Contact: Honorary President, Dr Kate Fenner

Email: [email protected] 
Statement: Proposed changes to Blood Rule in FEI Showjumping competitions

The Féderation Équéstre Internationale (FEI) is considering making changes to the “blood rule” for showjumping competitions, which would potentially permit horses showing signs of visible blood to continue competing after a veterinary inspection, rather than being automatically eliminated as is currently the case. Visible blood arising from an oral injury, such as the horse biting its tongue, could be wiped off by an official and the horse permitted to compete.

These rule changes represent a retrograde step for horse welfare. They would disregard existing research on equine pain and normalise the reality that equipment used in showjumping competitions can cause tissue damage, including bruising and lesions that lead to visible blood on oral and other tissues.

By allowing competitors to continue despite visible evidence of injury, these rule changes would reduce the incentive for riders to use equipment such as bits and spurs sensitively. The equine tongue is a highly sensitive organ densely innervated with pain receptors and lesions in this area are likely to cause pain based on evidence from other species. The proposed changes could normalise horses experiencing bit and spur induced pain as acceptable in a competition context.

"The proposal to wipe away blood from horses that have 'bitten their tongue' and allow the horse to continue competing disregards the reality that damage to tissues causes pain," said International Society for Equitation Science Honorary President, Dr Kate Fenner.

The proposed changes also represent a significant reduction in public transparency by attempting to hide the reality of injuries that showjumping competitions can cause to horses. At a time when equestrian activities face heightened public scrutiny over competition horse welfare, adopting a permissive approach to visible signs of injury would seem to directly contradict the FEI's laudable maxim that “the welfare of the horse is paramount” and their focus on welfare in their recent Equine Welfare Strategy Action Plan.

The new rules will place an onus on veterinarians to determine the severity of lesions that lead to visible blood before deciding whether to permit a horse to compete, in comparison to current rules which place a blanket prohibition. Studies on eventing and dressage horses have documented that even without visible blood, there are high rates of oral lesions from bits. It is unlikely that lesion rates would differ in showjumping horses where there are few limitations on the types of bits that may be used. These research findings suggests that visible blood represents only "the tip of a much larger iceberg," and consequently, by the time visible blood is present, horses may well have already experienced other welfare impairments from equipment or competition activities.

If there is concern that a large number of riders face elimination for what appear to be minor injuries, the appropriate, horse-cantered approach is to evaluate why these injuries are occurring and provide guidance or equipment rule changes to reduce the risk of their occurring, rather than loosening welfare standards.

The proposed rule changes are also fundamentally incompatible with the precautionary principle that the FEI's Equine Ethics and Well-Being Commission report included as a key recommendation, and to which the FEI agreed to in principle. This principle holds that where empirical data is lacking, decisions should err on the side of the horse. By loosening restrictions despite the existing evidence of equipment-caused injuries, these changes contradict this commitment to prioritising horse welfare in the face of uncertainty.

Furthermore, these rule changes are not in alignment with the International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) evidence-based Training Principles, which the FEI has previously referenced in welfare discussions. Specifically, the changes are not aligned to Training Principle One: "Regard for horse and human safety: Avoid using methods or equipment that cause pain, distress or injury to the horse” (https://www.equitationscience.com/ises-training-principles). By permitting horses with visible blood -evidence of injury, to continue competing, the FEI would be contradicting this fundamental welfare principle.

If implemented, these changes would lead to increased welfare impairment of competition horses and reduced public acceptance of the use of horses for competition purposes. The FEI’s own published research has identified that improving the welfare of sport horses is a key concern for general public and industry participants. Rather than loosening welfare standards, the FEI should commit to tightening welfare-based standards for competition horses based on the existing body of research.

The International Society for Equitation Science (ISES) is a not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to provide a forum for the presentation, discussion and facilitation of advances in equitation science research that will ultimately enhance the welfare of horses in their associations with humans.

https://www.equitationscience.com/