Text © World of Showjumping

“In our sport, one of the worst things that can happen to a horse is for it to be ridden by an inexperienced rider at a height the rider is not ready for. That’s a big welfare issue,” Leopoldo Palacios – a FEI Level 4 course designer and one of eleven FEI Honorary Vice-Presidents, who has held several important positions within the FEI throughout the years – stated in his recent interview with World of Showjumping. “FEI should have an international qualifying system for riders, so that they need to compete at every different height to move up in the classes. Riders should also hold a license in order to be able to compete. If you look at other sports, many of them operate with a license, and I think we should as well.”

What Palacios is suggesting – minimum requirements for entering different star-levels in FEI sanctioned jumping competitions – is an issue that was already brought up during a panel discussion at the 2025 FEI Sports Forum. A key topic during this discussion was a clearer progression system, something the FEI is now actively reviewing.

World of Showjumping spoke with Philippe Le Jeune, Henrik Ankarcrona, Helena Stormanns and Henrik von Eckermann to get their opinions on the matter, while a FEI spokesperson shared the view of the sport’s governing body.

Currently, the right to enter FEI sanctioned events is lightly regulated.

However, in the FEI Code of Conduct for the welfare of the horse – which the FEI requires all those involved in international equestrian sport to adhere to – it is stated that “- - Participation in competition must be restricted to fit horses and athletes of proven competence.”

Furthermore, to enter FEI events, horses and riders must be registered with the FEI and their national federation as regulated in the FEI Jumping Rules article 272. There are also minimum age requirements for horses and riders.

In practice, national federations make the entries for their riders based on the invitations for CSI and CSIO events, and while some specific events – such as the FEI World Championships and the Olympic Games, as well as certain continental championships – require a certificate of capability, minimum requirements only come into play at a small selection of FEI competitions.

As an example, minimum requirements can be found in the FEI Jumping Rules article 219.3.5. This rule states that in order to take part in a CSI5*/CSIO5*/CSI5*-W Grand Prix or FEI Jumping World Cup™, riders must have recorded – over the last 12 months – a result of four penalties or less at minimum 1.50m level with the horse they want to enter.

“Allowing riders that are not experienced to bring horses into classes that the riders are not capable of doing should not be allowed, and this is also a horse welfare issue,” the 2010 World Champion Philippe Le Jeune tells World of Showjumping. “The only one who's paying the bill is the horse. When I started in Belgium, everyone went from doing clear rounds in 1.10m to then doing 1.20m classes, and you were not allowed to jump 1.30m before having certain results. Nowadays, those who have the financial means can buy a top horse, hire a trainer and pay for a VIP table – and get to compete without first proving their capability.”

“All riders who loves their horses should first analyse what he or she can do to ride the horse in the best possible manner,” Le Jeune continues. “As a rider, you should not be putting your horse at risk. Giving a little sugar to your horse while coming out of the ring with thirty-two faults is not loving a horse, and that's certainly not showing any respect towards the horse. Another issue are riders who don’t have the decency to retire when things are not going well. First of all, this is not good for the horse, and it's not good for our sport either.”

“It all starts at national level,” Le Jeune points out. “There should be better national regulations to begin with. The whole system is a pyramid, and we should not look at the problem at the top without addressing what lies underneath.”

Giving a little sugar to your horse while coming out of the ring with thirty-two faults is not loving a horse, and that's certainly not showing any respect towards the horse.

Le Jeune believes that incorporating a maximum penalty score could be an option. “Nowadays, when you have four penalties, you most likely will not be placed anyway,” he explains. “When you start to go over 12 penalties, it often becomes clear that the rider has difficulties, and it would be best if the judge could ring the bell to stop the round. Additionally, after a certain amount of high penalty scores, entries for the big classes should in my opinion be refused.”

Furthermore, Le Jeune believes that the number of shows a horse can jump annually should be regulated as well. “I don't think it's normal that horses travel by plane like we take the car. Horses are sent from one place to the other, and they often compete excessively, while their riders explain how much the horses love it. A horse does not understand if it is an Olympic champion or a world champion. Sure, horses enjoy attention, but the only time they know they have done well is when the rider jumps the last fence, pats the horse, and the horse feels the pressure going away – and that is a reward for them,” Le Jeune says.

“We have our human codes, and horses have theirs – and we should never mix them,” Le Jeune concludes. “To be at the top of the sport with your horses, you have to understand their codes and how they function. We can't ask for the horses’ permission because they don't speak. Therefore, it is our responsibility to keep our feet on the ground, use common sense and treat our horses as naturally as possible. The older I get, the more I appreciate horses; horses are the best souls that mankind has ever met.”

“I think there should be some kind of stepping stone or minimum requirements when you go from two-star competitions to three-star and further to four- and five-star shows,” the Swedish Chef d’Equipe Henrik Ankarcrona tells World of Showjumping. “I have a feeling that we need to shake the current system a little bit.”

“In many cases, everything goes too fast,” Ankarcrona points out. “I'm not talking about the top ranked riders. I believe they should have experience enough, and we should be able to expect them to make the right choices for their horses. However, for the up-and-coming riders, who don’t have experience, having a clear system of minimum requirements could be beneficials. I think it would also help the trainers, because riders – and their support teams – can often be quite eager to step up, even if their trainer would prefer working on consistency. Having a system in place that they could rely on would make the trainer’s job easier as well.”

I think it would also help the trainers, because riders – and their support teams – can often be quite eager to step up, even if their trainer would prefer working on consistency.

“If there is a will, there are always ways forward, and I think it would benefit our horses and the sport in general,” Ankarcrona continues. “Another point that I have been thinking about is to modify the age category for young riders. Currently, you are a young rider until you turn 21, but I think the limit should be moved up to 22 or even 23 years. This would give young riders a bit more time, because going from juniors to young riders is a big step.”

