Department updates in Main Driving

We wish to remind you that in accordance with Art. 112 of the FEI General Regulations, the dates for all 2025 International Events must be entered into the FEI online Calendar through FEI Database before Tuesday 01 October 2024 midnight CEST, with the exception of CSI5* and CSIO5* Events for 2025 which had to be entered before 1 May 2024 and have already been approved as previously indicated in our newsletter dated 22 August 2024.

At 23:59 CEST on 01 October 2024, the 2025 online Calendar will be blocked. Any modification requested after the deadline will need to be addressed to the FEI by email (calendar@fei.org) using the Calendar Form available on FEI Documents.

The full Memo can be accessed via the FEI Calendar page (click here).

The FEI Board held a teleconference on 27 August. 

Allocation of FEI Championships and Finals

FEI Driving European Championships for U25, Young Drivers and Children 2026
The Board allocated the FEI Driving European Championships for U25, Young Drivers and Children 2026 to Osorhei (ROU) on 12-15 August 2026.

We would like to remind you that the nominated entry deadline for the FEI Driving World Championship for Young Horses in Lamotte Beuvron (FRA), 26 to 29 September 2024 is on Wednesday 28 August 2024.

Please make sure that you have submitted your entries and your certificate of capability, on time, directly on the FEI Entry System.

Please do not hesitate to contact Driving@fei.org should you need any further information.

We would like to remind you that the Nominated entry deadline for the FEI Driving World Championship for Single Horse in Le Pin au Haras (FRA) 19-22.09.2024 is on Monday 19 August 2024.

Please make sure that you have submitted your entries and your certificate of capability on time, directly on the FEI Entry System.

Please contact Driving@fei.org should you need any further information.

This is a kind reminder to inform you that the Nominated entry deadline for the FEI Driving World Championship for Four-in-Hand in Szilvásvárad (HUN) 04-08.09.2024 is on Monday 05 August 2024.

Please make sure that you have submitted your entries and your certificate of capability, if any, on time, directly on the FEI Entry System.

Please do not hesitate to contact Driving@fei.org should you need any further information.

The FEI will launch the "Be a Guardian" initiative today, calling on community members to embrace their roles as guardians of FEI horses. A full press release will be issued shortly and can be found here.

The ‘Be a Guardian’ initiative represents a significant shift in the FEI's approach to equine care, emphasising the importance of horse welfare.

Based on the concept of guardianship, the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission created a comprehensive document highlighting six priority areas and 30 recommendations to improve the welfare of sport horses.

The FEI has since developed an Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan to address the priorities identified by the Commission.

Supported by a CHF 1 million allocation approved by the FEI Board in June 2024, this plan aims to enhance the wellbeing of FEI horses through robust rules, guidelines, educational programmes, and various initiatives.

The goal is to respect the natural needs of horses in international equestrian sports, fostering a global commitment to equine welfare and ensuring that horses receive the care and respect they deserve.

We urge our National Federations to embrace this call to action, actively promote this shift in perspective, and recognise the responsibility we all share in being the guardians of our beloved horses. 

The FEI Board held a teleconference on 16 July. The Driving resolutions taken on this occasion are listed below.

Allocation of FEI Championships and Finals

FEI Driving World Championships 2024, Four in Hand – Change of Organiser
The Board accepted the request of from the Hungarian Equestrian Federation to change the organiser of the FEI Driving World Championships 2024, Four in Hand, from Állami Ménesgazdaság Szilvásvárad to Nemzeti Rendezvényszervező Ügynökség.
The dates and venue for the Championship remain unchanged.

We would like to inform you that the Qualification Criteria document for FEI Driving Championships in 2025 has been updated in order to reflect the addition of the Para Driving World Championship and the advancement in the publication of the new dressage tests.

The document is available on the FEI Driving hub on Inside.FEI.org and all modifications are visible in red.

The Rules Revision Process 2024 is well underway with the first draft of the proposed changes now available to National Federations and Stakeholders for review and feedback by 21 August 2024 prior to being submitted to the FEI General Assembly for approval in November as per the timeline below: 
1 March 2024
National Federations and Stakeholders with whom the FEI has signed an MOU have the opportunity to propose Rules changes as per the FEI Periodical Rules Revision Policy.
26 June 2024
The FEI provides National Federations and Stakeholders with the first Draft of proposed Rules changes.

IMPORTANT
The 1st Draft of proposed Rules changes Memos as well as the Templates to provide feedback by 21 August 2024 can be found here. ONLY proposals submitted online on the Rules Revision Platform using the respective Templates will be accepted.
21 August 2024
National Federations and Stakeholders are given eight weeks to review the first Draft and the proposed amendments in this first Draft and make comments and/or propose any changes in relation to the first Draft.
16 October 2024
Final Draft of the proposed Rules changes is provided to National Federations and Stakeholders.                                                                                  
12 November 2024
Rules Session at FEI General Assembly.
13 November 2024
Voting of Rules at the FEI General Assembly.

For more information on the FEI Rules Revision processes and timelines, click here.

If you have any questions please contact the FEI Director Governance & Institutional Affairs at Francisco.lima@fei.org.

We would like to kindly remind everyone that all FEI Officials must have “passed” their annual CES Online Assessment to officiate at FEI Events.

The CES Online Assessment not only ensures integrity at all FEI Events, as well as the validity of the results, it is also testimony to FEI’s commitment in providing services of the highest standard to the athletes, the public and the sport.

In order to ensure that all FEI Events take place according the FEI Rules and Regulations, and to proactively prevent potential issues from arising during competitions, we have updated the FEI Event Schedule Policy.

As of 1 August 2024, the following FEI Event Schedule Policy will apply:

Officials must have “passed” their CES Online Assessment of the current year to be added to schedules of events taking place after the 31 March.

For information, the officiating/maintenance year runs from the 15 December of each year and until the 15 December of the following year.

• Every year, from 16 December to 31 March (transition period), Officials with an open function can still officiate without having passed the annual CES Online Assessment of the current year.
• Every year, from 31 March to 14 December (regulated period), Officials must have passed the CES Online Assessment of the current year to officiate, and to keep their function open.

You can find all information here on Inside.FEI.org.