New rule for blood on horses proposed for showjumping

Federations will vote on a final proposed rule that scraps terminology relating to "minor" cases of blood

- By BECKY MURRAY

A NEW rule for tack- or rider-induced blood is proposed for jumping, and terminology on “minor cases” scrapped.

The final draft of FEI rules changes to go to the vote at the general assembly (4–7 November) have been published. The first draft was released in July, and national federations and stakeholders had the chance to feed back.

The jumping rules are undergoing a full revision this year and there has been much deliberation over blood-related eliminations, including repeated calls for proportionality in “micro or minor” cases of blood.

In the first draft the FEI proposed that “minor blood cases” would mean a recorded warning, and non-minor cases elimination or disqualification and maybe disciplinary action.

This was met with mixed reviews. The German federation said: “The determination between minor and more-than-minor blood could lead to different results between events and officials.”