Right after the FEI General Assembly voted to revise some restrictions included in the blood rule for show jumping, the reaction started rolling in.
The changes approved at the gathering in Hong Kong on Friday authorize issuance of warnings for the presence of blood on a horse in some instances, as opposed to just straight-out elimination. It was so controversial that it was voted on separately at the meeting from the discipline’s general rules revision, and received a “no” from some very powerful national federations. A petition to preserve the “no blood” rule was signed by 65,581 people.
The tally on the general rules at the meeting was 73 in favor, three against and three abstentions. But on the controversial changes, called Article 259, there was a much greater margin against: 56 countries voted yes, 20 voted no and two abstained.
FEI Secretary-General Sabrina Ibañez conceded, “We acknowledge that the approval was not unanimous and have taken note of the request from several national federations for a more harmonized approach to the topic across disciplines and we are committed to looking into this.
“We will take a structured, evidence‑based approach grounded in thorough consultation and driven by data. Our ongoing projects at the FEI will play a key role in supporting accurate data recording, and we will continue to advance safety and welfare through evidence‑based measures that are both rigorous and robust to further demonstrate our unwavering support to horse welfare.”
Yet Jim Eyre, chief executive of British Equestrian, said: “We support the FEI’s commitment to equine welfare, but based on the evidence and expert opinion, we could not support this rule. The vote was far from unanimous, and we welcome the FEI’s pledge to ongoing review and dialogue.
“If horses are to have a future in sport, we must demonstrate unwavering respect for their welfare. That means clear, ethical rules that put the horse first. We remain committed to working with the FEI and fellow federations to ensure fairness, clarity, and the highest standards of care in equestrian sport.”
British Showjumping Chief Executive Iain Graham said, “As leaders in equestrian sport, our duty is clear: protect our athletes, human and equine, and put horse welfare at the heart of every decision.
“While we recognize the riders’ concerns and welcome elements like enhanced veterinary checks and tougher penalties for repeat offenses, removing automatic elimination for visible blood is a step backwards. It risks eroding public trust and undermines the very progress these changes aim to achieve.
“We’re also disappointed that the FEI chose not to advance the use of padded batons over traditional whips in international jumping — a missed opportunity for meaningful reform.
“British Showjumping will not be changing our national rules in response (to the change on the blood provision). We remain committed to evidence-based decisions and stand firmly behind the British Equestrian Charter for the Horse, built on empathy, care, respect, consideration, ethics and learning.”
Explaining why the German Equestrian Federation (FN) was against the revision, its president, Dr. Martin Richenhagen, said “the welfare of the horse is at the heart of all action. This rule change does not fit with this principle.”
It is the horse welfare aspect that also prompted a post-vote statement of regret from the international think tank, Equestrian Action Group, which had called for standardized blood rules for all disciplines and a differentiation of the causes of any bleeding, with stronger penalties when the bleeding can be attributed to the action of the rider.
The EAG expressed concern “about the future of social acceptance of our activities (social license to operate) and regrets that a majority of the national federation delegates have clearly failed to take into account the interests of horses and equestrian sports.”
The International Jumping Riders Club had sought the changes. That organization explained it has never advocated for lesser sanctions for blood, and believes the new rule is actually stricter, with more serious consequences.
IJRC regrets that critics have read Article 259 in isolation, instead of in conjunction with the complementary rules that mandate disqualification for spur marks (even when blood is not visible) and for abuse of the horse that can be referred to the FEI Tribunal for more serious sanctions.
“From the outset, the IJRC sought a more proportionate response; a micro lesion on one horse resulted in the elimination of the entire Brazilian team from the Paris Olympic Games last year, which we believe was excessive, on the other hand an elimination after a round with faults has nearly no consequences.
“As a result of the new rule,” IJRC stated, “careless riding or blood (even if minimal) caused by tack or equipment repeatedly by the same athlete will be sanctioned more strongly than it was in the existing rules.”
- Before, blood cases were not followed up by a vet check; now a fitness to compete assessment is mandatory.
- Before, the decision whether to eliminate or not was subjective; now the sanction system is objective.
- Before, elimination only happened after the class and the horse could continue in the Event and the rider did not incur any suspension (except in serious cases of abuse of horse). Now for cases where the blood is rider induced/caused by tack or equipment there is a Jumping Recorded Warning, with a second one within 12 months resulting in an immediate one-month suspension and a 1,000 Swiss Franc fine.
Explaining the alterations to the jumping rule, the FEI notes the blood rule used prior to the revision lacked differentiation between horse abuse, accidental injuries and minor lesions, leading to inconsistencies in penalties.The rule does not apply to dressage, and it’s easy to understand why EAG called for standardized rules in all the equestrian disciplines.
