The Fédération Equestre Internationale dropped proceedings to suspend the International Dressage Riders Club after the two organizations announced an agreement on June 4 concerning athlete representation, governance of the IDRC, and the two removed IDRC members.

The hearing scheduled for June 7 has now been cancelled.

“The club’s goal has always been the riders’ right of representation on the Dressage Committee, and we are delighted that we have reached agreement with the FEI so that the athletes’ voices can be heard before the Olympic Games this summer,” said IDRC President Kyra Kyrklund.

The conflict arose over the appointment of an IDRC member to the FEI Dressage Committee. The IDRC recommended Secretary General Wayne Channon for the position, but two national federations nominated members as well. The Spanish Federation nominated Luis Lucio Perez, and the Colombian Federation nominated Maria Ines Garcia Cuellar.

At the IDRC General Assembly at the Global Dressage Forum in November 2011, the IDRC voted to revoke the memberships of both Perez and Cuellar, thereby making them ineligible for the position with the FEI.

In April 2012, FEI initiated suspension proceedings against the IDRC in protest of the removal of Perez and Cuellar.

Now, the two parties agreed to implement a three-point plan to resolve the conflict.

First, the IDRC will allow Luis Lucio Perez of Spain and Maria Ines Garcia Cuellar of Colombia to regain their IDRC membership without any restrictions.

Second, the IDRC and FEI Legal Department will draft proposed changes to the IDRC Statuses, which will be presented for adoption at the next IDRC General Assembly.

Last, Kyrklund will be appointed immediately by the FEI Bureau as the Athletes’ Representative to the FEI Dressage Committee on an interim basis, until such time as a permanent appointment is made. The committee is currently chaired by Frank Kemperman (the Netherlands) and includes Anne Gribbons (United States), David Hunt (Great Britain), Elisabet Lundholm (Sweden) and Thomas Baur (Germany).

“It was important for the sport, particularly in an Olympic year, that this matter was resolved in an amicable way and we are very happy that this agreement is substantially in line with the proposals we made to the IDRC some months ago,” said FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos. “We look forward to working closely with the IDRC and welcome the club’s President Kyra Kyrklund in her new role as Athletes’ Representative on the Dressage Committee.”