04/10/2025
SEE EDIT FOR MORE CONTEXT. Following a conference that indicated there might be hope for changes coming from the we are disheartened to be sent images like these from a recent event in Krakow.
It seems that despite the compelling presentations on humane, evidence-based training methods, the Federation has yet to implement the necessary welfare improvements.
This reluctance to adopt non-abusive practices raises serious questions as to why do these Federations continue to endorse training methods known to cause harm?
The welfare of our equine partners should be paramount, yet outdated and detrimental techniques persist.
With the growing awareness within the horse world, the general public and mainstream media about the reality of what is happening for these horses, someone has to take the lead and make a break from the toxic culture that is pervasive in competitive equestrian sport today.
It would have been great if the Polish Equestrian Team had stepped up and prioritized horse welfare by embracing the evidence and research based, horse welfare centric protocols that were presented last year😓
EDIT - IMPORTANT - We have received more context to this situation from one of our welfare advocates in Poland.
This took place in the warm up and under the supervision of the stewards. The steward responsible DID immediately notice the tack and raised doubts about the legality of it.
After some quick research on the FEI TackApp, the steward reported the tack to the chief of the stewards.
The Chief approached the rider and asked him to leave the arena and remove the tack, even though it wasn't stated in the FEI regulations it was prohibited.
The rider responded, took off the equipment, and did not use it again for the duration of the competition.
The photo was taken by one of the volunteers at the show.
We very much appreciate the actions of the both the rider and the stewards in working cooperatively to promote horse welfare and to be diligent about improving the reputation of competitive equestrian sport.
We acknowledge our mistake in not doing enough due diligence to give the proper context to this situation, apologize for any issues caused, and again applaud the stewards and rider for their cooperation in making this horse more comfortable.
