit does not rotate in the horse’s mouth in the same way as a standard flat-link (French link).

I don’t remember exactly which rules, but in at least one rules set a Dr. Bristol is not allowed, but a JP Korsteel flat-link is. So some clarification may be needed to better define what the FEI rule is (or will be).

Here’s a description of the difference
http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/brisfren.php

USEA Dressage permitted snaffle bits page 30, #9 is the French link, but this is not the Dr. Bristol configuration as I understand it
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/F3p8pgrWgAo/dr-dressage-division

Standard French link (flat link)
https://www.doversaddlery.com/french-training-loose-ring-snaffle-bit/p/X1-0153/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrZPn6dvg5wIVxICfCh1EswlAEAQYBCABEgJ_2PD_BwE

Dr. Bristol
https://www.sstack.com/fes-dr-bristol-d-ring-snaffle-bit/p/25427/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3PawnNrg5wIVIv7jBx0axw2NEAQYASABEgL7LfD_BwE

If anyone can make this more confusing - excuse me I meant to type “less confusing” - hope they will chip in!

Hopefully this is not a side-track because the quoted rules comment in post #1 didn’t reference a Dr. Bristol.

[OverandOnward]

And just me, but unless I’m reading something directly from the FEI, especially an excerpt from the latest published rules, I wouldn’t assume it is absolutely correct. There is a lot of room for misunderstanding and misinterpretation, along with sundry strong opinions that may not be fully informed.

[Janet]

The USEF version of Evening Annex 1 (updated 2019) SPECIFICALLY lists the Dr Bristol as legal for Eventing Dressage (number 19).

I JUST (this weekend) completed the USEF/USEA Eventing Officials CEC, and there was no mention of a change in the permitted bits.

[L00kAtMeN0w]

FYI - the FEI confirmed this. Eventing Nation did a story on it.

Excerpt:
“Following inconsistent application of the rules in 2019, especially the Annex A of the FEI Eventing rules, the latest version of the FAQ on tack and equipment was republished on Wednesday including a reminder that only bits listed in Annex A are allowed for Dressage tests,” explains Frédérique Plantier, eventing manager of the FEI. “Posts on social media have highlighted in their update that the French link is not allowed, such as the post from ERA GB. All information included in that post is correct.”

Full article:
https://eventingnation.com/fei-issue…7nrim1kF0W4qCY

[beowulf]

@OverandOnward

Re this remark in post #1, a ‘regular’ flat-link is not the same as a Dr. Bristol. The Dr. Bristol is more severe because the bit does not rotate in the horse’s mouth in the same way as a standard flat-link (French link).

I don’t remember exactly which rules, but in at least one rules set a Dr. Bristol is not allowed, but a JP Korsteel flat-link is. So some clarification may be needed to better define what the FEI rule is (or will be).

Here’s a description of the difference
http://www.horse-sense.org/archives/brisfren.php

USEA Dressage permitted snaffle bits page 30, #9 is the French link, but this is not the Dr. Bristol configuration as I understand it
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/F3p8pgrWgAo/dr-dressage-division

Standard French link (flat link)
https://www.doversaddlery.com/french-training-loose-ring-snaffle-bit/p/X1-0153/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIrZPn6dvg5wIVxICfCh1EswlAEAQYBCABEgJ_2PD_BwE

Dr. Bristol
https://www.sstack.com/fes-dr-bristol-d-ring-snaffle-bit/p/25427/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMI3PawnNrg5wIVIv7jBx0axw2NEAQYASABEgL7LfD_BwE

If anyone can make this more confusing - excuse me I meant to type “less confusing” - hope they will chip in!

Hopefully this is not a side-track because the quoted rules comment in post #1 didn’t reference a Dr. Bristol.

Dr Bristols are proven more mild than flat french links - there is your trivia for the day. :yes:

Dressage (USEF, FEI) has not permitted Dr Bristols for as long as I can remember (15+ years). However, the language has always been “a flat plate that lies against the tongue is not permitted” (paraphrasing). This includes french links because french links are flat plates.

