FEI Endurance Proposals : Qualification Procedures

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Non-Olympic disciplines and Para-Equestrian Future

Wed, 2015-04-29 — Claude NORDMANN
Statements of the FN Switzerland:

For the welfare of the horses and to apply the basic principles of the endurance, we insist on a qualification procedure which considers also the rider-horse combination.
That means we propose that the last two qualification steps have to be done as a couple. This is the only way to guarantee at best the horsemanship and the welfare of the horses. For the public, but also everyone in the equestrian world, it is not understandable, that in a high-performance sport including metabolic and other health risks, riders should compete at championships without ever having ridden the respective horse before.


Wed, 2015-04-29 — Claude NORDMANN

Statement of the FN Switzerland : Format for the WEG
The Swiss Federation welcomes all the efforts in direction of technical tracks and a strict qualification procedure.
But the Swiss Federation is not favourable to the new proposed format of 2 x 100 at WEG for several reasons: all statistics of the last 20 years clearly show up, that the shorter the races, the more dangerous they are for the welfare of the horse. 2 x 100 km as a championship would invite riders to take more risks than at a 160 km format. In addition, breeding, selection, education and training for 160 km races have much evolved in the last years for the benefit of the horses, and a change of the format would not produce the desired increase of animal welfare. Specially also regarding the fact, that European and World championships would still take place using the old 160 km format. In conclusion with the new proposed format of 2 x 100 km no increase of welfare and no better image in the public are to be expected.