and the FEI responds, personally

This morning I woke up and found this in my inbox:

Hi Billie,

Malina here, from FEI Communications.

Thank you for your positive feedback.

I was very humbled by the fact that you posted my previous comment in such a prominent way.

I would like to say we not only welcome but need the dialogue with all those involved in the sport, be they top riders and trainers or the millions of horse lovers who care about their horses and without whom the sport wouldn't exist.

Now thanks to social media this is possible.

Congratulations on the quality of your blog which is always interesting to read.

All the best,
Malina



Malina, thank you for continuing to read and respond.

Given that I am not an upper level rider or trainer, but someone who has come back to riding at middle life and chosen dressage as a discipline to study, along with my horses, I appreciate very much that anyone in the FEI cares what I think. I do feel my opinions and those of my readers are informed and many of my readers have far more experience riding and training than do I, so I learn here every day.

If I can offer anything in this ongoing debate, it's my experience as a psychotherapist trained early on from the perspective of social work, which prides itself on the philosophy that all work begins where the client IS. Not where we want him/her to be.

We are where we are, wrt the current situation in competitive dressage, and I know from long years working on child welfare issues that polarizing and refusing to talk to one another will gain us exactly nothing.

Change begins when there is genuine communication, and I personally feel that has happened since the blue tongue video hit the internet.

Plenty of people will work hard and then quit because the FEI didn't give them exactly what they wanted.

But there are many dedicated and knowledgeable horse people who will continue advocating for the horse, while at the same time realizing that it is a longer-term endeavor, and that finding common ground and developing respectful communication is the way to move forward.

While I will never compete at the FEI level, I want to watch dressage in the Olympics and feel both pride and inspiration in what I see there. And I want to see happy, healthy horses who have freedom to move and breathe and show off their unique skills.

I don't doubt this is what the FEI wants as well. The work is how to get there in a way that honors the horse and sets clear standards for the rider.

Thank you for your part in this journey!


I'm planning a special blog post that will go up on Monday, Feb. 22nd. I hope everyone will participate and tell anyone you know who might be interested to come by and join in.

For one week, I'm going to transform camera-obscura into an open forum for communicating with the FEI, trusting that while Malina may not be able to respond to every comment, she will be reading and absorbing what we have to say.

I'll explain more on Monday, but be thinking about what you'd like to say, and remember my guidelines: genuine and respectful communication. No one will come back to a table to talk or listen if they are treated rudely.

It's possible to channel passion and strong belief in ideals into engaging discussion that has the potential to create change. And remember, change is a spectrum. It's a path made of small stepping stones. If every time you speak, you put one stone into a solid place on the path, you've succeeded.

FEI Update

Text from the FEI website:



FEI ANNOUNCES COMPOSITION OF NEW WORKING GROUP

The composition of the FEI working group tasked with expanding current guidelines for Stewards to facilitate clear implementation of the policy on warm-up techniques following on from last week’s round-table conference on hyperflexion/Rollkur has been finalised today.

As announced after last week’s conference in Lausanne, the working group will be chaired by Dressage Committee Chair Frank Kemperman. Group members are Richard Davison (GBR), Rider/Trainer; John P. Roche (IRL), FEI Director Jumping/Stewarding; Jacques Van Daele (BEL), FEI Honorary Dressage Steward General/Judge; Wolfram Wittig (GER), Trainer; and Trond Asmyr (NOR), FEI Dressage Director/Judge. The working group will also draw on the expertise of a number of other specialists, including but not limited to the participants of the round-table conference*. The working group aims to have the guidelines completed by the end of March 2010.

The guidelines produced by the group will be communicated directly to Stewards and also to riders and trainers. The working group is expected to put forward further proposals for the education of Stewards to ensure that FEI rules are strictly adhered to and that the welfare of the horse is maintained at all times.

Guidelines for Stewards will incorporate the use of a range of sanctions, including verbal warnings and yellow cards for riders who transgress. Stewards will also be readvised to watch out for signs of distress in the horse, which may include but are not limited to obvious fatigue, profound or inappropriate sweating, persistent rough use of aids (i.e. bits, spurs or whip) and over-repetition of exercises.

The FEI Management is also currently studying a range of additional measures, including the use of closed circuit television for warm-up arenas at selected shows so that potential abuse accusations can be more readily identified and recorded.

The FEI will ensure that all findings produced by the working group are communicated on an ongoing basis.


