Nordic equestrian federations address the FEI with concern for horse welfare

The Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish Equestrian Federations have agreed on a joint letter to the FEI’s Secretary General, addressing the need for bold action from the FEI on horse welfare. The initiative is an outcome of an international Horse Welfare meeting held during Gothenburg Horse Show this past weekend.

The purpose of the letter is to join forces to create change. After several notable cases where unacceptable training methods have been revealed recently, it is obvious that we need to act on an international level. The Secretary Generals from these Nordic National Federations (NFs) state that despite all efforts so far, there is still much work that must be done to secure horse welfare at all times and to secure the sport’s Social License to Operate (SLO) on an international as well as national level.

As the love for the horses is the foundation of our sport, this is a key issue for the equestrian community. The NFs suggests to initially focus on dressage as this discipline currently is the subject of debate and scrutiny by various parties.

The NFs suggest that a Dressage Forum initiated by the FEI would be a great place to take the lead, discuss and together come up with initiatives for improvements which can then be implemented, as we know that previous Dressage Forums on various subjects have led to positive changes for the sport.

The NF’s specifically address two areas to discuss: judging and the education as well as the championships for young horses. They ask for transparency in the judging and question why the general impression of a dressage test is not part of the open scoring today. They also want a discussion on why there are championships for young horses. Is it to prepare the horses for a successful future or for commercial reasons?

The letter was initiated by the Swedish Equestrian Federation as a way to join forces for improved horse welfare and SLO globally. It was signed by the Secretary Generals from the Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and Danish Equestrian Federations and sent to the FEI on February 26th.