After the global outcry about the equine abuse witnessed at Compiègne (as detailed in the previous two blogs) five attending French vets wrote an open letter to the FEI stating their fears about the direction the sport of Endurance has taken. The Group 7 countries (Middle East), who appear to have winning at any cost (financial or equine) as their priority, have corrupted the sport on both ethical and welfare levels to an unacceptable degree.

Some extracts from the vet letter are below. The whole English translation can be found in the PDF here – Compiègne Vets Open Letter

“Compiegne rides saw an unstoppable wave of horses from all over the world, ridden at very high speeds, on the difficult but fast trails of the two CEIs. Late entries of many participants had led to some understaffing of judges, veterinarians and experienced official stewards, in the grooming area and along the course. The jury did well to organise the vetgate in order to pass fair judgments, but it also had to cope with constant intense pressure from some competitors who constantly aim to appeal against judgments and try to cheat systematically. The team of treating veterinarians also had to struggle with all too many metabolic eliminations who were presenting with high heart rates and advanced dehydration (surprising fact for a mild weather that weekend) and needed treating.

Our analysis of the reasons for this situation is that current practices of endurance in some group 7 countries is very far removed from the original spirit of our sport. These riders no longer follow the principle of making the most of the horse’s performance on the day by listening to their mount, but push their horse beyond its capacity, which only a few of the best manage to tolerate the harmful effects. This kind of dangerous attitude goes beyond what actual experienced vetgates and their team can cope with, and thus safety of the competing horses cannot be guaranteed anymore. Awareness of veterinarians involved did stop these tired “over-run” horses in the vetgates. Hardworking and painstaking treating veterinarians in the hospital managed to treat a large number of horses successfully.”

“The environment of greater professionalisation of riding and the recent emergence of “jockeys” who ride a horse for which they know nothing of its training or daily management or feeding, or are not aware of the secret “magic supplements” given by some stables, is not conducive to the mutual understanding that needs to prevail between endurance horse and rider.”

“These horses are put in grave danger by what we consider to be unethical and antisportive practices.”

Horsetalk NZ have written a good article here in this link

http://horsetalk.co.nz/2014/06/24/endurance-controversy-breakneck-speed/#axzz35XQBpIP3

The proposed changes to the FEI rulings on Endurance can be found here

http://fei.org/sites/default/files/2014_BM_Endurance_Rule%20Changes_clean.pdf

It’s a frightening scenario when appointed and respected vets feel powerless to police the increasing abuse of horses at the very competitions they monitor. This situation must not be allowed to escalate further. On the face of it, the new rules look to be trying to address the  inherent corrupt practices, however rules are only effective if applied, and that will remain the crux of the matter.

It’s difficult to have much faith in the FEI given who is paying the piper.