* Participants in the Lausanne round-table conference on hyperflexion/Rollkur (9 February 2010) were:

HRH Princess Haya, FEI President
Alex McLin, FEI Secretary General
International Dressage Riders Club, Margit Otto-Crepin
International Dressage Trainers Club, Linda Keenan
Francois Mathy, International Jumping Riders Club
David Broome, jumping representative
Sjef Janssen, dressage representative
Jonathan Chapman, Event Riders Association
Graeme Cooke, FEI Veterinary Director
Trond Asmyr, FEI Director Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage
John Roche, FEI Director Jumping and stewarding
Catrin Norinder, FEI Director Eventing
Ian Williams, FEI Director Non-olympic sports
Carsten Couchouron, FEI Executive Director Commercial
Richard Johnson, FEI Director Communications
Jacques van Daele, FEI Honorary Steward General Dressage
John McEwen, FEI Veterinary Committee Chair
World Horse Welfare, Roly Owers and Tony Tyler
Ulf Helgstrand, President Danish NF
Dr Sue Dyson
Dr.Gerd Heuschmann
Professor René van Weeren
Frank Kemperman, FEI Dressage Committee Chair (by phone)


I personally feel the FEI's efforts to inform people on this are commendable. Richard Johnson posted this on the Blue Tongue Facebook page, which he didn't have to do, and I also feel the responses on the video to very specific concerns show the FEI as an organization are listening to what we have to say.

I realize many people are skeptical of the FEI's intentions to make meaningful change, but the first step is communication, and when they listen and respond specifically to concerns many of us have had in the past week, it is, in my opinion, a positive shift.

Huff And Puff Training And Leadership: An Opinion On The FEI Rollkur Decision | The Chronicle of the Horse

Huff And Puff Training And Leadership: An Opinion On The FEI Rollkur Decision | The Chronicle of the Horse

Posted using ShareThis

pre-spring training

Yesterday afternoon was warm if you only looked at the thermometer, but there was a cold wind blowing that made being out for any length of time a miserable prospect.

However, chores had to be done, so I went out and groomed Salina, who was lovely and soft and black on one side, and crusty orange on the other. She moved from spot to spot as I brushed, until we found a sunny place she liked, and then she stopped. This ended up being in the arena, and the donkeys were happy to do their donkey play on the soft, clean, non-muddy footing.

The geldings were in the back field, keeping an eye on us in between bites of hay.

I finished up Salina and then gave the donkeys a good brushing. Keil Bay and Cody came to the arena fence and hung their heads over so I could clean up their faces and heads. That's all they wanted, and when I tried to brush further down the necks, they stepped away.

The next chore involved doing the last of the mucking, and I was really not in the mood, as it was actually cooler in the barn than out in the sunshine.

So I found a distraction. The arena has been clear for months now. I like the dressage markers in place, and nothing else in there, and that's how it's been. But suddenly I decided we needed some variety, and I spent an hour setting up five jumps. This involved bringing standards out of corners, pulling poles from the sides, and rolling/securing barrels. All of which was prime entertainment for two young donkeys.

Rafer Johnson and Redford investigated and supervised every move I made. They enjoyed getting on either side of a jump and doing their donkey play over the pole in between. Redford made a very dramatic game out of spooking at the barrels, racing around and around them and then darting away as if they were coming at him. Rafer thought this ridiculous and didn't participate.

At some point they made their way to a jump and both went over it together, knocking the pole down in their haste. They both decided at the same instant that this meant RUN, and they galloped out of the arena like wild things, in search of Salina, who had done her walking and exited earlier.

I'd been so intent on watching donkeys I hadn't noticed there were now three geldings lined up at the arena gate, all wanting to come in and play.

So I let them in.

Of course the donkeys came running back. The horses checked out each jump. The pony went around and methodically knocked each pole to the ground with his nose, and then used his hooves to roll the poles away from the standards. He tried to climb on top of the barrel jump, but I think realized how silly he'd look if he ended up with front feet on one side, rears on the other.

Keil Bay checked each jump out, almost as if he were doing a safety inspection.

Cody became engaged in a play session with Redford. Rafer and I were cleaning out a corner of the arena that needed some attention while watching all the activity.

After an hour, I had moved on to mucking and my daughter came out. "Mom?" I heard her voice and then she was in the arena, galloping on two legs over the jumps. In a few more minutes, she had the pony in with her, and was offering an alfalfa pellet for each jump he took with her. So by the end of the afternoon, there was actually a little bit of pre-spring training going on.

It was fun seeing the pony trotting along with daughter, then breaking into a canter as they approached the jumps.

Hard to resist on a sunny but cold afternoon. I'm not sure if the furor over rollkur has me completely put out with dressage, but all I could think of yesterday afternoon was popping over the jumps on Keil Bay. And oddly, whether I should look for a jumping saddle! I'm sure it was spring fever, but the thought was there! :)

It looks like we're in for a string of very nice days: 52 degrees today, 57 tomorrow, 60 and 61 for the weekend. And NO RAIN! Perfect for getting a few out of work geldings back into the swing.

translation of Cavallo's interview with Gerd Heuschmann about the FEI's Feb. 9th meeting

Project Horse has posted a translation of Gerd Heuschmann's interview with Cavallo about his impressions on the FEI meeting of February 9th.