‘My period wasn’t my top concern’: Lara Prior-Palmer on bleeding on the saddle during world's longest horse race win

Telegraph.co.uk - Full Story

By Molly McElwee
25 NOVEMBER 2019

here is a paragraph in Rough Magic, Lara Prior-Palmer’s memoir on becoming the first female, and youngest, winner of the Mongol Derby, the longest horse race in the world, that any woman can relate to – the unexpected, wholly inconvenient arrival of her period.

“As of this morning, I’ve been bleeding onto the saddle,” she writes. “I forgot to take the pills that keep my period away. Its ­arrival strikes me as odd, ­perhaps because I feel the Derby has suspended ordinary life’s monthly cycles.”

Prior-Palmer had not been the best prepared for the six-day 1,000 -kilometre race across the Mongolian Steppe, riding around 25 wild ponies along a route based on the horse-messenger system developed by Genghis Khan in 1224. She had signed up seven weeks before the start, about 10 months after every other competitor, and was ignorant of the most basic practicalities. From forgetting to pack toilet roll and naively asking the organisers, “Will anyone be waking us up in the mornings?”, tampons and the contraceptive pill fell pretty low on her agenda...

Read more here:
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/womens-sport/2019/11/25/period-wasnt-top-concern-lara-prior-palmer-bleeding-saddle-worlds/

FEI Votes for Changes Affecting Safety, Welfare

Thehorse.com - Full Article

Mandatory headgear, bitless bridle ban, imposed endurance rider weights, and frangible devices for eventing jumps are among new FEI rules.

Posted by Christa Lesté-Lasserre, MA | Nov 21, 2019

Safety and welfare were the top priorities discussed at the 2019 General Assembly of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) held Nov. 16-19 in Moscow. Delegates of national federations from 91 member nations convened Tuesday to vote on proposed rule changes affecting the international governing body’s broad base of equestrian disciplines. The policy revisions aimed toward making international equestrian sport safer, fairer, and more respectful of the horse, said FEI leaders.
“I would like to reiterate that we cannot compromise on horse welfare, and we have to be held accountable for our actions as decision-makers,” said FEI president Ingmar de Vos as he opened the floor Tuesday morning. “We have the responsibility to uphold the values of our sport. … The decisions we make here today will have lasting repercussions in the equestrian world and those connected to our sport.”

Here are highlights of this week’s decisions:...

Read more here:
https://thehorse.com/181766/fei-votes-for-changes-affecting-safety-welfare/

FEI Drops High Profile (UAE) Steroids Case After Two-Year Legal Wrangle

HorseSport.com - Full Article

The FEI has dropped a steroids case against a top UAE endurance trainer Ali Khalfan al Jahouri, after a two-year legal battle. Find out why.

By: Pippa Cuckson | November 20 2019

The FEI has dropped a steroids case against a top endurance trainer after two years of wrangling over a legal point that potentially exposed the FEI to a damages claim.

Ali Khalfan al Jahouri, 44, long-time trainer at Al Wathba stables in Abu Dhabi, had been scheduled to appear before the FEI’s independent Tribunal in January 2019. Three endurance horses in his care – the former President’s Cup winner 8 Minute, plus HLP Gadafi and JLB Noche – tested positive to various banned substances at the end of 2017.

Under the Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs) the “Person or Persons Responsible” are strictly liable for the presence of a banned substance in a horse, even if someone else admits fault.

8 Minute had tested positive to three steroids, nandrolene, stanozolol and EA-ESTRANE-3B,17A-DIOL and Al Jahouri might normally have faced two years suspension.

But the 8 Minute case alone was prosecuted under the clause of EADCMRs Article 2.2, which covers “Use or Attempted Use of a Banned Substance or a Banned Method.” Proof of “intent” is required in an “attempted use” charge; after Al Jahouri produced witness statements about management practices at Al Wathba FEI legal conceded there was “insufficient evidence that Mr Ali Khalfan Al Jahouri was actually involved in the doping violation or used Nandrolone on the horse in this specific case” and dropped the 8 Minute charges...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/horse-news/fei-drops-high-profile-steroids-case-two-year-legal-wrangle/

National delegates give green light to revamped Endurance rules

Horsetalk.co.nz - Full Article

November 20 2019
Horsetalk.co.nz

Thunderous applause greeted the passage of the new Endurance rules at the FEI’s annual General Assembly, in what could well prove to be the last roll of the dice in a bid to straighten out the discipline.

In a separate vote, the key elements of the rules package will be implemented on January 1, in an indication that a majority of national federations are keen to have to them in place as soon as possible.

The new Endurance Rules were passed by a strong majority, with 94 national federations in favour and 19 against, with no abstentions.

