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The FEI Tribunal has issued a Consent Award in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, the horse Dactyle D’Aqui (FEI ID 106XH16/UAE), tested positive for the Banned Substance Testosterone, following samples taken at the CEI2* 120 – Bou Thib (UAE), 24-25 December 2021.
The athlete Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin (FEI ID 10103705/PAK (UAE)) and the trainer, Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri (FEI ID 10041041/UAE), both elected to admit the rule violation and accept the consequences in order to benefit from a six-month reduction of the otherwise applicable ineligibility period of 18 months.
In its final decision the FEI Tribunal disqualified the athlete and the horse from the event and imposed an 18-month ineligibility period on the athlete and the trainer; the provisional suspension each already served shall be credited against the imposed ineligibility period. The Horse was provisionally suspended for 2 months as of the date of the Notification Letter. The athlete and Trainer were also fined CHF 5,000 each and the trainer was asked to pay costs of CHF 1,000.
The full Decision for Muhammad Ali Fazal Amin is available here.
The full Decision for Ahmed Ali Salman Hassan Al Sabri is available here.
Separately, the FEI has announced two new adverse analytical findings (AAF) involving equine prohibited substances. Both cases involve *Banned Substances and a Controlled Medication Substance under the FEI’s Equine Anti-Doping and Controlled Medication Regulations (EADCMRs).
In the first Jumping case, the athlete has been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.
Case 2022/BS05:
Horse: FULL OPTION DU BORGET (106UY09/NED)
Person Responsible: Agustin Covarrubias (10032966/CHI)
Event: CSIYH1* incl. 8yo - Opglabbeek (BEL), 15-18.06.2022
Prohibited Substance(s): O-Desmethylvenlafaxine
Date of notification: 25 July 2022
In the second Dressage case, the athlete has also been provisionally suspended until the FEI Tribunal renders its decision. The horse has been provisionally suspended for two months from the date of notification.
Case 2022/BS06:
Horse: AZIBO DE MORAN (107UB68/ESP)
Person Responsible: Maria De Las Mercedes Gonzalez Abad (10139475/ESP)
Event: CDIYH - Segovia (ESP) 07-10.07.2022,
Prohibited Substance(s): Reserpine, Altrenogest
Date of notification: 2 August 2022
Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are medications that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) upheld the FEI Tribunal decision issued on 2 February 2022, in the Horse Abuse case involving the athlete Esam Zbibi (FEI ID 10184793/GBR) and his support personnel Hicham Gharib, regarding the horse HH Sigma (FEI ID 105XP18/UAE) at the CSI3* in Abu Dhabi (UAE) 23-26 February 2021.
The athlete had engaged in horse abuse, and the trainer in incorrect behaviour in relation to horse abuse, by using boots with sharp pins on the horse during the competition.
In its final decision the FEI Tribunal ruled that Esam Zbibi had engaged in Horse Abuse and imposed a four-year ineligibility period on him starting from the date of the decision, meaning he is suspended until 1 February 2026. The athlete was also fined CHF 10,000 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.
The FEI Tribunal also ruled that Hicham Garib had engaged in Incorrect Behaviour and imposed a one year ineligibility period on starting from the date of the decision, meaning he is suspended until 1 February 2023. He was also fined CHF 5,000 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.
The final decision of the FEI Tribunal is available here.
The operative part of the Arbitral Award issued by CAS can be found here.
The FEI has secured a top-tier placing in the fourth review of International Federation Governance conducted by the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF). It is the second time the FEI has earned a leading position after welcoming top classification in the previous edition of the review published two years ago.
The evaluation was conducted by the ASOIF Governance Taskforce in 2021-22. As is customary in this process, it took the form of a self-assessment questionnaire with independent moderation of the responses. The questionnaire consisted of 50 measurable indicators covering Transparency, Integrity, Democracy, Development, and Control Mechanisms. Some 33 International Federations took part in the review.
The FEI is one of the seven IFs – the others being the BFW (badminton), FIFA (football), ITF (tennis), UCI (cycling), World Athletics, and World Rugby – which, according to the review, “stood out from the rest” having secured at least 175 out of a maximum of 200 points.
