‘Miserably failed’: world’s top riders speak out over conditions at flagship events

Leeading riders have spoken out over conditions at two major shows with Britain’s world number two showjumper Ben Maher saying the FEI “miserably failed” with the 2023 European Showjumping Championships in Milan.

Ben, who finished just off the individual podium, said the “sport was incredible” but his gripes were the venue and logistics.

“The sport was great because of the riders, horses and owners,” said Ben, at the publicly live-streamed International Jumping Riders Club annual meeting (8 December).

“But the venue? Supposedly the European Championships is the flagship horse show of the year for the FEI. And my opinion as a rider is that it was the worst show I’ve been to.”

The organising committee declined to comment.

Ben added: “The ground, the surface, the first day was not a fair playing field. Whether it was better at the beginning or the end is neither here nor there, but it was not consistent. It did improve, but that could have ultimately altered some people’s results.

“The stabling area: they did the best they could with the situation, but when you put a horse show in the middle of a building site, you’re starting with many difficulties.

“I had owners there, as everybody did. They had to sit on the floor. The riders’ stand – no cover, not enough space for riders to watch. My wife, owners, not able to come into the same area where us riders were allowed to drink and eat.”

He said it was “disappointing” the venue was approved and passed.

“I feel the FEI is coming up with all these rules, things to try to improve the sport. But the one show of the year they have to show they’re the best and that they do a great job for horses, riders and owners, they miserably failed.”

His comments were met with applause.

An FEI spokesman told H&H: “While the FEI fully acknowledges that certain infrastructures were not ideal or representative of an FEI championship standard, we believe the organising committee delivered the championship successfully in spite of extraordinary and potentially dangerous meteorological conditions leading up to the event.

“Conditions will have had an impact on their ability to deliver on other workstreams and affected areas such as the level of comfort they could offer. We remain confident that the stable management was handled very professionally and all the footing-related assessments and procedures were conducted according to relevant procedures and standards.”

The spokesman added that all national federations, chef d’equipes and the IJRC were invited to a site visit weeks beforehand, to get to know the venue and assess the footing.

“[The footing] had been under the watchful eye of an expert team for years, and had undergone a lengthy upgrade programme,” said the spokesman.

“The participants were also presented with the results from the official surface testing in June 2023, and the positive review, which confirmed that the competition field was in line with the quality specifications required. It was unfortunate the IJRC did not send a representative, as their request to have horses involved in the testing of the footing was accommodated, and the visit was intended as a collaborative and productive exercise. Nevertheless, it must be noted that the visit and footing test was deemed a success by the national federation representatives and chef d’equipe.

“We fully acknowledge the quality standard of the grass arena was impacted by the weather, but this is to be expected when dealing with a natural surface, and we would be more than happy to share the footing analysis report with IJRC to highlight the impact of the weather.”

Ireland’s Michael Duffy questioned allocation of individual prize money. Michael withdrew from the second round on the last day as his mare sustained an injury. He finished 12th, but results show he won €3,000 (around £2,580) – the amount given to those who finished 20th to 24th – while the competitor who finished 13th won €6,000.

Michael said being penalised for good horse welfare, by withholding prize money, is “very contradictory to what the FEI is promoting”. An FEI spokesman said that this was owing to rules around allocation of prize money, but would raise the issue with its jumping committee.

Henrik von Eckermann also aired disappointment with the surface at the 2023 World Cup final in Omaha, which he won. H&H has contacted the organisers for comment.

An FEI spokesman told H&H the federation has high standards when it comes to footing, with accredited suppliers and methods developed with industry experts to assess objectively.

“There can be and have been unfortunate occasions when the standards we (the FEI and the riders) expect are not met and this can be for different reasons, and from these occasions we learn and do our best to make sure we don’t make the same mistakes twice,” said the spokesman. “At Omaha, testing had not been carried out in advance due to extraordinary circumstances, but as soon as concerns were raised, extensive efforts were made to address and resolve the issues, and test results indicated that conditions improved.

“The FEI oversees over 4,500 international events annually. While we fully acknowledge that the European and World Cup Finals are flagship events, we are committed to deliver a quality platform to promote our sport at all events.

“We strive to meet the expectations of our community and work tirelessly to ensure the best conditions for horses and athletes, as well as grooms and support personnel, with guaranteed integrity and a level playing field at the heart.”

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