The new rules are the result of more than a year of work by the Endurance Temporary Committee. It was appointed in an effort to find solutions to ongoing welfare issues and reputational damage to the discipline, much of it arising from the fast-style desert racing centred on the Gulf region...

Read more here:
https://www.horsetalk.co.nz/2019/11/20/national-delegates-green-light-endurance-rules/

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.

Clean Endurance is happy to supply links for further reading, including coverage in bona fide news media.

Clean Endurance also welcomes comments and suggestions.

Find them on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/cleanendurance and contact them through the message button, or email contact.cleanendurance@gmail.com

FEI General Assembly delegates focus on change at the dedicated Rules sessions

Inside.FEI.org

Nov 18, 2019

Discussions on the proposed Rules revisions for Endurance, the future of Reining as an FEI discipline and a general Rules session were the key focus for debate at the FEI General Assembly in Moscow (RUS) today.

FEI Vice President Mark Samuel, who has acted as FEI Board liaison on the Endurance Temporary Committee (ETC) charged with a full review of the discipline’s Rules, was moderator for the dedicated Endurance session and was uncompromising in his message to delegates on the critical importance of the ETC’s work and tomorrow’s vote.

“This journey has been a sacred trust”, he said in his opening. “The status quo was clearly unacceptable. It is the time now for action rather than more words. Our partner, the horse is counting on us.”

Along with the feedback received as part of the consultation process, there was further input from National Federations at yesterday’s Regional Group meetings. As a result, the ETC made additional revisions to the proposed Rules which will be voted on at the General Assembly tomorrow, and these were explained in detail by Committee Chair Dr Sarah Coombs.

She too stressed the importance of horse welfare and the level playing field: “The welfare of the horse is our number one priority: not competition, not commercial or business interests and not administrative convenience. Every one of us is bound by the Code of Conduct for the welfare of the horse. This requires that we respect the horse during and outside competition, above all else.

“The use of illicit drugs is an abuse of the welfare of the horse. Clean Sport is a fundamental aspect of the contract to participate in FEI competitions. Where the use of banned substances and controlled medication and in particular the widespread use of nerve desensitisation has come into our sport it must be rigorously dealt with.”

Multiple topics were raised on the proposed amendments during the session, which was allowed to exceed its allotted three-hour slot to allow for all points of view to be aired. Minimum athlete weight, qualifications, ride distances, novice rides, rotation of Officials, change of trainers and the date of implementation should the Rules be approved were all debated at length.

Tomorrow’s vote on the overall approval of the Endurance Rules, which will include the date of implementation in 2020, and with the option to vote on individual provisions separately, will only be taken once the additional proposed amendments have been voted on...

More at:
https://inside.fei.org/content/fei-general-assembly-delegates-focus-change-dedicated-rules-sessions

Endurance: No Gain Without Pain, But Who Will Make the Sacrifice?

HorseSport.com - Full Article

The FEI’s Endurance Temporary Committee has worked for a year to come up with rule change proposals to ensure the safety of the sport’s horses

By: Cuckson Report // Pippa Cuckson

I have been writing about the woes of desert endurance for over seven years. I didn’t want to feel a sense of “déjà vu” when the latest beefed-up FEI rule proposals were published a few days ago, but read them – or more accurately, the response to them – with more weariness and exasperation.

The FEI’s Endurance Temporary Committee (ETC) has worked tirelessly for a year, going further than any of its predecessors dared to with reforms to rescue endurance’s social licence to exist. The elected athletes’ representative Tarek Taher, in particular, has been harassed on social media by anonymous cowards so blatantly in thrall to Dubai. Yet the ETC has pressed on, when others would have walked away.

The ETC undertook unprecedented consultation, listening to all territories, geographies and cultures. It has published the observations of all national federations (NFs); even the incoherent ones, and those of South Africa, Libya, Lebanon and Sudan who simply cut and pasted bumph circulated by the UAE earlier this summer opposing most of the proposals.

The ETC has carefully explained why NF suggestions have been adopted or not. No other discipline has ever reached out to its global community in this way (though no other is in such a mess that it needs to.)

But inevitably the ballsy rhetoric at the FEI Sports Forum in April has been watered-down prior to the FEI General Assembly in Moscow next month, because any rules package has to get past the national federations.

The most obvious casualty of rule reform is Valerie Kanavy’s qualifying/upgrading system, which aimed to reduce fracture-risking high speeds and encourage tactical riding. The speed merchants were always going to oppose it, but it had unintended consequences for countries practising traditional endurance, and who resent having to compromise because of the excesses spread by one region...

Read more here:
https://horsesport.com/cuckson-report/endurance-no-gain-without-pain-but-who-will-make-the-sacrifice/