The International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) has today announced that it has submitted several proposals to changes to the FEI rules – hereunder the FEI General Regulations, the FEI Jumping Rules, and the FEI Veterinary Regulations – to take effect from 2026. 

The FEI Jumping Rules are subject to a full periodic revision in 2025, and at the upcoming FEI Sports Forum on 31 March-1 April one of the sessions will be dedicated to this topic. The IJRC will be represented throughout the Sports Forum with its Director Eleonora Ottaviani and President François Mathy Jr.

One of the IJRC’s requests concerns the FEI Jumping Rules art. 241.3.30 concerning elimination (blood on the horse’s flank(s)), with the Club proposing that the rule should open for more discretion. In their press release, the Club states: “IJRC requests that Art. 241.3.30 of FEI Jumping Rules allows more discretion over minor blood on the flanks of the horse, with heavier consequences only where there the rider is involved in a further incident with blood in a 12-month period. The IJRC is concerned that elimination for any reason is increasingly misinterpreted by the public as resulting from a horse welfare issue, which is catastrophic for the image of our sport.” The full proposal from the IJRC can be read here.

The IJRC also suggests a new wording to the FEI Veterinary Regulations art. 1044.8 – which comes into effect on 1 May 2025 – requiring checks on noseband tightness to be done pre-competition and not post-competition. The Club points out that where there is post-competition testing, the rider must be allowed a pre-competition test. The IJRC is also of the opinion that the FEI approved Measuring Device should only be used when the FEI official has doubts, and not on every horse. The full proposal from the IJRC can be read here.

Once again, the IJRC calls for changes to the Olympic format – requesting to reinstate the former format with teams of four horse-and-rider combinations, and a drop score. The full proposal from the IJRC can be read here.

The IJRC also calls for more opportunities for U25 riders. The full proposal from the IJRC can be read here.