Eventing Rules 2024
Each year the FEI releases minor adjustments to the rules with large-scale revisions happening only every three or four years – the last major change having been 2023. The “redline” document summarises the changes to the FEI rules as well as the changes that were made by the ESA council to the South African sections of the rules during the course of 2023.
The South African rule changes mostly focused around MER requirements and particularly the requirements of Juniors to participate at 2-star and 3-star competitions.
The most notable of the FEI changes is that an athlete will be eliminated for jumping a fence with a frangible device that has fallen without it first being reset. Similar to Show Jumping, if a frangible device falls through the result of a disobedience or refusal (e.g. the horse bumps into the fence and does not jump it), the time should be stopped, the frangible device must be rebuilt and the athlete then allowed to reattempt the jump. In this instance, the athlete is awarded 20 penalties for the refusal to jump and none for activating the frangible device.
For FEI competitions, they have granted an extension until the end of 2024 to use National Officials for lower level FEI competitions. From 2025 onwards, all officials will have to be at least FEI Level 1.
In show jumping, cups now have dimensions for depth of between 20 and 25mm.
Generally, there has been a move to rely on the FEI Tack App rather than the previously published tack guidelines and these are reflected in various places through the rules. The FEI Tack App is free and is available on Apple and Android devices.
Not included here, but FEI Organising Committees (OCs) across all disciplines should be made aware of Appendix L of the FEI General Regulations: a 14 point list of requirements for FEI events. These are not new requirements, but do provide a consolidated list of the responsibilities that a show holder needs to comply with, which are reported to the FEI, and against which the FEI will evaluate OCs.