Great Britain's James Smith has been provisionally suspended by the FEI following images that have surfaced from what appears to be a recent FEI event. 

"The FEI is liaising closely with the British Equestrian Federation and British ShowJumping regarding the Athlete James Smith (FEI ID 10031879) and has provisionally suspended him as of 16 March 2024, following equine welfare concerns relating to photos that appear to have been taken at a recent FEI Event," an FEI spokesperson told WoSJ.

"The FEI's provisional suspension was imposed further to the suspension imposed by British ShowJumping, which was confirmed to the FEI on 16 March 2024, and prohibits the Athlete from entering and/or competing or training Athletes/Horses at any FEI Events, or any national events until further notice and while the images and circumstances of the incident are being investigated. See FEI General Regulations Article 164.6 for the full definition/description."

"The training methods depicted in the images have no place in our sport, are against our regulations and will not be tolerated," an FEI spokesperson pointed out to WoSJ. "Horse welfare is the highest priority for the FEI and our member bodies, and we will continue to work closely together to ensure our Rules and Regulations concerning equine welfare and wellbeing are both respected and enforced."