Department updates in Main Para Dressage

We are pleased to announce the launch of the new online FEI Calendar Modification Requests platform, allowing you to request changes to the approved 2025 FEI Calendar.

This online platform replaces the previous workflow which relied on submitting a PDF form by email and will now allow a more efficient and user-friendly experience for all National Federations.

The platform is available as of today, Monday 3 March 2025 and you can access it by using the following direct link.

It is also possible to access the FEI Calendar Modification Requests platform from the FEI Database under the Calendar/Results tab.

You require NF Calendar Admin to be able to access this platform, please contact your NF User Admin to grant access if required.

Guidelines on how to use the FEI Calendar Modification Requests platform can be found here.

Please note that as of Monday 31 March 2025 all calendar modification requests must be submitted through this platform. Calendar Modification forms in PDF format that are sent to calendar@fei.org will no longer be accepted after this date.

We therefore encourage you to start using the platform as of now for any upcoming modifications you need to make, to familiarise yourself with the various functionalities prior to it becoming mandatory.

For all FEI Events taking place in 2026 or later, for which the FEI Calendar has not yet been approved, you can carry on using the FEI Database as per the usual procedure.

Information for National Federations regarding the FEI Calendar can be found here.

If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact calendar@fei.org.

Kind regards,

As you know, starting from 1 May 2025, the tightness of nosebands at FEI Events across all FEI Disciplines will be controlled using the FEI Measuring Device.

With the implementation day fast approaching, please be informed that as a priority, all active FEI Stewards will receive one FEI Measuring Device free of charge.  

We kindly request your assistance in distributing the devices to your active FEI Stewards. The FEI will start sending packages to the National Federations in the upcoming week with a list of your FEI Stewards who are active and fulfil the requirements to officiate at FEI Events.

We will provide further information to the broader equestrian community on how to purchase the FEI Measuring Device.

We thank you for your vital support on this important project.

We would like to share the following Para Equestrian updates and reminders with you:

FEI Para Equestrian Forum 2025, Birmingham, England
The registration deadline for the Para Equestrian Forum 2025 is 27 January, and ask that all participants are registered by that date. Registered FEI Officials and Athletes received personalised invitations by email, but other stakeholders can register using the link available on the Para Forum Hub on Inside.FEI.org.

Visual Impairment Classification in 2025
Due to the increased numbers of Athletes attending VI Classifications in recent years, the FEI would like to invite expressions of interest from NFs to host a VI Classification alongside a CPEDI so that more FEI VI Classification events are available to FEI Athletes.

Please contact the Para Dressage department by 14 February for more information if your NF would be interested to host a VI Classification in 2024.

International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athlete Internship Programme
We would like to make athletes aware of the IPC Athlete Internship Programme which has been launched this year. With a starting date of June 2025, the IPC is making available two positions for Paralympians to gain work experience for one year within their organisation, as part of the IPC’s efforts to better support Paralympians retiring from competition with their career transition.

For more information on the programme conditions, eligibility and selection criteria, please refer to the job description posted here and share it with your athlete networks. Kindly note that the deadline for applications is 16 February 2025.

IPC Exhibition of Paralympic Sport Equipment
In April 2024 the IPC moved its headquarters into a new office space in Bonn (GER). The building has a large foyer area in which the IPC plans to build an exhibition around the history of the Paralympic Movement, Paralympic sports and the impact they have on the world. In the sport section of the exhibition, they plan to showcase various sport equipment that is unique to sport on the Paralympic programme.

If you are interested in applying to display a piece of equipment in the sport section of the exhibition, please send the Para Dressage Department a picture (for illustrative purposes to better understand the item, it will not be used in the exhibition), a short description of the item and approximate dimensions (height, width, length and weight) of the item so that an application can be made to the IPC.

Following some delays due to technical issues, we are pleased to inform you that the registrations for the Para Equestrian Forum 2025 are now open. The Forum will be held in the Belfry Hotel, Birmingham, England from 25-26 February.

In order to register, please use the link on the Para Forum webpage. Please note that all registered Para Dressage Athletes and officials have received an invitation to the Forum registration, so they are able to register themselves. Registration deadline for the Forum and the Seminar is 27 January 2025.

Registration for the Para Forum is CHF 160 (£ 140) per person, which includes all conference costs, lunches and coffee/tea breaks. The GBR NF are kindly hosting a dinner on the evening of 25 February.

Room rates at the Belfry Hotel:

• Single Occupancy: £ 125/night, breakfast included (approx. EUR 150)
• Double Occupancy: £ 80/night per person, breakfast included (approx. EUR 95)

Please note that the FEI and GBR NF are contributing to the hotel costs to offer a lower price for the participants accommodation. As such, this contribution will only be made for nights that delegates are participating in the Seminars and/or Forum. Any additional nights for personal needs will need to be booked directly with the hotel at their current prices. Those rates are available from 22 February until 28 February. Finally, if you wish to book another accommodation, please feel free to do so.

Please do not hesitate to contact Chloe.Harty@fei.org should you have any questions.

We wish you all a wonderful festive season and we look forward to seeing many of you in February!

We are pleased to inform you that the FEI Secretary General has approved the FEI Calendar for 2025 for all disciplines. It can be consulted online in the FEI Database.  

Should you have any questions related to the FEI Calendar, please do not hesitate to contact calendar@fei.org.

We are pleased to announce that, with the collaboration of the GBR National Federation and the Para Equestrian Technical Committee, the FEI Para Equestrian Forum will be held in-person from 25-26 February 2025, at the Belfry Hotel near Birmingham (GBR). The Forum will be open to all Para Equestrian stakeholders, and we encourage NFs to share this news with Athletes, Officials, Coaches and other interested parties. Registration for the event will open early in December, when further information will be sent, however we already ask you to please save the date in your calendars.

The Para Equestrian Technical Committee will be hosting the Forum to discuss topics such as the Para Dressage Strategy, IPC Classification Code Review, Intentional Misrepresentation, Social Licence to Operate and more. The Forum will also be an opportunity to share ideas with Para Dressage stakeholders in advance of the Full Rules Revision cycle which will happen in 2026 for implementation on 1 January 2027.

Prior to the Para Equestrian Forum, an in-person Classifier Seminar and Level 4 Para Dressage Judges Seminar will be held from 23-24 February at the same venue. The seminar will be published shortly in the FEI Course Calendar and registrations have to be made by the National Federation directly in the FEI Course Calendar. We encourage participants from the seminar to remain for the Forum to maximise discussions.

To bring the week to an end, the Para Equestrian Technical Committee will hold their annual in-person meeting, to go through all of the topics previously discussed.

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 Dutch National Equestrian Centre in Ermelo (NED), has been announced as host of the FEI Para Dressage European Championship in 2025, following a decision by the FEI Board, with the endorsement of the FEI Para Equestrian Technical Committee and the European Equestrian Federation (EEF).

The Championship, which is scheduled to take place from 3 to 7 September 2025, builds on Ermelo’s proven track record in hosting major equestrian events at the Dutch National Equestrian Centre, such as the FEI Dressage European Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in 2009 and national Dressage Championships. More recently, Ermelo hosted the FEI Endurance World Championship for Young Riders & Juniors in 2021 and the FEI Endurance European Championship for Seniors in 2023. The venue has also been hosting the FEI WBFSH World Breeding Championships for Young Dressage Horses for several years.

We would like to inform National Federations that an updated version of the Pre-Arrival Testing Guidance document is available, here. An amendment has been made to the sample submission dates in Table 1 to align with information provided earlier in the document.  

Please direct any enquiries regarding Pre-Arrival Testing to caterina.termine@fei.org.