New eventing rules were approved at the Fédération Equestre Internationale General Assembly in Tokyo, Nov. 19-22, and the FEI World Equestrian Games will now follow the “Olympic” format. This means the dressage and show jumping will be at the four-star level, but cross-country will drop down to three-star, with a 10-minute course (the minimum length for a three-star) and
a maximum of 45 jumping efforts (the maximum number for a four-star). 

We asked some top figures in the sport for their reactions:

Michael Jung of Germany, two-time Olympic individual gold medalist and 2010 WEG individual gold medalist

I think it’s not really a good idea. I think it’s not an easy championship. It’s not a European Championship. It’s a championship of the world and I think the best rider of the world has to win it.

We can’t have an easy competition at the World Games and have six or seven more difficult competitions [four-star CCIs] in the world. I think my idea is the World Games have to be difficult and the most important competition in the world; otherwise can a young rider with a three-star horse win the World Games but not finish a four-star. It makes no sense.

[And riders might bring] a horse with not so much Thoroughbred [blood] and a very good dressage and jumping [to the WEG], but the cross-country is not more important.

It’s not nice that they’re not talking with the riders and not asking the riders what our ideas, what we are thinking. We are doing the sport, but other people are doing the rules, and that makes no sense.

Jonelle Price of New Zealand, four-star eventer and competitor at 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games and 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

For the Olympics it makes perfectly good sense, but I’m disappointed for the World Championships.

To me, within the equestrian world, I think people almost hold the World Championships in higher regard, as the true championship, where as the Olympics is incredibly special because it resonates with a wider world. Whether they have any interest in horses or not, they know about the Olympics. But needless to say that comes with consequences because it’s typically a little bit softer.

I think the World Championship should hold it’s status as being a true four-star championship, and I think that is a terrible move.

I appreciate we have to keep moving with the times and everything, but the next thing we’ll be saying is, ‘What’s the point of having Badminton and Burghley?’ Why do we even have a four-star if no championship is a four-star? I think we’ve got to be careful what direction the sport goes.

It’s clearly now almost two sports within a sport, like your Aachens and your ERM’s and even the Olympics to a degree because it’s typically more of a three-star course, which is fine; it makes it more marketable and all those things. But I don’t think the World Championships should fall into the “new age” sport. I think it should reflect the traditional sport.

The modern sport is going to be influenced by the warmblood horses, but the traditional sport, like the Badmintons and Burghleys, have proven that it’s still dominated by the blood horses.

Phillip Dutton of the United States, Olympic individual bronze medalist and veteran of six World Equestrian Games

I’m very disappointed in those decisions for the World Championships. I can understand staying in the Olympics is a priority and adjusting that to what we need to do, but I felt that the World Championships should have stayed a four-star. Having said that I think with the right course designer a three-star can pretty tough or challenging, so hopefully the cross-country will still have the correct effect on the competition.

David O’Connor of the United States, U.S. chef d’equipe, individual gold medalist from 2000 Olympic Games and four-time WEG veteran

I think everybody is probably trying to balance what the ramifications of that will be for the four-star level. I absolutely wish the World Championships were held at the four-star level. I don’t think from a risk management point of view that it’s shown that it’s been a risk management problem at that level.

I think the competition will still be a competitive, strong competition just like the Olympic format has been for awhile. It will definitely produce a result that will produce a champion, I just wish that it was at the top level of our sport. I can see their logic, but I just wish it was the top of the sport.

Ten minutes and 45 seconds is still quite a strong course, and the Thoroughbred-type of horse is still a very important side of that, as has been shown. The number of efforts is more intense than a three-star because a three-star only has 40 efforts, and this would have 45, which is like the Olympic format. I think that the type of horse needs to be very similar to what’s being successful right now.

There are some opportunities of how we tie [the world’s four-star events] together, how we use them, how we maybe get a championship out of that. I think there are some ideas that will come forward in the next years that will make the four-star have its own championship type of circumstance.

Clayton Fredericks of Australia, former Canadian chef d’equipe, WEG veteran and two-time Olympian

It’s a little disappointing. I don’t know if I agree that there was a need to do that. But in all sports you’ve got to be proactive in making it accessible, and in some instances it’s very hard unless you’re in one of the sort of six nations for it to be accessible to everyone. I think it’s good and bad. I’m disappointed that we’re losing another rider [in the new Olympic format.] That’s more important to me. Everything’s just a kick on from what’s happening with the Olympic Games.

One of the benefits is that the individual championships are going to really be the big four-stars around the world. Maybe that means there’s more reason to have a second one in the USA. But I can see it both ways.

Maybe it means the World Championships will be focused more on the teams. But the competition will still be strong. I think you don’t need to have it as a four-star to get the same result. Plus the dressage and show jumping will still be strong. I think the traditionalists will see that it’s downplaying the cross-country, but modern sport has to evolve.