The complete version of ASOIF's fourth review of International Federation Governance is available here.
“Being one of the top IFs in good governance practices is a matter of great pride for all of us at the FEI and it reflects the important strides we have taken – and continue to take - as a community to ensure integrity on the field of play but also within the decision-making process,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos commented.
“This is very much a collective effort, and an ongoing effort, to which we are wholeheartedly committed at the FEI. It is also a big responsibility but the silver lining in having good systems in place, such as transparency and consultation, is that there is nowhere to hide and you have to lead by example and serve your community thoroughly and responsibly.
“There are always improvements to be made and when I look back on the last two years since the last IF Governance Review – and the difficult circumstances globally – I believe we have achieved a lot and this is predominantly due to the solid structures we already had in place, which were put to the test but I believe are now even stronger.”
Read up on the FEI’s latest facts and figures in the comprehensive and colourful 2021 FEI Annual Report which was published last week. Among the in-depth statistics and trends presented in the report, it shows that despite the Covid-19 related restrictions still in place and the severe and unexpected outbreak of EHV-1 on mainland Europe, some 3,719 FEI Events took place in 2021, with 39,162 registered athletes and 71,547 registered horses worldwide.
The Annual Report, which was approved at the FEI Board Meeting at its in-person meeting on 21 and 22 June, also presents solid finances with a net profit of over CHF 3,6 million in 2021, with more than half of this sum expected to be reinvested in FEI Solidarity and IT Funds.
“Like all sports, we have had to overcome a lot of challenges these past two years, and I am grateful to the community for their resilience and dedication to ensuring a sustainable future for equestrian sport,” the FEI President concluded. “We are happy but also very humbled that the good practices all of us at the FEI apply to our daily work, and the commitment of members and stakeholders, are being recognised at the highest level of international sport.”
The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision regarding an FEI Official Veterinarian in connection with an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, the horse Halo (FEI ID 105ZA57/ITA), ridden by Guiseppe De Luca (FEI ID 10047635/ITA) and under the veterinary care (outside the event) of FEI Veterinarian Roberto Gottarelli (FEI ID 10051043/ITA), tested positive for the Banned Substance Stanozolol, following samples taken at the CSI2* Oliva (ESP), on 3 October 2020.
Mr Gottarelli had treated the horse with Sungate, containing Stanozolol, in the athlete’s presence, despite the fact that Banned Substances such Stanozolol are prohibited at all times.
In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal imposed an ineligibility period of two years on Mr Gottarelli starting from the date of the Final Decision. The provisional suspension of Mr Gottarelli, which came into effect on 9 March 2021, shall be credited against the ineligibility period, meaning the veterinarian will be ineligible until 8 March 2023. He was also fined CHF 5,000 and asked to pay costs of CHF 2,000.
The parties can appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) within 21 days of receipt of the decision.
The full Decision is available here.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are those that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
**Specified Substances
The FEI introduced the concept of Specified Substances in 2016. Specified Substances should not in any way be considered less important or less dangerous than other Prohibited Substances (i.e. whether Banned or Controlled). Rather, they are simply substances that are more likely to have been ingested by horses for a purpose other than the enhancement of sport performance, for example, through a contaminated food substance. Positive cases involving Specified Substances can be handled with a greater degree of flexibility within the structure of the FEI Regulations.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.
The first of 60,000 trees have been planted in the FEI World Championships Forest in Herning (DEN), as the city prepares to host the largest equestrian event ever on Danish soil.
Working closely with the local municipality, the Organising Committee of Herning2022 has created a number of green initiatives, including the planting of a forest on the outskirts of the city.
The sustainability goal of the Organising Committee is straightforward: for the World Championships to make a lasting contribution to the environment, while inspiring everyone involved to take greater responsibility for our planet.
“Forests have a significant positive environmental impact as they are habitats for animals, insects, and plants, and they capture and store atmospheric carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as the trees grow,” Herning2022 CEO of Sport Jens Trabjerg said.
