The first in-person meeting of the FEI Board for 2023 took place at the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne on 6 and 7 June. The approval of the rules for the newly created Longines League of Nations was the hallmark decision taken by the Board. The rules are effective for the 2024 season and are now available on the FEI website. 

Specific to the discipline of jumping, the Board also approved the Rolex Grand Slam Rules modification proposal as well as the updates to the FEI Jumping World CupTM 2023/24 rules. The Board also heard an update on the preparations for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Furthermore, a presentation of the Interim Report of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing (EEWB) Commission by the Commission’s Chair Professor Natalie Waran was another key topic, which generated a lot of discussion, with the FEI Board keen to continue to tackle and develop non-regulatory recommendations, especially in the areas of education and communication, prior to the presentation of the Final Report by the EEWB at the FEI General Assembly in November 2023.

Other main resolutions included: 

• The Board approved the minimum/maximum prize money required for CSIs and CSIOs for 2024 and the minimum/maximum prize money required for the Longines Rankings Groups for 2024. These provisions will be effective for events as of 1 January 2024 and will be published in September 2023.
• The Secretary General informed the Board about the implementation of a survey aimed at gathering statistics on gender representation within equestrian sport. It was noted that the number of women at the top levels of some disciplines, such as jumping, has been decreasing, and that this survey will be crucial for assessing the current situation and gaining insights into the factors that potentially have influenced these changes. 
• Allocation of FEI Championships.

“We had two very productive days of meetings focussed on the future and sustainability of our sport,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said in a press release from the FEI. “It was very good to see the entire FEI Board gather in Lausanne – a first since the Covid 19 pandemic – where we were able to take a number of important decisions, including the approval of the Rules for the Longines League of Nations. This was the result of a comprehensive and successful consultation process, and it’s testament to the community’s ability to think out of the box, that we have been able to re-imagine this result with so much support. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the FEI Jumping Committee for their hard work and excellent solutions.” 

“The future, but especially what we are and what we can do now, was also at the heart of our discussions around the recommendations of the Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission, and I am looking forward to continuing our work around the findings of the EEWB so that we can strengthen the systems we have in place, and ensure our core value “Horse First” is embedded in everything that we do, and with every stakeholder we work with.”