Flash in the Pan: Short Grand Prix Removed from World Cup Finals' Format

Dressage

FEI

The commotion around the creation and implementation of a new short Grand Prix turns out to be a flash in the pan. The new FEI Dressage Committee has decided on 25 May to scratch the shortened Grand Prix test from the 2023 World Cup Finals' programme. In addition it has made the implementation of this test in a show programme at the show organizers' discretion.

The new shortened Grand Prix test was a topic of much debate for the past five years as it was first created in secret and then implemented into the world cup circuit because the FEI said it experienced pressure to keep the crowds live on television more "entertained."

A Waste of Energy?

Here is a recap of how the "shortened Grand Prix" came about.

2018: London

In October 2018 the FEI Dressage Committee, led by Frank Kemperman, surprised everyone by suddenly announcing the existence of a new short Grand Prix test and its scheduled trial at the 2018 CDI-W London.

The new test was created by FEI request with as goal "to maintain a pacey and interesting competition on the first day, keep the audience engaged, expose emotions with direct interview of the athletes still mounted at the end of the test." It was the FEI's aim to make the sport more "entertaining" and to achieve more "air time on television".

Ironically the live streaming of the 2018 Olympia shortened Grand Prix did not work and there was no TV channel broadcasting this "pacey" class. In addition, the FEI did not take into consideration that the class at Olympia counted for FEI World Ranking Points and MER scores. Eurodressage wrote this commentary at the time.

2019: Warendorf and London

Richard Davison, co-creator of the Short
GP test, getting interviewed after his ride at the
2019 CDI-W London

The Short Grand Prix test working group - headed by 5* judge Katrina Wüst and JSP member David Hunt, and the FEI Dressage Committee went back to the drawing board and redesigned the test, keeping everything confidential as part of the DC's Modus Operandi.

In September 2019 a surprise press release was issued by the German Federation announcing that a trial of new versions of the short Grand Prix (and other tests) had taken place at the DOKR headquarters in Warendorf. The press was not invited. Riders Isabell Werth and Hubertus Schmidt and German team trainer Monica Theodorescu attended as well as three test riders (Marcus Hermes, Bianca Nowag, and Claire-Louise Averkorn).

At the 2019 CDI-W London a second trial of the shortened Grand Prix test was held in competition at the British World Cup qualifier. Eurodressage was there and reported on the class.

2021- 2022: Short Grand Prix Test Instated

Because of the corona outbreak and the cancellation of the majority of the World Cup circuit, the final version of the shortened Grand Prix test was officially implemented for the 2021 - 2022 World Cup circuit. Several showed were cancelled again due to more corona waves, but in the end two handfuls of shows ran the test and it was also ridden at the 2022 World Cup Finals.

At the 2022 World Cup Finals the riders, who still had little practice with the new test, said that it was fast paced

2022-2023: Short Grand Prix Shelved

Not in an official press release, but in a closed message sent to the National Federations it was announced that the new FEI Dressage Committee, led by Maribel Alonso, has decided to remove the short Grand Prix test from the 2023 World Cup Finals' programme.

The FEI Board approved the following modifications for the FEI Dressage World Cup 2022/2023, proposed by the FEI DC:

"The Organisers of FEI Dressage World Cup qualifiers may opt to offer either the Short Grand Prix or the Grand Prix at each qualifier. The Grand Prix text will be used at the Final, instead of the Short Grand Prix."

180° U-Turn

With this decision, five years of trial and error, work and money, seems to have become less relevant. Is it no longer necessary "to maintain a pacey and interesting competition on the first day, keep the audience engaged, expose emotions with direct interview of the athletes still mounted at the end of the test," or to make the sport more "entertaining" and to achieve more "air time on television"? It seems not.

Maribel Alonso, chair of the FEI Dressage Committee, told Eurodressage that the removal of the test from the 2023 World Cup Finals is in response to the wishes of the riders.

"During a meeting at the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Leipzig (GER) on 8 April, a number of Dressage athletes requested that the FEI consider making the Short Grand Prix optional for the FEI Dressage World Cup Qualifiers during the 2022-2023 season. Following up on this feedback from the athletes, a proposal to modify the FEI Dressage World Cup™ 2022/2023 rules was then put forward for review to the FEI Board, and subsequently approved, during the Teleconference in May," Alonso told Eurodressage. "As the Organisers of the FEI Dressage World Cup Qualifiers still have the possibility to hold the Short Grand Prix, the FEI Dressage Committee can continue to monitor the impact of this format on equine athletes, as well as audience engagement with the sport."

British dressage rider Richard Davison was closely involved in the creation of the new shortened Grand Prix test as member of the working group. He told Eurodressage that, "‘I think it’s fine to give OCs discretion on whether the long or short GP fits better with their timetable."

Davison continued, "in World Cup qualifiers the Grand Prix is used primarily as a warm up class and then only serves to determine the groups for the starting order for the Kur. For that reason, and also for horse welfare, my preference is for tests which require less repetition of strenuous movements - for example I would question whether three extended trots and three piaffes are really necessary and in the interest of the horse? Additionally shorter tests mean the organiser can either make the classes more interesting, schedule them at peak viewing times or take more entries which is more inclusive and less elitist. I’m happy that their is a choice and some variety but I do agree that this should only be restricted to the World Cup series. Interestingly I see the FEI currently advertise the Final as running the short GP on their own website."