“As every equestrian knows, conserving the environment is necessary for the continued practice of our sport. We want to show that major international sporting events like these World Championships, can make a positive difference.”
“Through our collaboration with Sport Event Denmark, we hope that other organisers and everyone involved in the organisation of such events will start to adopt a similar approach, and perhaps even our principles, as they carry out their work. The World Championship-Forest will be a lasting heritage for everyone who wants to come by and enjoy the many diverse forest experiences that this unique area will offer.”
A total of 60,000 trees will be planted in collaboration with the Growing Trees Network, a self-governing institution that grows new forests both in Denmark and abroad, with the help of public donations. Calculations show that the FEI World Championships Forest will sequester (capture and store) approximately 12,000 tons of CO2 over the next century.
The ECCO FEI World Championships Herning 2022 is set to host around 200,000 spectators and over 1,000 media representatives from 6 to 14 August 2022. It is estimated that approximately 200 million TV viewers will tune in to watch the Jumping, Dressage, Vaulting and Para Dressage competitions.
In addition to the FEI World Championships Forest, the Organising Committee will focus on reusing materials that will be rented where possible, and local riding facilities will receive equipment at the end of the Championships. The judges' towers will be made of recycled wood and will also be used for many years in other equestrian facilities. Foliage around these installations will be re-planted in the forest as much as possible at the end of event.
The Organisers have also created ‘Solution Square’, which is an area at the venue dedicated to Danish environmental technology and circular economy initiatives.
“Sustainability is about building long‑term value and sport events like the ECCO FEI World Championships in Herning are well placed to create a lasting legacy, not just for equestrian sport but also the local community,” FEI Secretary General Sabrina Ibáñez said.
“A change in mindset and attitude is necessary if we are to promote sustainable lifestyles, communities and technologies. And as Herning2022 is showing, the move from small, incremental steps to a bolder strategy for environmental sustainability helps to provide avenues for collaboration and development among local, regional and national stakeholders.
“The FEI World Championships Forest will be a beautiful legacy for the people of Herning, and will serve as a reminder of what can happen when all parties are willing to come together and work towards a common future.”
With environmental sustainability a priority for the FEI, the international governing body has worked towards the implementation of equestrian-specific reporting indexes and the creation of a comprehensive guide book for event organisers world-wide.
The FEI Sustainability Handbook for Event Organisers encourages event organisers to implement sustainability initiatives that help reduce the negative environmental impact of their events and create a positive social and economic legacy.
The FEI is also a signatory of the United Nations Climate Change Sports for Climate Action Framework which calls for parties to “undertake systematic efforts to promote greater environmental responsibility”.
In addition, the FEI has adopted a number of sustainability initiatives at its Headquarters in the Olympic Capital of Lausanne (SUI). The FEI head office is recognised as a "Minergie" certified building, a Swiss standard indicating low energy use, with a reduced energy consumption of 25 per cent. When the Headquarters were refurbished in 2011, only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland met these standards. Increased recycling and staff training have also featured in the FEI's Green Office project.
Photo caption: Mayor of Herning Dorthe West (third from left) with the CEO of Growing Trees Kim Nielsen (far left), and Herning 2022 Organising Committee Founders Jens Trabjerg and Casper Cassoe (far right) at the tree planting ceremony in the FEI World Championships Forest. Photo credit: Herning2022 Organising Committee.
A total of 30 young athletes from six continents have earned their ticket to the FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 that will be held in Aachen (GER) from 28 June to 3 July 2022.
The athletes, all aged between 15 and 18 years, will compete in Individual and Team Jumping competitions in Aachen, with each qualified Nation competing as part of a five-member Continental Team.
The full list of qualified FEI Youth Equestrian Games 2022 athletes and their nations can be found here.
Created to replace the Dakar 2022 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which were postponed to 2026, and which have featured Equestrian every four years since the inaugural edition in 2010, the Youth Equestrian Games 2022 are being held under the very same principles and format. For Costa Rica, France, Germany, Greece, Palestine and Tunisia, this will be their first experience in the special Youth Games format.
