The video that showed dressage golden girl Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain getting after a horse with a longe whip in a private leson made headlines across the world, with the revelation artfully timed for maximum impact before the Paris Olympics. The resulting furor underlined once again the need for horse sports everywhere to get ahead on the issue of social license to operate.
British Dressage, which came out with a Charter for the Horse a year ago, is “determined to use the events of this year as a positive catalyst for change,” BD Chief Executive Jason Brautigam announced. An Equine Welfare Action Plan is the core of BD’s strategy for the next four-years up to the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.
Could it serve as a template for other countries to use in elevating and insuring how horse welfare is handled in all disciplines? Take a look at this summation and decide for yourself:
The plan’s focus is on governance, training and education, and also sport development, “fundamental to creating an environment where equine welfare remains paramount above all other considerations. Our primary aim is to promote the highest standards of health and well-being for our equine partners, while demonstrating the harmonious relationship that can be achieved between horse and rider through dressage.”
The goal is to insure “a long-term and sustainable future” for the sport, with a transparent approach to equine welfare at BD competition and training events. Members are encouraged to report any breaches they may have witnessed, so BD can investigate. A pillar of that approach is effective reporting for all welfare-related incidents, including eliminations and warnings issued by officials, with a framework in place to support the training and education for repeat offenders.
Disciplinary procedures will include the issuing of formal warnings for minor offenses, to encourage best practice at all times, while more serious breaches now have a clearly defined framework for the range of sanctions that apply.
A Welfare and Officials Officer will act as the initial point of contact for escalating any welfare-related issues, supported by the Sport Operations Manager and Training and Education Manager, to ensure that there is an integrated approach across the organization.
The education aspect is designed to ensure that all BD members have access to the training required to improve knowledge and understanding of equine welfare. This will include a range of modules covering the fundamentals of horse care, stable management, correct fitting of tack and equipment, and equine behavioral psychology. Equine welfare will be embedded in all training and development for BD officials and coaches, as well as fully integrated into our ongoing CPD activity.
A Steward Development Program will be part of BD’s commitment to promote and professionalize the role. Longer term, BD also is aiming to establish welfare marshals, who would work in a voluntary capacity to expand the presence of officials at shows.
A new BD Learning Hub incorporates a horse care program for all ages and levels that offers information on stable management, tack, equipment and husbandry. It eventually will include a program of online webinars and workshops focused on equine welfare and equine behavioral psychology.
Meanwhile, BD will work with the FEI and other equestrian governing bodies on a comprehensive review of the sport’s rules. This will include judging systems, content of tests and ways to ensure the recognition and reward for a harmonious partnership that accentuates the horse’s natural way of going. This process will also involve critically assessing the movements required in higher level dressage tests, and the impact of coefficient marks, to consider the demands that these place on horses.
The primary aim of all dressage competition must be to encourage correct riding and training, placing an emphasis on harmony and synchronicity over tension and submission. There will be clearer guidelines for officials on the correct use of aids, tack and equipment. This will help officials assess the input as well as the output, with the goal of rewarding combinations where there is evidence of good training practices and improving the level of consistency in judging.
The BD Sport Development Committee will also be exploring how to adapt rider skills tests to promote correct use of aids, seat, balance and way of going, with the potential for these tests to be used in future to qualify for progression through the levels.
BD emphasizes that members must understand their obligations and exemplify these values in their own actions. Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam commented: “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of equine health, care and well-being. To achieve this, we must all consider our own values, attitudes and behaviors, whether that involves looking after horses at home, training them in preparation for competition, or riding in the arena.
“We all have a role to play when it comes to equine welfare, from officiating at a show to watching as a spectator –- we can no longer be passive bystanders.”