Main decisions of the FEI General Assembly 2013

The FEI General Assembly 2013 was held in Montreux (SUI) today, 7 November. The quorum consisted of 99 National Federations: 77 represented in person and 22 by proxy.

The main decisions taken by the General Assembly are outlined in this document.

FEI President HRH Princess Haya addresses the FEI General Assembly 2013 in Montreux, Switzerland.
© Edouard Curchod/FEI

ENDURANCE
The modifications to the FEI Endurance Rules were approved. All the rule changes relate to bettering the competitive environment in terms of fair play, the welfare of the horse, and the highlighting of those who fail to take responsibility and comply with the regulations.

The main changes are as follows:
• Level the playing field for competitors by restricting the number of grooms within the vet gate.

The newly approved Article 801.2 is:
2. The maximum number of grooms allowed within the vet gate will be 5 per horse to take into account availability of space or to ensure that the horse is allowed sufficient space to rest. Access to the vet gate and the vet gate examination area may be further restricted by the Organiser under advice from the FEI Technical Delegate. Such restrictions must be clearly shown in the FEI approved schedule.
3. All horses must remain at all times clearly under observation of FEI Veterinary Officials, Ground Jury and Stewards.

The reason behind this change is that horses must be allowed proper rest during the hold time in the vet gate area. In addition, horses must be clearly observable at all times whilst within the field of play. Too many attending grooms or individuals in the direct vicinity of the horse may obstruct such observation.

• The rest period for horses after competing in events greater than 140km has been increased to 33 days (Article 815.3.1).

Recent data on horse injuries suggest that the increased rates of fractures may well be related to insufficient rest periods between events.

• The free speed competition used in novice qualification administered by the NFs has been withdrawn (Article 816.1)

• The independence of foreign officials has been reinforced.

Article 825 “Officials required for International Endurance Events” has been modified to include wording specifying that, “Foreign Officials cannot be resident in the same country or time zone in which the event is taking place.”

• The qualifying requirements for treatment veterinarians have been refined

These changes will come into effect on 1 January 2014. The modified FEI Endurance Rules will be posted on the FEI website HERE.

Dr Brian Sheahan (AUS), Chairman of the FEI Endurance Committee and member of the Endurance Strategic Planning Group	Andrew Finding, Chair of the Endurance Strategic Planning Group
Jean-Louis Leclerc (FRA) of the Endurance Strategic Planning Group	Graeme Cooke, FEI Veterinary Director addresses the Endurance Strategic Planning Group session
Theo Ploegmakers, President of the Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation, addresses the Endurance Strategic Planning Group	John Long, Secretary General of the United States Equestrian Federation addresses the Endurance Strategic Planning Group Session

Photos: Edouard Curchod