Remember that the USA’s dressage team member Marcus Orlob was eliminated from the Grand Prix at the Paris Olympics partway through his test. A judge spotted a superficial scratch on the white hind leg of his mount, Jane, who had nicked herself when spooking from a horse that was exiting the arena in the wrong direction as she entered. When the leg was wiped off, the blood disappeared and did not reappear, but Orlob’s chance was over without having a veterinarian weigh in on the judge’s decision.
The FEI maintains that for jumping, the revised Equine Assessment Rule ensures a fair and proportionate penalty system while maintaining horse welfare as a top priority. It aligns the Jumping Rules with ethical sportsmanship and public perception while upholding the principles of equine welfare and fairness, the organization states.
Putting the blood issues in perspective, Todd Hinde, the FEI’s director of show jumping, noted there were 340,000 starts in FEI show jumping this year, with 101 blood-related eliminations, most of which were due to blood on the flanks (which may not be caused by spurs), representing 0.029 percent of all starts. Of these, only four athletes were eliminated twice during that period. He highlighted that this significantly reduced number of cases reflects the impact of the rules on spurs, which clarified what is permitted and what is not.
There include new mandatory fitness-to-compete checks by the Ground Jury, in consultation with the veterinary delegate, in all cases of blood as well as:
- Horses now are only permitted to continue competing if they have passed a fit-to-compete decision following the veterinary check for blood.
- Clearer rules for FEI officials, removing the “minor” categorization of some blood, which is a judgment call, and ensuring greater consistency and objectivity.
- Increased transparency and accountability for athletes, with all Jumping Recorded Warnings published by the FEI.
- Automatic notification to National Federations of all Jumping Recorded Warnings concerning their athletes, enabling them to better monitor cases and decide whether to impose additional welfare checks or measures.
The rules that are still in place and remain unchanged are:
- mandatory disqualification for excessive use of spurs.
- the Abuse of Horse provisions.
- the possibility of opening separate disciplinary proceedings to impose additional sanctions.
New FEI rules involving welfare aren’t just for those competing internationally. They will be coming soon to a show near you. National Federations have been requested to incorporate provisions on Abuse of Horses and Safeguarding Policy against Harassment and Abuse that are generally consistent with the FEI provisions into their own rules and regulations by January 1, 2027.
The Equine Assessment Rule aims to harmonize penalties with the principles of fairness and horse welfare by allowing veterinarians to assess severity: veterinary delegates will evaluate lesions before penalties are enforced to ensure proportionality.
A Three-Strike System means gradual consequences will be applied based on the frequency and severity of violations. Proportionality will offer a standard, so a small superficial mark does not get penalized as severely as a significant lesion or an abuse-related injury.
Violations will be tracked across an athlete’s career to ensure accountability.
Here is Article 259:
259.1. Any blood on the Horse caused by tack or equipment or any Athlete induced blood detected during a competition (from warm up until completion of any post-Competition controls/testing) will result in the following consequences for the Person Responsible, issued by the President of the Ground Jury:
First Offense: Jumping Recorded Warning
Second Offense: Jumping Recorded Warning
Should the same Person Responsible receive two or more Jumping Recorded Warnings at the same or any other event within 12 months of the delivery of the first Jumping Recorded Warning, the Person Responsible shall be issued a fine of CHF 1,000 (Swiss Francs/ $1,242 U.S.) and be automatically suspended for a period of one month.
259.2 In other cases of blood on the horse detected during a competition (for example where a horse appears to have bitten its tongue or lip or in cases where a horse is bleeding from the nose), the officials may authorize the rinsing or wiping of the blood and allow the Athlete/Horse Combination to continue the competition, provided the horse is deemed fit to compete in accordance with Article 259.3. The athlete will not receive a Jumping Recorded Warning if this article applies.
259.3. In all cases of blood on the horse under JRs Art 259, the horse may only be permitted to continue in a competition or participate in any subsequent competition(s) at the event if the ground jury, in consultation with the veterinary delegate, has deemed the horse to be fit to compete.
The U.S. Equestrian Federation this year passed a blood rule of its own, scheduled to go into effect Dec. 1. It states that blood caused by the rider/handler or equipment requires the horse to be eliminated from the relevant class. Presence of blood on horses will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis by a licensed judge or ground jury.
USEF recognizes that horses may sometimes bite their tongue or lips in the normal course of work. If minor blood is spotted in a horse’s mouth, the new rule allows the licensed judge or ground jury to rinse or wipe the horse’s mouth and permits the horse to continue if there is no further evidence of blood. If bleeding continues, the horse will be eliminated.
If a horse is eliminated during a class that is a qualifier for a championship or another class, they may compete in the championship if the bleeding issue is resolved. If a horse is eliminated in the work-off, a championship, or in a jump-off due to blood, they will be eliminated from that phase of the class and placed based on the score they had at the start of the work-off or jump-off round.
