Clean Endurance hopeful for real change as National Federations approve 2020 FEI Endurance Rules

19 November 2019
Immediate Release

Clean Endurance is relieved a large majority of National Federations represented at the 2019 FEI General Assembly in Moscow today chose to approve the full 2020 Endurance Rules proposal. Although 7 articles were amended to reflect certain National Federations’ desire for a loosening of the new rules, the overall rules package should nonetheless be effective enough to have a real impact on horse welfare in Endurance.

2 weeks prior to the FEI 2019 General Assembly, Clean Endurance had written to all 134 National Federations, urging them to vote in favour of the 2020 Endurance Rules Proposals in order to ensure the survival of Endurance as a FEI discipline.

They told the National Federation Secretary Generals that their letter was a last resort to try and convey to them the absolute emergency situation Endurance is in today, and that a positive vote was of the utmost importance.

Given that for the past several years attempts at improving the Endurance Rules failed due to commercial or political interests prevailing over horse welfare, Clean Endurance is hopeful that today marked a turning point in Endurance history. It is particularly pleased with the increase in qualifying criteria for moving up competition levels, with the introduction of qualifying as a combination for CEI 3* (160 km) and Championships, and with the introduction of minimum rider weights for all distances. Minimum weights aim to slow horses down and/or eliminate them from the competition before they suffer Catastrophic Injuries.

It is the FEI Board’s mandate to now decide on implementation dates in either January or July for each 2020 new rule provision. Clean Endurance is confident that since all of the new 2020 rules are centered around horse welfare, the FEI Board will do everything in its power to avoid any unnecessary delays and thus demonstrate that horse welfare is indeed the number 1 priority of the FEI.


Clean Endurance is a global collective which aims to restore the traditional values of their sport. It combats fraud, doping and abuse in collaboration with the FEI, National Federations and numerous other stakeholders.

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