“I think there should be minimum requirements and I've said it for quite a long time,” Helena Stormanns, one of the most respected trainers in the sport, tells World of Showjumping. “Things have changed in our sport, and the biggest shift happened when it became possible to buy into competing. That basically changed everything. Currently, anyone who wants and has the means to pay for it can go to a big show. I don't know if it's the best way forward.”

“There are minimum requirements for the Olympics, and I would even make those a little stronger,” Stormanns continues. “The higher you go on the world ranking list, the less you have to worry when it comes to the riders being capable. However, I believe anything above 1.45m should have some sort of qualification system. At 1.45m, I think it's still okay to let riders have a go, because they have to learn. I am also not so concerned about the number of penalties, because I believe you can go in and have three rails down and you've still jumped a good class. However, multiple eliminations and multiple falls are not good; not for our horses, and not for our sport.”

“First of all, we have to think of the horses,” Stormanns explains. “I suppose we should be thinking of the riders first, as you don't want people getting injured, but they are in control. Riders can either go in the class or they can withdraw, whereas the horses don't get a choice. Therefore, we have to think of the horses and stop the bad rounds that we sometimes see. If you want to jump a 1.60m class, then I do feel that you should have enough rounds at 1.50m level with eight faults and less, and certainly at 1.55m level. If people were more sensitive and sensible, we wouldn't have these issues arising. It all goes extremely fast these days, and I believe it would be in our horses’ best interest if we could hold things back a little.”  

There's nothing boring about keeping jumping clear rounds. Consistency is a great thing, but consistently falling off and getting eliminated isn't.

“It's a sensitive subject, not just internationally,” Stormanns continues. “I'm in America at the moment and I see a lot of classes where people are definitely not ready to jump bigger, but they're trying to do it and there are an awful lot of accidents. For me, it's shocking. We can't stop everything and we can't change the world, but it would be nice if people got more experience at lower levels where they're comfortable. There's nothing boring about keeping jumping clear rounds. Consistency is a great thing, but consistently falling off and getting eliminated isn't.”

“Personally, I am responsible for what my son Tony does, and what some of the people that I train do,” Helena points out. “And I do tell them when it's time to step down. Sometimes it has nothing to do with the rider, sometimes it's about the horse, and I don't take these decisions lightly." 

"As an example, last year, there was a class in Aachen on the Friday that was very difficult. Nina [Editor’s note: Nina Mallevaey, currently ranked 7th in the world] was in it with a very careful, inexperienced horse. I walked that course and I thought ‘whoa, this is a really difficult course’. I watched the first few horses go and there were a lot of bad rounds, and after talking with the French Chef d’Equipe, Nina and the horse’s owners, we withdrew the horse. In the end, I felt it was my responsibility to the horse, and for me, these are decisions that sometimes you have to make. There's always another day, another show and another class. However, a horse can only take so much – and if you push them too far, you might never get back to where you were before.”

“It simply makes sense to have basic requirements for each star level,” 2022 double world champion Henrik von Eckermann tells WoSJ. “I really believe minimum requirements are important, especially to protect our horses. In many other sports, even if you can afford to enter, you still need the right experience and skills to reach the top level—and I think our sport should be the same.”

“I believe riders should show they are ready before moving forwards,” he continues. “We already see how different the levels are at two-star shows. The competition is tough, and it can be very challenging for less experienced riders. Progressing step by step—from two-star to three-star, then to four-star, and so on—would help everyone. I know this will take time, but I truly believe it’s necessary. Once you earn your license for a certain level, it should stay with you for life, because it shows you’ve worked your way there properly.”

We need to decide what matters most: Being a top sport that tries to protect our horses as much as possible, or wanting as many flags as possible competing in the Olympics.

“A system like this would benefit everyone—the horse, the rider, and the trainer,” von Eckermann explains. “Today, everything moves very fast, and many people want success as quickly as possible. This can put pressure on trainers to not hold riders back, even when it might be the right thing to do because they worry about losing income.”

“We really need a better system, that isn’t just cosmetic — like some of the current minimum requirements, such as those for the Olympic Games,” von Eckermann says. “Another good example of standards that are not strong enough is those for the FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final. Every year, we can clearly see how varied the field is on the first day of competition.” 

“I don’t think the current standards are strong enough,” von Eckermann concludes. “We need to decide what matters most: Being a top sport that tries to protect our horses as much as possible, or wanting as many flags as possible competing at the Olympics. I am the perfect example of how we can never take away the risks involved in our sport; the Paris Olympics were definitely not a good experience for my horse. However, I still believe that experience and strong qualification standards are the best way to protect our horses and to minimize the risks.”

“Ensuring that both horses and athletes are fit and ready to compete is essential for safety and for maintaining fair and high-quality competition in Jumping,” an FEI spokesperson commented to World of Showjumping when asked about the need for minimum requirements for entering FEI events. 

"For this reason, the possible introduction of Minimum Eligibility Requirements (MERs) and a clearer progression system was a key topic of discussion at the FEI Sports Forum in 2025. At present, National Federations are responsible for entering horse-and-athlete combinations into international Jumping events. However, the FEI is exploring whether a system could be introduced to better confirm that combinations have the necessary experience for higher-level competitions, while also recognising that access to training and competitions varies from country to country.”

“This topic remains under active review and will be discussed further by the FEI Jumping Committee in upcoming meetings, with the aim of finding practical solutions that support athlete development while safeguarding safety and fair play,” the FEI spokesperson concluded.

9.3.2026 No reproduction of any of the content in this article will be accepted without a written permission, all rights reserved © World of Showjumping.com. If copyright violations occur, a penalty fee will apply.