One year ago, between Christmas and New Year's Eve in 2023, I began writing a mini manifesto for the future of competitive dressage sport. I tinkered at the article for two weeks but in the end decided to shelve it.
Breaking Dogmas
In 2023 I wrote the following paragraphs as an introduction to the article and I feel like I should just keep them intact in this version of the story.
While 2023 has offered us many competitive highlights across the levels in Riesenbeck, Kronberg, Le Mans, and Ermelo with beautiful horses and from some beautiful riding, the dressage industry also got a big wake-up call when the Danish TV-station TV2 aired its Operation X documentary in November on the training at the biggest dressage horse dealership in the world, Helgstrand Dressage. Rough riding, whiplashes, spur and mouth wounds, young horses tied up in rollkur, or folded together with draw reins. What's new?
Not even one minute after the show was aired several top riders lifted their finger to slap Helgstrand on the wrist and call him a "bad boy" in public, while their other hand was still reaching out - palm upwards - to accept another five or six-figure commission fee for the Helgstrand horse they sold to clients.
The world held its breath to see how the big officials were going to respond to it. The Danish federation, which had always protected its own fledglings, was now forced to take a stance in the face of public outcry. Helgstrand got suspended from representing Denmark......for one year... "and then we'll see." The International Equestrian Federation - the highest authority and guardian of our sport - responded in an even laughable way: a meaningless press release and to appease the masses: spurs are now optional as of 2024. That's it? Whoopydoo! This week (i.e. 27 December 2023) an allegedly similar case in Sweden got exposed and the reply of the person responsible to photos of whipping welts was "dust from being lunged." Et voila!
Reputational Damage
Fast forward one year and now we can look back at what Operation X triggered in 2023 and the big ripples it caused in 2024.
Operation X raised questions at what cost high performance dressage sport comes and opened the sluice gate to further condemnation of poor horsemanship. Scandals of alleged horse abuse brought dressage sport into the mainstream, from a very bad angle.
Disturbing photos and videos of pained horses in the hands of prominent dressage figures, such as Cesar Parra and Evi/Tanya Strasser, were exposed in January and February 2024 which truly got the ball rolling. Their cases are still pending with the FEI and very little updates see the light of day. In July, however, pandemonium happened when a video of double Olympic champion flogging a horse more than 20 times, was strategically thrown out in the open right before the Olympics. On top of that came the Carina Cassoe Kruth whipping video that blew up in Denmark. Although Dujardin immediately admitted her mistake and therefore got a swift "trial," we do not yet realise the reputational damage this has caused our sport.
The most worrying aspect of it all was the response from renowned insiders who said, "oh but that footage is not as bad as I thought," when they saw the Dujardin video. “Something is rotten in the kingdom of Denmark,” as Shakespeare said in Hamlet.
FEI Taking Action
The past year the FEI headquarters in Lausanne were flooded with an avalanche of alleged abuse videos, photos, and documentation by welfarist and dressage aficionados who demand changes in our sport for the benefit of the horse.
the judges
Probably the most significant rule change the FEI has decided upon, driven by social media pressure and the necessity to restore its public image, is the implementation of the noseband tightness measuring device. Unfortunately its implementation has already been postponed because of the tool's supply issues. And then in the end, let's see how the stewards apply it. I was once told by a leading steward, "we are not going to do a witch hunt" against rule-breakers.
If stewards will apply the measuring device as correctly as they handle to rule against the use of marshmallow fluff than we are doomed. To me 2024 has become the year in which elite riders have normalised and institutionalised fluff as a a necessary trick to cover up poor bridle contact. I can post a whole gallery of famous riders who feed fluff or an inventive derivative to make their horse's foam crisp white and as floccose as meringue topping on lemon tart.
But let's be optimistic about 2025. The FEI measuring device is a huge step forward and in fact one of easy fixes to improve the sport of dressage.
Why Should Riders Re-invent Themselves?
With all the scandals this year the need for change in our sport got emphasised. A folding back on the true principles and definitions of classical dressage, as well as the perpetual, decade long demand for a more strict adherence to the FEI Judges Handbook/Manual
In 2023 I pondered about the status quo which is so vehemently upheld by top riders, who are unionised in the International Dressage Riders Club and become MAGA-style combatants against progress and change.
There is no need for these role models to re-invent themselves in their way of training. Why should they put more emphasis on basic gymnastics, suppleness, self carriage and collection if the exceptional quality of the ground gaits of their horses in combination with an extravagant expression of the Grand Prix tricks are rewarded by the judges. It's a vicious circle. Of course they strive to improve their horses, but loosening the noseband or releasing the curb rein do not appear in their manual. It is the crutch they lean on for more control."
Dressage is hard, competitive dressage even harder, and high performance sport is not for the faint hearted. A human's test of skill and nerve on a live animal in front of a huge, critical audience, nowadays, is only for the brave. I know that, don't get me wrong, but I believe that small changes in tack rules could trigger a new, more friendly style of riding. It will also sift out the horses that are not made to cope with the pressures and atmosphere of elite sport. Horses with the right character, mind-set, rideability, careful training and physical prowess will be the future of the sport; not those pulled into subordination to shine.
