Full Revision of the Eventing Rules
The sixth session of the FEI Sports Forum 2025 addressed the comprehensive review of the Eventing Rules, laying out a timeline for updates, presenting key topics under consideration, and inviting National Federations and stakeholders to contribute feedback. The session was led by Frédérique Reffet Plantier, FEI Director of Eventing, with additional presentation and discussion led by David O’Connor, Chair of the Eventing Committee.
Panelists from the working group present were:
Alec Lochore (GBR) – Deputy Chair, FEI Eventing Committee
Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) – Member, FEI Eventing Committee
Pierre Le Goupil (FRA) – Member, FEI Eventing Committee
Neil Mackenzie-Hall (NZL) – Member, FEI Eventing Committee
The full revision process, which began with proposals in early 2025, will continue through a stakeholder feedback phase, culminating in a vote at the General Assembly in November 2025. The presentation highlighted seven core discussion points:
- U25 Eventing Championships:
- Discussion around the creation of an Under 25 Eventing Championship category, including eligibility criteria, competition format, and alignment with existing star levels.
- Cross Country Penalties (Article 548.1):
- Review of what constitutes faults at obstacles, particularly frangible device activations and missing flag penalties.
- Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs, Article 517):
- Proposal to maintain MER validity if a horse has only one frangible device activation or one missing flag.
- New suggestions for allowable time over optimum based on competition level.
- Horse Participation Restrictions (Article 504.2.1):*
- Current rule prevents 5* horses from entering 1* or 2* competitions unless the rider is not categorized.
- Stakeholders are being asked whether this should be maintained, adjusted, or removed.
- Dressage Review System (Articles 544 & 548):
- Should additional judges be introduced for dressage at major championships?
- Stakeholders are invited to consider whether this would improve consistency and fairness in scoring.
- Morning Re-Inspection (Article 1039.1):
- Veterinary topic raised: Should the morning re-inspection process, which occurs after the first horse inspection and only for horses that initially fail, be formally regulated in the rules?
- Other Topics from the Floor:
- Open to delegates for additional comments and concerns.
Floor Discussion (Not all names of the speakers in the auditorium identified)
Frédérique Reffet Plantier: “This session is intended to be interactive. We’re here to collect your feedback, but also to gauge whether we’re on the right path as we move forward with the proposed rules.”
Rosie Williams (British Equestrian): About U25 “Would there be a possibility of having, not two events, but for the developing nations… maybe a three-star or a four-star competition? … Why couldn’t you actually start this process on a regional level also?”
Anne-Mette Binder: “We’re considering a model that fits between existing star levels. The intention is not to lower standards but to create a clearer transition pathway for young riders.”
Martin Johnson (GER): About MER “Especially when you get to four and five-star level… to expect a horse to achieve 65% is probably too much… the focus should be cross-country.”
Frédérique Reffet Plantier: “MERs are being closely reviewed to ensure they reflect performance fairly, especially when minor cross-country faults—like one frangible device or missing a flag—shouldn’t erase an otherwise good round.”
Pierre Le Goupil: About penalties “From a course designer’s point of view, clarity is essential. The way we treat frangible device penalties must be consistent if we’re going to apply them across levels and nations.”
David O’Connor: “One of the questions we’ve received is about whether the system penalises too harshly for a single frangible activation. This has been especially relevant in recent seasons and has prompted rider concern.”
Dickie Waygood (GBR): “I would be for reducing the 11… it’s a fallacy that people say riders ride faster at frangible devices—I didn’t ride faster!”
Monique Archer (Barbados): “We did feel that reducing the penalties for the flag should be looked at… Frangibles are safety mechanisms. Flags are more about inaccuracy.”
David O’Connor: “Is the relationship between frangible and flag penalties appropriate? One is 11, the other 15… Should that be reversed? Should they be equal? Should flags be looked at more like a technical penalty?”
Unidentified Delegate: About Horse Participation “On the topic of 5* horses in 1* events, wouldn’t this occasionally be useful for schooling or rebuilding confidence in a younger rider combination?”
Alec Lochore: “We have to balance opportunity with fairness. If a 5* horse enters a 1*, even with a young rider, what does that do to the integrity of the field? This is a key part of our consultation.”
Pierre Le Goupil: “The current wording should be softened… to allow horses with successful MER at 5* to downgrade for junior or young rider education. We need to think about second careers for horses too.”
Unidentified Delegate: About dressage phase “Regarding the dressage review system—would this apply only at major championships, or could we trial it at lower levels first?”
Frédérique Reffet Plantier: “This is exactly the kind of practical question we want to explore. A phased approach might be most sensible, starting with major championships and evaluating the impact of additional judges.”
Veterinary Representative (not named): About Horse Inspection “The morning re-inspection concept arises often in veterinary contexts. We believe adding clarity to the rules here would be welcomed by most vets and teams.”
Unidentified Delegate: About penalties “Can we revisit the topic of flagged jumps and rider responsibility? There’s confusion on how it’s judged, particularly when the horse jumps clean but the rider appears off-line.”
Neil Mackenzie-Hall: “Yes, flagged jumps continue to present issues, especially in how they’re interpreted. We’re working to align the language and judging approach to be more athlete-friendly without compromising safety.”
Conclusion: The session concluded with a call to all stakeholders to provide written feedback by 8 July 2025, before the final draft is released on 10 October 2025. The revised Eventing Rules will be voted on during the FEI General Assembly on 7 November 2025.