British Dressage Equine Welfare Action Plan

Happy, healthy horses are at the heart of everything we do at British Dressage. One year on from the publication of our Charter for the Horse and supporting Equine Welfare policies, here is an update on our plans for 2025 and beyond.

Dressage has been under the spotlight this year, with equine welfare at the forefront of discussions about the future of our sport.  As the National Governing Body, we are determined to use the events of this year as a positive catalyst for change.  BD’s Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam, announced at the AGM in October that our Equine Welfare Action Plan will feature at the core of our strategy for the next four-year cycle, taking us from Paris through to Los Angeles in 2028.

The Equine Welfare Action Plan focuses on three key areas: governance, training and education, and sport development.  These are all fundamental to creating an environment where equine welfare remains paramount above all other considerations.  Our primary aim is to promote the highest standards of health and well-being for our equine partners, while demonstrating the harmonious relationship that can be achieved between horse and rider through dressage.

The stated mission of British Dressage is to ‘bring people and horses together in harmony’, by establishing a confident and secure partnership that is based on respect, care and understanding.  These guiding principles apply at all times, not just when competing in the dressage arena, but also during training and at home.  It is the responsibility of everyone in the dressage community to uphold and adhere to these standards in everything we do, to ensure that there is a long-term and sustainable future for our sport.

Governance

In advance of the publication of the 2025 BD Members’ Handbook, we have conducted a full review of our equine welfare policies, rules and regulations, including our Members’ Code of Conduct and associated disciplinary procedures, as well as publishing our Whistleblowing Policy. We want to ensure that there is an open and transparent approach to equine welfare at BD competition and training events, whilst encouraging members to report any breaches they may have witnessed, so we can investigate these matters fully. 

As part of this increased visibility and accountability, we will also ensure that there is effective reporting for all welfare related incidents, including eliminations and warnings issued by our officials, with a framework in place to support the training and education for repeat offenders.

Our disciplinary procedures will include the issuing of formal warnings for minor offences, to encourage best practice at all times, while more serious breaches now have a clearly defined framework for the range of sanctions that apply.  These cases will be handled by our Disciplinary Panel, formally appointed by the Board, to include additional legal, technical and specialist expertise as required.

Equine welfare will be at the heart of our committee structure too, as primary responsibility for this is included in the terms of reference for a new Sport Development Committee, who will advise the Board on key areas of policy.  We have also now appointed a designated Welfare and Officials Officer, who will act as the initial point of contact for escalating any welfare related issues, supported by the Sport Operations Manager and Training and Education Manager, to ensure that there is an integrated approach across the organisation.

Training and Education

Education will be a central part of our strategy, to ensure that all BD members have access to the training required to improve our collective knowledge and understanding of equine welfare.  This will include a range of modules covering the fundamentals of horse care, stable management, the correct fitting of tack and equipment, and equine behavioural psychology.  Equine welfare will be embedded in all training and development for BD officials and coaches, as well as fully integrated into our ongoing CPD activity.

Stewards play a vital part in helping us to ensure that our equine welfare rules and regulations are adhered to and that horses are presented for competition in the best possible condition.  Over the course of the next strategic cycle, we will be further investing in our Steward Development Programme, as part of our commitment to promote and professionalise the role.  Longer term, we are also aiming to establish welfare marshals, who would work in a voluntary capacity to expand the presence of officials at BD shows.

Earlier this month we launched our new BD Learning Hub, which is available to all members.  This incorporates the BD Horse Care Programme, where riders of all ages and levels can learn from a variety of online courses which promote a greater understanding of stable management, tack, equipment and husbandry.  We will be adding to this content over the course of the next year and beyond, rolling out a programme of online webinars and workshops focused on equine welfare and equine behavioural psychology.

Sport Development

When it comes to equine welfare, much of the focus needs to be on the sport itself. Working closely with the FEI and other equestrian governing bodies, we will undertake a comprehensive review of the rules that underpin the sport.  This will include our judging systems, test content and marking schemes to ensure that we recognise and reward a harmonious partnership that accentuates the horse’s natural way of going.  This process will also involve critically assessing the movements required in higher level dressage tests, and the impact of co-efficient marks, to consider the demands that these place on horses.

The primary aim of all dressage competition must be to encourage correct riding and training, placing an emphasis on harmony and synchronicity over tension and submission.  We’ll also be creating clearer guidelines for officials on the correct use of aids, tack and equipment.  This will help officials assess the inputs as well as the outputs, with the goal of rewarding combinations where there is evidence of good training practices and improving the level of consistency in judging.

The BD Sport Development Committee will also be exploring how we can adapt BD rider skills tests to promote correct use of aids, seat, balance, and way of going, with the potential for these tests to be used in future to qualify for progression through the levels.

Our partnership with the horse extends far beyond the arena and as we approach a new calendar year and competition season, we remind all members of the BD Charter for the Horse and Code of Conduct for Horse Welfare.  It is essential that all members understand their obligations and exemplify these values in their own actions. These are available for all members to view online, in our Equine Welfare booklet and in the BD Members’ Handbook, as well as being available to view in printed format at BD venues across the country.

BD Chief Executive, Jason Brautigam, commented: “It is our collective responsibility to ensure that we maintain the highest standards of equine health, care and well-being. To achieve this, we must all consider our own values, attitudes and behaviours, whether that involves looking after horses at home, training them in preparation for competition, or riding in the arena.  We all have a role to play when it comes to equine welfare, from officiating at a show to watching as a spectator – we can no longer be passive bystanders.

“If we all seek to enhance our knowledge and understanding of horses, to improve the level of care that we provide, we can make a tangible difference to their lives, whilst securing long-term public trust and confidence in our sport.  The BD Equine Welfare Action Plan is just the starting point, and we are fully committed to working with all our members, stakeholders and partners to deliver positive change over the next strategic cycle.”