Traces of blood on horses have previously led to exclusion from competition. Now the World Equestrian Federation has relaxed these rules and sparked protests in Germany. But team.research pointed out: The problem started in popular sports.
The World Equestrian Federation (FEI) approved the relaxation of the “blood rule” at its general meeting on November 7.
Until recently, the rule in all tournaments was that a rider would be removed from the tournament as soon as blood was seen on his horse. With the new regulations, it is possible to start international tournaments with horses that have visible blood. This must be decided through an on-site health inspection. Several international and national tournaments take place in Germany every year.
The German Equestrian Association (FN) voted against the relaxation of the rules and expressed clear criticism. In an interview published by the association, FN President Martin Richenhagen said: “If a horse has bleeding caused by its rider, it cannot continue to compete.” This is a question of respect and responsibility. According to Richenhagen, this rule must still apply in national tournaments. “Our goal is to be a role model in equestrian sport. That means: the highest standards in handling our horses.”
But as the FN campaigns internationally to clarify boundaries, a different picture is emerging in German equestrian sport. Documented by tournament team.researchJournalists repeatedly reported animal welfare violations without action being taken by tournament judges or association representatives.
“This one can’t appear on TV”
Reporters from team.research observed behavior contrary to animal welfare at several equestrian tournaments in Germany. The team was there for official shooting at the jumping tournament in Chemnitz-Röhrsdorf in Saxony.
It documents a professional rider hitting his horse several times with a whip on the track. A tournament judge, who is responsible for the running of the tournament and is supposed to look out for animal welfare violations, then spoke team.research-Reporter and tries to influence reporting. The driver “couldn’t be on TV” because he “hit it too hard.” The judge was concerned that the images would be shared on the social network Facebook.
Worried about one thing Imitation effect
When questioned by a team of reporters, tournament judge Birgit Dammer explained that excessive use of the whip was not permitted: “The rider was then informed and advised that he would be immediately disqualified from the event, not only from the test, but from the event, if there were any further similar incidents.”
Instructor Kerstin Gerhardt criticized the fact that riders do not have to face immediate consequences for behavior that violates animal welfare. She is licensed by the German Equestrian Association (FN) and has been teaching equestrian sports for 40 years.
In his experience, there are one or two riders at every tournament who are too focused on success: “You just have to slow them down and get them out of there.” According to them, not only is it bad for the horse, but it also has a big imitation effect.
Animal welfare violations Rollkur Method
To check the welfare status of animals at equestrian tournaments, be accompanied team.research veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies from near Frankfurt am Main. Tönnies operates a small animal practice and has been committed to animal protection for many years. He regularly attended equestrian tournaments and filmed there on the sly to convey possible grievances to the public.
The team observed them during weekend tournaments in Hesse and Rhineland-Palatinate. At equestrian tournaments, Kirsten Tönnie’s riders are seen as they ride their horses in what is called rollkur, also known as hyperflexion. With this training method, the horse’s head is pulled firmly towards its chest for a longer period of time.
This has a negative effect on the muscles and causes pain, says Kirsten Tönnies: “We ourselves also know that if we have to stand in a position that is too tense for a long time, the muscles will hurt, start to burn and become sour. That is what the horse feels too. And there is pain in his mouth from the strong impact of the bit.”
“Amazing power and control”
Scientific studies prove this. In a 2024 meta-study, 58 scientific papers on Rollkur were evaluated. Results: In the majority of cases, negative impacts on horse welfare were found. Excessive head and neck flexion can limit the field of vision, make breathing difficult, and cause stress and pain in the head and neck area.
A recent study confirmed that the more horses are pulled with their heads toward their chests, the more often they show stress signals such as opening their mouths or flapping their tails.
The researchers therefore classified Rollkur as contrary to animal welfare. Kerstin Gerhardt explains why riders still use this method: They have “tremendous power and control.” Since the horse can no longer see anything, “it can feel no fear, no disturbance, no thoughts of its own, but only does what its rider from above wishes it to do.”
Tournament judges intervene too rarely
The German Equestrian Association establishes clear animal protection rules at national tournaments. Riders are obliged to put their horse’s welfare above sporting ambitions. Therefore, excessive riding of the Rollkur is considered to be contrary to animal welfare.
On-site tournament judges are responsible for checking. They must intervene if the rules are violated. Example of team.research However, this shows that the judge is not always present to exercise control or does not intervene even though the roll call is clear.
Veterinarian Kirsten Tönnies says that even if you no longer see blood on the animal, you still see a rider who is not treating his horse well. He sees the problem primarily in the lack of control of judges.
No independent control
Every year, the animal protection organization PETA receives dozens of reports of violations in equestrian sports and reports many of them. “Unfortunately, doctors and tournament judges often overlook this, so observations should be sent to your local veterinarian’s office,” said Peter Höffken, head of PETA’s campaign team.
Although, in his opinion, punishments are too rare and too light, one report is noteworthy: “Intra-association penalties are rare and are usually laughed at by the riders.”
The German Equestrian Association relies primarily on trust and personal responsibility when complying with its regulations. There is no independent control over the work of tournament judges.
There are no national statistics
Dennis Peiler, chairman of the FN board, acknowledged that the association is repeatedly faced with a critical picture: “Then we have to face it. How does this bad picture come about? What is the role of the supervisor on site? Is there so much noise, can’t he see it at the moment? Our judges go through regular training, meaning things that happen on site and may not make the most of case studies.”
Additionally, spectators must raise animal welfare violations directly to the judge on site or report them to the responsible regional association. The association does not keep national statistics regarding warnings or disqualifications for animal welfare reasons, although related cases must be reported to the state association.
