Abuse must not be tolerated

Carl Hester on judging and why FEI officials must be treated with respect

- Polly Bryan

HAVING known Christian Landolt for many years, I was very sad to see his resignation from FEI officialdom and horrified by his reasons – concerns over abuse and bullying (news, 13 April). Christian was originally encouraged to become a judge by Stephen Clarke, and he took on the challenge in the eventing world – where he had ridden to top level – with the same passion and integrity as Stephen.

Christian’s experiences with the way he has been treated are far from isolated, and that others are afraid to speak out speaks volumes.

With the spotlight on horse welfare, and rightly so, an expectation that officials are treated with respect and that their welfare is looked after is totally reasonable; anything else is unacceptable.

Tensions can run high at competitions, of course. In the dressage world there is a very clear policy that if a rider has a gripe they have a discussion in the presence of the chief steward.