Fast tracked sanctions..
Why are we endorsing a sport that, as amazing as it could be, in its current format and setup really doesn't seem to bring any good to the table for the rest of equine community?
How hard can it be to just follow the rules? I admit to being a slave and total junkie in regards to the lists of yellow and warning cards. Not to mention the various lists of suspensions. All [still] to be found in the open on the website of the FEI, which would be the International Equestrian Federation.
Sadly enough some of these lists also makes it evident that some disciplines, more than others, struggles with some fundamental lack of discipline, education, animal welfare issues, and anything else that comes along with it.
One of these disciplines is endurance, the other one is eventing!
Endurance
In endurance, which is not my specialty, the amount of pure doping cases, warning and yellow cards is almost insane. Considering how many people [currently 3133 riders have ranking points] actually ride and compete this sport internationally, there are so many of them one don't even know where to be begin to try and explain it.
Even harder to explain may be the reasons why endurance, as a sport, is still under the flag of the FEI. On the other hand, endurance is mostly a sport for the insanely rich. But, where we have the insanely rich, we also tend to find most cases of any kind of sportswashing..
In 2024 endurance generated 26 yellow cards which doesn't sound that much now does it. But then they also have four trainers on the suspension list, two of those already from 2025, One rider sit on a two year suspension for human doping. Four made it into the ADP [Administrative Disciplinary Procedure]. In total there are about 20 riders on the Table of Suspensions list.
I also read there was a horse that broke a leg in a recent race.
Accidents can always happen but why are we endorsing a sport that, as amazing as it could be, in its current format and setup, really doesn't seem to bring any good to the table for the rest of equine community?
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