Bits are kind of my thing. Most vendors and/or suppliers do not list bits correctly, which adds to the confusion about the difference between Dr Bristols and French Links. Most riders don’t even call their bit the right thing either, which makes things worse.

My understanding of this rule is that it is clarifying something that was already in the rules - it just wasn’t abundantly clear because people think Dr Bristol is only one type of bit, when it’s really more of a category meant to refer to double-jointed bits with flat center mouth pieces.

[JER]

Can someone explain to me what issue this rule ‘clarification’ is intended to remedy?

Is the use of the French link bit doing harm to eventing dressage?

[beowulf]

@Janet

The USEF version of Evening Annex 1 (updated 2019) SPECIFICALLY lists the Dr Bristol as legal for Eventing Dressage (number 19).

I JUST (this weekend) completed the USEF/USEA Eventing Officials CEC, and there was no mention of a change in the permitted bits.

@Janet Do you mean illegal? Dr Bristols are not legal in Eventing Dressage.

@JER

Can someone explain to me what issue this rule ‘clarification’ is intended to remedy?

Is the use of the French link bit doing harm to eventing dressage?

I honestly think it is a clarification. There is a part in the FEI rulebook that mentions mouth-pieces in double jointed bits that are flat/plate and lie against the tongue are not permissible. That’s textbook Dr Bristol - but by default, applies to french links with flat lozenges also.

[beowulf]

@JER

Can someone explain to me what issue this rule ‘clarification’ is intended to remedy?

Is the use of the French link bit doing harm to eventing dressage?

I honestly think it is a clarification. There is a part in the FEI rulebook that mentions mouth-pieces in double jointed bits that are flat and lie against the tongue are not permissible. That’s textbook Dr Bristol - but by default, applies to french links with flat lozenges also.

[OverandOnward]

Greater minds and much broader knowledge are clearly at work now … and I’m lost! :lol:

Can we have some links <snerk> to photos to better illustrate what people are specifically referring to, and which are legal and which are not? Between all the varying personal definitions and incorrect descriptions, I freely admit that I don’t know the difference between a Dr. Bristol and any other kind of flat link. I’m probably relying on bad information myself. The links I posted above may be incorrectly described by the online store. ? :winkgrin:

Last weekend the bit check at the horse trials I attended had an official notebook of some kind, with bit illustrations and a note beside each illustrations on what was legal at what level, under what rules. Dr. Bristol was a no-go, and a JP Korsteel flat link (specifically described that way) was legal. Both of those illustrations matched the photos at the links I posted above.

[Janet]

boewulf.

I definitely meant “legal”. Dr Bristols are explicitly permitted for USEF/USEA EVENTING DRESSAGE. Look at the Annex.
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/bGxapei4PLA/eventing-annex-1

This is different from USEF straight Dressage. FEI straight Dressage, and FEI Eventing Dressage

[beowulf]

@Janet

boewulf.

I definitely meant “legal”. Dr Bristols are explicitly permitted for USEF/USEA EVENTING DRESSAGE. Look at the Annex.
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/bGxa…enting-annex-1

This is different from USEF straight Dressage. FEI straight Dressage, and FEI Eventing Dressage

This thread is about FEI eventing dressage, not USEA rules. :encouragement:

[OverandOnward]

@Janet

boewulf.

I definitely meant “legal”. Dr Bristols are explicitly permitted for USEF/USEA EVENTING DRESSAGE. Look at the Annex.
https://www.usef.org/forms-pubs/bGxa…enting-annex-1

This is different from USEF straight Dressage. FEI straight Dressage, and FEI Eventing Dressage

This page shows “updated 1-12-19”, so appears to be of recent vintage.

Possibly the bit check officials last weekend didn’t have a current version, but they had a very similar set of pages that had a different illustration of a “Dr. Bristol” that was marked as an “X” across all rulebooks. That one had an eggbutt or D-ring, rather than a loose ring. USEA rules.