The qualification process for the Youth Equestrian Games 2022 also mirrored previous YOG editions, with various options available to the different nations in order to earn a qualification slot. And, in keeping with previous formats, all athletes will participate in Aachen on borrowed horses that have been carefully selected by a team of experts for their jumping ability as well as their temperament and a variety of other criteria to ensure they have what it takes to compete in this important competition and iconic venue.
The athletes will individually draw their horses, as done in previous editions of the YOG, with the same combinations required to compete in both the Team and Individual rounds. There are several training days and a ‘Welcome Competition’ outside of the official programme, giving the young athletes the time to get to know their mounts prior to the start of the Youth Equestrian Games. The team competition will kick-off on 29 June and will be followed by the Individual competition which will take place on 2 July.
The youth event will also host a Culture and Education Programme inspired by the International Olympic Committee YOG Education Programme, you can read all about the workshops and dedicated sessions here.
“The Youth Equestrian Games are not just a fantastic opportunity for young athletes to showcase their sporting talent and horsemanship skills, but also to celebrate the Olympic values of excellence, friendship and respect,” FEI President Ingmar de Vos said.
“The youth are our future and their involvement is essential for the long term future and development of equestrian sport.
“This unique event deserves a distinctive venue and I am confident that the Organisers in Aachen will provide top class facilities that will give our future stars of the sport an experience to remember. I wish each athlete taking part the very best and I look forward to witnessing the excitement of this competition in a few weeks’ time.”
All the information you need to know about the Youth Equestrian Games 2022 can be viewed here.
For more information on the history of equestrian at the Youth Olympic Games from 2010 to 2018, visit the FEI's History Hub.
Giacomo Casadei (ITA) with his mount Darna Z celebrate their impressive individual gold medal victory at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires (ARG) in 2018. Photo Credit: FEI / Liz Gregg
Within one week, the equestrian community has lost two wonderful and dedicated ambassadors whose contributions and relentless efforts to develop Para Equestrian have made the sport what it is today.
Jonquil Solt, aged 88, was an icon and driving force within the Para Dressage community, and is credited with setting up the international infrastructure necessary to develop Para Equestrian sport including the first World Championships in the late 1980s which would lead to the inclusion of Para Dressage in the Paralympic Games for the first time at Atlanta (USA) in 1996, where Jonquil Solt was President of the Ground Jury.
Solt was also part of the cooperation agreement which eventually saw Para Dressage become an FEI discipline in 2006, and in doing so, making it the first Paralympic sport to leave the IPC and join an international governing body, alongside and on an equal footing with able bodied athletes.
A life devoted to Para Equestrian sport - whether it be as former chair of the International Paralympic Equestrian Committee (IPEC) and the FEI Para Equestrian Committee, or as Para Dressage Judge, Steward or Technical Delegate - has earned Solt numerous accolades throughout her career. In 1999 she won the European Women of Achievement Awards in the humanitarian category and in 2013 she received the Paralympic Order for her fundamental contribution to the Paralympic Movement. Solt was furthermore awarded the title of Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to riding for the disabled.
Across the Atlantic and within days of her 73rd birthday, Hope Hand, a well-known and greatly respected Para Dressage athlete, and former member of the FEI Para Dressage Committee, passed away following an illness.
Known for her ambitious and “sky is the limit” attitude, Hand had strong ambitions of her own when it came to Para Equestrian sport. As a member of Team USA, she won a bronze medal at the 1999 World Dressage Championships in Denmark and competed at the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia.
Hand was a driving force and stellar role model in promoting Para Equestrian sport in the USA from grassroots to international level. Throughout her career she served as an Athlete Director Board, Council and Committee Member for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). Furthermore, Hand instigated the formation of the US Para Equestrian Association (USPEA) and served as its President from formation through to her passing. USPEA, as the Para Affiliate for USEF, has been instrumental in supporting the growth of the sport and Hope Hand was the go to person for athletes starting out on their Para careers. Within the FEI, she was part of the Para Dressage Committee from 2006-2009 and again from 2015-2019.
