Among the interesting Item:* - Consider a "star" rating system for riders and horses
* - Maintain a focus on training and courses (Vet, TD, Judges)
* - 2008WEC, test events and special qualifications
and more.
FEI Minutes (PDF)
2008 WEC Qualification Requirements
FEI Article 825 (WEC Qualifications) (PDF)
1 comment:
I would like to recommend that the revised 2008 WEC Qualifications Requirements be retracted for the following reasons:
1) the timing for this revision is too close to the event, leaving riders very little time to re-condition horses to this level.
2) this revision has the most impact on riders who are currently training and aiming to qualify in races to be held in countries with the same climatic conditions as Malaysia. Ultimately, this revised qualification criteria will cause few riders from these countries to qualify for the 2008 WEC.
3) Considering the Malaysian climate, the alternative is for these riders to achieve qualification in events held outside countries located within the equatorial belt. The funding implications for such effort will be enormous; further compounding the impact of the time constraint placed by the lateness in announcing this revision.
4) Finally, the horses' welfare must be take priority above all. This revised qualification criteria may not even be the criteria used during the WEC 2008. Why is the bar being raised just to qualify for the event? If this new qualification criteria will be the criteria used during the WEC 2008, then the endurance riding community must be prepared for enormous objections with regard horses' welfare.
That the WEC 2008 is the first of such events to be held in a tropical country has given hope of this being a diverse and inclusive sport for all endurance riders around the globe but this revised qualifying criteria appears to have the opposite intent.
Unless there are sound reasons in support of it, this revised qualification criteria may adversely impact the long term goal of achieving acceptance and inclusion of endurance riding into the mainstream of competitive sports worldwide.
Post a Comment