This thread can be about all of the rules. Thread drift is educational.

[beowulf]

@OverandOnward

This page shows “updated 1-12-19”, so appears to be of recent vintage.

Possibly the bit check officials last weekend didn’t have a current version, but they had a very similar set of pages that had a different illustration of a “Dr. Bristol” that was marked as an “X” across all rulebooks. That one had an eggbutt or D-ring, rather than a loose ring. USEA rules.

This thread can be about all of the rules. Thread drift is educational.

That’s true especially surrounding rules - which tend to get confusing and/or muddled thanks to FEI and (occasionally) USEF’s penchant to not dictate things clearly.

So… this makes me second-guess my understanding of the rules and goes against what I have been repeatedly told by others as a ring steward/bit checker. @Janet is not the Dr Bristol illegal at FEI events for dressage phase? I was under the impression it was and always had been illegal for FEI eventing dressage.

[OverandOnward]

And which version of “Dr. Bristol?” Apparently even the rule books have a different ideas of what constitutes a Dr. Bristol.

I need to find something that is legal everywhere that my horse understands. So that it won’t matter what I call it, what my trainer calls it, what bit check calls it, or what the picture looks like in EV Annex 1. I’ll still pass at bit check. Is that possible? :winkgrin:

[beowulf]

@OverandOnward

And which version of “Dr. Bristol?” Apparently even the rule books have a different ideas of what constitutes a Dr. Bristol.

I need to find something that is legal everywhere that my horse understands. So that it won’t matter what I call it, what my trainer calls it, what bit check calls it, or what the picture looks like in EV Annex 1. I’ll still pass at bit check. Is that possible? :winkgrin:

So you went to a recognized/sanctioned event recently, and Dr Bristol was crossed off? A non-FEI event?

To me these are Dr Bristols (attached images and the link below)
https://www.doversaddlery.com/jp-dr-bristol-hunter-d/p/X1-010188/

A Dr Bristol is a category of bits - double jointed bits that have a flat semi-rectangular center mouth-piece.

A french link, to me, is something that has a flat center mouth piece but it might not always be rectangular. Sometimes called dog-bone mouthpiece like so:
https://www.doversaddlery.com/images/xl/0001154.jpg

Not to be confused with a double jointed, which to me, is something with a rounded/peanut lozenge:
https://www.doversaddlery.com/hs-cppr-plus-dbl-jnt-ls-rng-16/p/X1-010795/

[Jealoushe]

FEI confirms French link are indeed illegal. Dr. Bristol also.

https://eventingnation.com/fei-issue…ffle-link-ban/

Canadians, we follow FEI bit rules so take note.

Remember last year they banned the mullen mouth happy mouth? It’s back now. Oh FEI…why o why

[Saskatoonian]

Here’s what the FEI website says: “Dressage: Bits with control plate as centre piece are not allowed for the Dressage test. If the bit is put incorrectly, the edge of the plate causes excess pressure on tongue - 2019 Eventing rules: Annex A.1.4.” See here at p. 20 - https://inside.fei.org/sites/default/files/2020%20Use%20of%20Tacks%20Equipment%20%20Dress%20-%2017.02.2020.pdf

Here’s the mark up of the rules showing the proposed changes - see p. 78-79 - https://inside.fei.org/sites/default/files/Eventing%20Rules%20for%202020%20-%20rules%20changes-mark%20up%20version.pdf

So a flat center link is prohibited, but an oval or bean isn’t. The old style of French link, with a small flat link, is therefore out. With the wide availability of oval links, not sure why people are so up in arms about it.

[Janet]

@beowulf

This thread is about FEI eventing dressage, not USEA rules. :encouragement:

I was responding to post #2 which says
“USEF follows all FEI bitting rules, so this would affect regular horse trials”.

This is NOT a true statement. USEF follows most, but not all, FEI bitting rules, and the Dr Bristol is the notable exception.

Also, theNational rules are USEF Eventing rules, NOT USEA Eventing rules.