For Amanda Bond, FEI Board Member and Chair of the FEI Para Equestrian Committee, “Jonquil and Hope were two shining beacons in the Para Equestrian community and they will be dearly missed. Their contribution to the Para Equestrian movement has been remarkable and they inspired so many individuals – me included - with their tenacity and drive. They epitomised that fighting spirit we all associate with the Paralympic movement – to never give up – but also to work together and strive for change and for a better, more inclusive society
So much of who we are and what we stand for was relentlessly pursued and promoted by these two incredible women, and the community will be forever grateful”.
The FEI expresses its sincere condolences to the family and friends of both Jonquil Solt and Hope Hand, the British Equestrian Federation and the United States Equestrian Federation as well as the global equestrian community.
The FEI Tribunal has issued its Final Decision in an equine anti-doping case involving a Banned Substance.
In this case, the horse Vaja Hoy (FEI ID 104UK14/ITA), ridden by Simone Coata (FEI ID 10006994/ITA), tested positive for the Banned Substance Chlorpromazine Sulfoxide, a metabolite of Chlorpromazine, following samples taken at the CSI4*-W-Abu Dhabi (UAE), 6-9 January 2022.
The athlete was able to trace the source of the Banned Substance back to the company flying the horse to the event. Taking into account the precautions taken by Mr Coata, he could not reasonably have known or suspected that the flight company would administer the Banned Substance to the horse.
In its Final Decision, the FEI Tribunal accepted the agreement reached between the FEI and the athlete, according to which the athlete bears no fault or negligence for the Rule Violation and therefore shall not serve any period of ineligibility and the otherwise applicable period of ineligibility. The athlete will also not incur any fines, however the results obtained at the event remain disqualified.
The full Decision is available here.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Equine Prohibited Substances
The FEI Prohibited Substances List is divided into two sections: Controlled Medication and *Banned Substances. Controlled Medication substances are medications that are regularly used to treat horses, but which must have been cleared from the horse’s system by the time of competition. Banned (doping) Substances should never be found in the body of the horse and are prohibited at all times.
In the case of an adverse analytical finding (AAF) for a Banned Substance, the Person Responsible (PR) is automatically provisionally suspended from the date of notification (with the exception of certain cases involving a Prohibited Substance which is also a **Specified Substance). The horse is provisionally suspended for two months.
Information on all substances is available on the searchable FEI Equine Prohibited Substances Database.
CAS issued the operative part of the final Awards in three human anti-doping cases, following the appeal launched by the Qatari Jumping athletes Sheikh Ali Al Thani (FEI ID 10024194) and Bassem Mohammed (FEI ID 10082635), as well as the Egyptian Jumping athlete Mohamed Talaat (FEI ID 10021782), of the FEI Tribunal Decisions issued for each athlete by the FEI Tribunal on 17 December 2021.
In-competition samples taken from Mr Al Thani and Mr Mohammed at the CSIO4*-W Designated Olympic Qualifier for Group F - Rabat (MAR), 10-13 October 2019, tested positive for the prohibited substance Carboxy-THC, a metabolite of Cannabis which is a Prohibited Substance in-competition, under the FEI’s Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA). The sample taken from Mr Talaat (FEI ID 10021782) at the African Games-S - Rabat (MAR) 20-24 August 2019, also tested positive for Carboxy-THC.
In the proceedings before the FEI Tribunal, all three athletes denied having used this substance and put forward an alleged sabotage, which they were unable to prove.
The FEI Tribunal deemed that the athletes had failed to establish the source of the Cannabis and imposed a two-year suspension on each of the athletes, from the date of the FEI Tribunal Decision, with backdating of the suspension to be inforce retroactively six months (17 June 2021). Furthermore, the results of all three athletes as of 17 June 2021 had also been disqualified and for Mr Talaat this included his results obtained at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, resulting in team Egypt dropping from rank 11 to rank 16 in the first Jumping Team Competition.
