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[RC] FEI / Rule Changes / Transparency - Michael R. Schuppenhauer

So there is agreement that the rules set forth before the WEG in
Jerez were not ideal to secure that "the horse is paramount". The
US and other nations request rule changes to protect the horse.
Now the rule changes come about, but oh-no we do not want them
for "our" Pan-Ams because, oh-no, we would not have enough riders
to ride then. This appears inconsequential to me.

I think there are issues in the current way how the sport is
conducted in Europe and the US and Australia and the World
around. The horses are not always equally paramount. The rules
need to be reviewed and they should be the same for everybody.
What is unproductive is the finger-pointing exercise by which one
tries to make oneself the better sportsman. Unfortunately, rules
and legal quarrels seem to become part of every sport (thanks to
the lawyers or the people that leave rules unclear in the first
place). However, constantly arguing and getting waivers here and
there, but then pointing to other countries and regions and
calling foul is even more disintegrating to the sport.

I would believe the way forward for any sport is to convince by
performance and persistence and transparency. Doing one owns
homework well and right, delivering transparent communications to
all and offering a convincing package. This, IMHO, is not the
case on either sides of the ponds. Not only the FEI is at fault,
the Pan Am website has factual errors and the communication from
the side of the OC is unclear, the forms are too much designed
for the US American user and do not consider the international
nature of the event. I look at it with tolerance as an emerging
sport and event. It is amateurs and not paid-for pros (which is
actually incorrect as there are pros in the US as well...), on
the same token, we should exercise tolerance and listen to other
perspectives and their valid points.

I think it is recommendable if the US makes a push in Paris to
change rules for the sport the envision. Unfortunately, the
communication the details of what *actually* was proposed,
concluded and  agreed (i.e. the documents) was not released, it
is all hearsay. The confusion is only increased.

I think there are many points to work on from the US side as well
to make the case more solid. There needs to be a set of rules and
they are the same for everybody and they need to be known and put
in writing and communicated.

What needs to happen:

* Update the Pan-Am website to be technically/FEI correct
* Update the Pan-Am website to reflect international (i.e. non-US
riders)
* Communicate clearly the ongoing status of the discussions with
the FEI and the rationale behind the points to the activists
(riders), what was said in Paris ?
* Convince the world by performance and not by whining that the
US has the better standards

On that note (and I got pulled at TM as well) it is not a very
convincing showing if from 42 FEI starters 18 or so get pulled
because of lameness. It is not a good showing for the sport, the
riders, the course. We need to do better homework ourselves.

Michael R. Schuppenhauer, Ph.D.


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