What does BD need to do to save Dressage?

[canteron]

I don’t want to be associated with or watch dressage any more. I am not thinking ‘how beautiful, how controlled’ but how did they train that then.

Suggestions on how BD should improve? My thoughts

-No spurs
-Marks deducted for tension and retrain all judges to look for abuse (impractical?
-Rollur in the warm up ring automatic suspension
-Competitors have to sign to say their horse gets at least 4 hours turnout a day

Seriously, what can they do, recent events have branded it as an abusive ‘sport’. They need to do something?

 

[millitiger]

I think it's the FEI's remit more than BD's to be honest.
I do think stewards in warm ups and car parks needs to be much braver about stopping some practices but I don't think they feel empowered at the moment.
They need some black and white guidelines about what is too low, what is too round etc. so they can feel confident to report things.

The AI judging looks interesting, where it marks according to the angles of joints, matching front to back legs and measures head against the vertical etc.

I don't think any sporting body can control what happens behind closed doors - maybe closed doors is the problem and there needs to be more openness on the yards and training? Live streams of arenas, CCTV, people encouraged to video and share etc.

 

[sbloom]

GoPros on the judges, changing the rules back to not allow the face to be on the vertical at all. AI a possibility. Riders could sign up to an overall charter committing to 5 freedoms etc but not sure it could ever be inforced, there's always too much temptation to just look good. We'd HAVE to somehow empower stewards much more, and ensure that there is no way that pressure can be placed on stewards or judges. In Icelandic competition there was a judge removed because a powerful competitor objected to being penalised for hyperflexion. I don't doubt similar things have happened here and in international dressage.

Judge selection may need to be changed, they're all part of the problem and have the wrong paradigm, plus are connected to competitors and breeders, very closely! No stallions to be bred before the age of 8, vet records to be provided to potential breeders, no young horse classes.

But agree it will have to be the FEI, no point BD making those changes. Hell will freeze over before either of them do anything close to what is needed and anything less won't change competitive dressage enough to truly put the horse at the centre of everything, instead of money.