Session 7: FEI Driving and Para Driving Rules full revision

Tuesday, 1 April, 14.00 - 15.00

The FEI Driving and Para Driving Rules will undergo a full revision in 2025, incorporating modifications identified over the past five years. These changes are based on input from the FEI Driving Committee, National Federations, and feedback from the FEI Driving Forums held in 2023 and 2025.

At the recent FEI Driving Forum in Exloo (NED), key proposals were discussed covering rulebook additions, Officials, young horses, dressage, marathon, cones, and Championship formats.

FEI Driving and Para Driving Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello presented an overview of the main topics under discussion, along with proposals from various sectors of the Driving and Para Driving communities.

• Additions to the Rulebook: New CAI formats such as Extreme Driving, Top Score, and Head-to-Head competitions have been proposed.
• Young Horses Championships: Dressage tests will follow a pre-defined flow of movements, with increasing difficulty based on the horses’ age, with a fixed time limit. A dedicated pool of Officials will be established for Young Horse Championships.
• CAI-YHs: To encourage participation at CAI-YH events, Young Horses will be allowed to compete at CAI competitions. Only one Official from the dedicated pool of Officials will be required, ensuring opportunities for other Officials.
• Officials: Technical Delegates will be removed from CAI1*, 2*, and 3* events, with their role retained only for World Cup™ qualifiers, CAIOs, and Championships. The President of the Ground Jury will assume responsibility for other events.
• Dressage: The Driving Forum 2025 proposed replacing the current block system for Dressage draws at Championships and CAIOs with a randomised, physical draw. Discussions also focused on the frequency of Dressage test rotations, with a preference for a six-year cycle, and the potential for shorter tests, though further analysis is required. Arena size was also debated, with proposals for an 80x40m arena for H4, though participants at the Driving Forum retained a preference for keeping the 100x40m arena, with a new test as an alternative.
• Marathon: Proposals include removing Section A and the Controlled Warm-Up, although Section A may be retained if no suitable warm-up arena is available. The number of obstacles for H1/P1 classes could be reduced to seven, and adjustments to penalty seconds were discussed. There were also proposals for the post-Marathon presentation requirements for horses/ponies to be made more flexible, removing the need for a designated arena.
• Cones: Stability issues for cones placed on sand surfaces were addressed, with a proposed solution involving plastic filler blocks to ensure cones tilt correctly when hit. Testing in Deurne (NED) showed promising results, but further trials at 2* events were recommended.
• Championships: A survey conducted in late 2023 with 296 respondents indicated general satisfaction with the current World Championship format, but highlighted a demand for expanded Continental and European Championships, including combined classes. While expansion could increase participation and visibility, concerns were raised about logistical challenges, increased costs, and the potential dilution of entries in H2/H1.
• Team Selection: A proposal to remove additional individual entries was discussed, aimed at providing more flexibility while maintaining a maximum of nine athletes per event.

Questions raised after the FEI Driving Director’s presentation concerned examining horses in harness during the first horse inspection as possible lesions may not be visible. While some participants considered this could be detrimental to horse welfare, others were of the opinion that the veterinary check upon arrival at which horses are presented unharnessed was sufficient. The lack of officials and reducing the waiting periods before promotion in order to avoid losing officials was brought up. The importance of accessibility, horse welfare and attractiveness of the discipline were highlighted.

FEI Legal Director Mikael Rentsch then presented the recommendations and proposals from the FEI Medical Committee to enhance athlete safety in Driving competitions, which are aimed at ensuring a tailored medical response for discipline-specific injuries, an approach already implemented in Eventing (Annex D). These proposals focus on three key areas: Driving-specific medical service requirements; post-fall medical assessments for Drivers and Grooms; and strengthened Protective Headgear Requirements.

Under the proposed strengthened Protective Headgear Requirements, athletes and grooms over 18 are currently not required to wear protective headgear during Horse Inspections, while those under 18 are only strongly recommended to do so. However, there is no safety justification for this age distinction, as head injuries can have serious consequences regardless of age. The proposed rule change would require all athletes and any other person to wear properly fastened protective headgear whenever seated in a carriage or mounted on a horse, and for anyone presenting a horse at a Horse Inspection. The proposed rule change would also state that protective headgear is also strongly recommended for FEI Officials.

Following questions after his presentation, the Legal Director acknowledged that the requirements he had outlined were minimum requirements and the system would be strengthened. The recommendations made by the FEI Medical Committee will be reviewed by the FEI Driving Committee.