CAS partially upheld the decisions of the FEI Tribunal and imposed a one-year suspension on Mr Al Thani, a two-year suspension on Mr Mohammed and a one-year suspension on Mr Talaat. Furthermore, CAS also decided to backdate the suspension period for all athletes. Consequently, the suspension of Mr Al Thani and of Mr Mohammed has been served and lifted since 2 June 2022, and Mr Talaat remains suspended until 16 June 2022. The reasoned decision will be issued by CAS in due course and published by the FEI.
The CAS Award -Operative Part for Sheikh Ali Al Thani can be found here.
The CAS Award -Operative Part for Bassem Mohammed can be found here.
The CAS Award -Operative Part for Mohamed Talaat can be found here.
The appealed FEI Final Decisions issued on 17 December 2021 can be found here.
Notes to Editors:
FEI Clean Sport - human athletes
The FEI is part of the collaborative worldwide movement for doping-free sport led by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The aim of this movement is to protect fair competition as well as athlete health and welfare.
WADA’s Prohibited List identifies the substances and methods prohibited in- and out-of-competition, and in particular sports. The substances and methods on the List are classified by different categories (e.g., steroids, stimulants, gene doping).
As a WADA Code Signatory, the FEI runs a testing programme for human athletes based on WADA’s List of Prohibited List of Substances and Methods and on the Code-compliant FEI Anti-Doping Rules for Human Athletes (ADRHA).
For further information, please consult the Clean Sport section of the FEI website here.
The FEI has formed an independent Commission to develop a practical framework that will allow the International Federation to address current and future concerns related to the use of horses in sport.
“In our industry, Social License to Operate (SLO) is the term given to society’s acceptance of the practice of equestrian sport and all its related activities,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos explained.
“Equestrian sport and the FEI’s activities are more than ever under public scrutiny and through the Commission we want to embrace that scrutiny to drive change and shine the spotlight on our number one stakeholder – the horse.
“There are comprehensive systems and mechanisms in place to protect the welfare of the horse, but there is more that can be done, and more that must be done. And in an ever-changing society, where perceptions shift and norms evolve at an increasingly fast pace, the FEI must address these concerns and criticisms from society and within equestrian circles in a clear and transparent manner.
“This is our duty as the governing body responsible for equestrian sport, and this is why we have set up this important and independent Commission to allow us to move forward with a course of action that will strengthen equestrian’s place in society.”
The 10 person Commission will be chaired by Professor Dr. Natalie Waran (NZL), an internationally respected equine welfare expert who is Professor of One Welfare and Executive Dean at the Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Pūkenga) in New Zealand.
Prof. Waran is among the five members of the Commission considered as external to the FEI, with their selection based on consultation with equine welfare and veterinary groups, while the remaining five members represent the FEI and have been selected for their experience, specific area of FEI responsibility and to provide the athletes’ and officials’ viewpoint.
“I am very honoured to have been asked to lead this work,” Prof Waran said. “By gathering external experts together to facilitate the development of a framework to address and advance the welfare needs of the sports horse, the FEI has taken a key step forward in terms of social license.
“By being willing to look to the horizon, and address current and future challenges in relation to equestrian sports’ Social License to Operate, as well as to view change as a force for good, the FEI and its member organisations will provide the leadership required to help future-proof equestrian sports.”
The first meetings of the Commission, which has yet to be formally named, will take place in June 2022, and will include plans for engagement with various stakeholders and the focus and composition of the Working Groups. The Commission is expected to work together over an initial period of 18-months, with an interim report to be presented at the FEI General Assembly in November 2022 in Cape Town (RSA), followed by a second report at the FEI Sports Forum in April 2023 and a final report/framework to be submitted for approval at the FEI General Assembly 2023 in Mexico.
FEI Social License to Operate Commission
Chair: Professor Dr. Natalie Waran, External Expert, Professor of One Welfare and Executive Dean at the Eastern Institute of Technology (Te Pūkenga) in New Zealand.
Members:
Ex Officio - Administrative and Logistic Support
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