Riders will be asked to talk after falls to improve safety

A first-person account of any incident has so far been missing from data collected in international eventing

- LUCY ELDER

RIDERS involved in horse falls will be asked to speak with the ground jury to help improve cross-country safety in future.

The FEI already collects a certain amount of data on falls; after any fall, the fence judge, technical delegate (TD) or other official will fill in a report form, which includes detailed questions about the circumstances.

These forms are submitted to the FEI, which collates and analyses data as part of its drive to make eventing safer.

But one part of the puzzle that has been missing, until now, is the requirement for the first-person account of what happened, from the rider involved.

The FEI’s eventing committee and risk management steering group have now agreed that this should happen from 2024.