Mini Manifesto - 10 Steps to a Greater Future for Dressage
So let's present some solutions which could quickly improve the transparency, fairness and quality of the sport
1) Noseband Measurement Device
If your horse can't stand still for three seconds for a noseband to be measured, its nerves are probably not good enough for high performance sport. If a horse needs to be so pumped with adrenaline to execute a dressage test.. it's clearly not enjoying what it's doing. Dressage riders are supposed to be "trainers of horses". If you can't train your horse to stand still for a noseband check, then go home and train relaxation before you show.
In addition, before a test, stewards should be allowed to tell grooms to wipe the mouth of those horses which have been fed so much sugar, polos or fluff that their muzzle looks like they stuck it in a jar of whipped cream.
2) Minimum Age for Grand Prix Horses is 9
International (and national!) Grand Prix level competition should only be allowed for horses aged 9 and above. If you want to go even more strict, set the minimum age for a horse to compete in major FEI Championship at 10, but I would first lift it to 9 and see the effects. This should slow down the desire the urge to turn 6 and 7-year olds into Grand Prix horses.
All Championships for 3-year olds (at national level as FEI does not have this) should be abolished.
Stallions should be licensed in the spring of the year (March/April) they turn 3 and do a short performance and suitability test in the autumn of that year.
3) Make the Curb Optional
Sure, riding with the curb is a special skill which is tested at FEI level, but so much misuse of the curb happens which is not downscored. If Grand Prix riders want to show they can ride properly with a curb, than that is fine. I don't think judges will give more or less points if one chooses a snaffle.
Some horses are more happy in a snaffle and what is more important to the sport right: showing happy horses, or curb use with blue tongues and gaping mouths because so much pressure is put on the bars of the mouth.
4) Stewards/vets Should Be Allowed to Tell Riders to Ride without Spurs
At the horse inspection at the start of a CDI, riders who present horses with such damage should either be forbidden to wear spurs at that competition, or even sent home by the FEI vet. The steward needs to follow up if a "spur permit" or "no spurs" order is given for that show. Damage like this shows a problem in the training as well as in the welfare care of the horse.
And now let's talk about some easy fixes to make the sport more transparent, understandable, and enjoyable for the audience and fair for all riders.
5) Random Draw
No starting orders drawn by FEI ranking, but only random draws for Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Kur to Music test. Period ! And also in the youth classes.
The heat system at the Olympics proved that competition is more exciting when big names also come early in a class and they are not all lumped together at the end. It's scientifically proven that scores go up towards to end of the class due to judging bias. Why deliberately create and sustain this unlevel field of play for so many years. It blows my mind.
And don't come up with the excuse of "TV wants the good ones all together!" In this day and age with live streaming and rewatch this argument holds no water.
6) Open Scoring
There was a short period when this was done (2009-2010 I believe) but - rumour has it - it were the judges who lobbied against it and won. Their individual scores were removed from the board. Nowadays, if you are lucky, there are a few shows that brought it back but I haven't seen it at a Championship.
Bring backs the moans and groans with individual scores on the board! This is good for the transparency and popularity of the sport.
7) Judges Invitation System
The same group of judges always officiate at the same shows.
The FEI needs to take control of this and not let show organizers make their favourite panels time and again. The FEI could come up with a "draw system" that creates a bigger variety in the panels and breaks up the buddy system of the same duos/trios of judges officiating together.
I understand that show organizers need to pay for the travel costs of the judges, but I'm sure a system can be worked out where a set of judges come from the same continent or within a certain distance. More variety in the panel will also allow judges to assess a greater variety of combinations and give the opportunity to less experienced judges to score more prolific riders instead of them being "shipped off" to judge central European shows, for instance..
8) Adjudication
The Judging Supervisory Panel should also publish a list of the changes they make in each class at Championships. No information nor data are made public about what they do, how much they intervene.
9) Less Medals
Why do we need three sets of medals at a championship? This was introduced in 2005 by the FEI Dressage Committee and it still doesn't make sense to me.
The judging of the freestyle is flawed yet the Kur decides the winner at the Olympics as well as at the World Cup Finals. Okay for the World Cup and also the current Olympic system with the GP as qualifier for the Special and then the Kur seem to work.
Not the form of the day, but consistency in the partnership with the horse should be rewarded.
10) One FEI World ranking
And talking about partnerships, can anyone explain to me what the point is of having a separate FEI World Ranking for Riders and Horses, yet not for youth riders (children, pony, junior, young rider, U25).
Aren't we celebrating combinations and shouldn't they make up the FEI World Ranking, instead of a confusing split system that makes no sense..
These are just a few simple suggestions to make the sport more acceptable, more fair, transparent and understandable.
-- Astrid Appels