FEI Tosses WEG Top Four

The FEI has released its Jumping Rules for 2017, and notably absent is the section on the World Championship Final/Top Four to determine the individual championship that has been a unique feature since 1978 of the World Championships (and later the World Equestrian Games).

The fan-favourite Top Four saw the four best riders jump a shortened course riding each of their competitors’ horses, as well as their own, to decide the individual medals. Having the warm-up area located in the main arena allowed riders and spectators to see how the unfamiliar partners got along during their allotted 3-minute warm-up over a vertical and a spread.

The last winner of this event was Jeroen Dubbledam (NED), who rode Zenith and the horses of Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (Casall Ask), Patrice Delaveau (Orient Express) and Beezie Madden (Cortes C) to clinch the gold medal. One especially memorable pairing was at the 2010 WEG in Kentucky when Eric Lamaze’s Hickstead ‒ by all accounts not the easiest ride ‒ earned the title of Best Horse with four clear rounds.

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This new format was discussed during the 2015 FEI Sports Forum; while it is acknowledged that the formula is popular among the media and fans, many felt that those four extra rounds put additional strain on the horses and increased the risk of an accident. Also, the idea of crowning a World Champion every four years based on several rounds that may not be of the highest level on different horses is antithetical to the concept of the special partnership between horse and rider that takes months or years to develop.

John Madden, chairman of the FEI Jumping Committee, said, “This change to the final four for jumping at the WEG is part of the competition formats package that has been debated over the last two years, across the 2015 and 2016 Sports Forums and General Assemblies, in a fully collaborative process with the National Federations and stakeholders, and the National Federations voted this in at last month’s General Assembly in Tokyo.

“The demands of the Jumping discipline have changed over the years and concern had been expressed before and after the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 about the number of rounds horses were being asked to jump. All athletes and horse owners need to be comfortable with the competition format at the Games and horse welfare has to remain at the forefront. Our sport has evolved, with the unique relationship between horse and rider firmly at its heart, and the new format ensures it is this unique partnership that is tested at the ultimate World Championship level.”

Medals will now be determined over two rounds of competition following a rest day after two rounds of Team competition. Penalties from the Team competition will carry over to the Individual final, where the top 25 riders will move on to compete in Round A, and the top 12 advancing to Round B. A jumpoff will be held in the case of a tie.

The next World Equestrian Games take place in 2018 at Tryon International Equestrian Center in Mill Springs, NC. The amended Jumping Rules, which become effective January 1, 2017, are posted at this link.