Pressure grows on the FEI to tackle concerns in dressage

A leading judge has made some recommendations he believes will help support the sport's future

PRESSURE continues to mount on the FEI to tackle the issues facing modern dressage.

Five-star judge, vet and head of the International Dressage Officials Club (IDOC) Hans-Christian Matthiesen is the latest senior figure to argue that the current competition format for dressage is outdated and needs change.

Among his suggestions are updating guidelines for judges that enable them to score a horse's general impression more easily, making equipment such as double bridles and spurs optional, and a marked assessment of each rider's warm-up that counts toward their total score.

Mr Matthiesen made suggestions in an article for Malgré Tout.

"I think when the article came out some took it as if I was against the sport, but I'm not," Mr Matthiesen told H&H.

"But I do get worried when I see people in dressage not willing to look into changes and consider what the outside world thinks. I'm not expecting to change everything for Paris now but we need to get the discussion going."