On March 30, the Fédération Equestre Internationale approved a revision to Article 548.1 in the 2015 Rulebook following outcry from the eventing community and a petition by the International Event Riders Association.

In December 2014, the FEI returned to the original wording of Article 548.1, which gave an automatic 21 penalty points for breaking a frangible obstacle/device on the cross-country course. By giving an automatic 21 penalties, the ground jury was unable to weigh in on whether the collapse of the obstacle prevented the horse and rider from falling. Riders were left with the option to appeal if they could prove a “clear failure of the mechanism.” The rule covered MIM Clips, frangible pins and reverse pinned fences.

The ERA opposed the rule change, citing safety and integrity issues, and as a result of their petition, the FEI met on March 10 to discuss the rule. Effective March 31, the new rule gives 11 penalties for activating a frangible device.

“In evaluating the possible removal of the penalty, ground juries are not called to investigate if the horse would have fallen or not, or if the contact was with the front or hind legs, or if the rider was riding dangerously or not, but only if an unexpected activation occurred through a light tap. This is the only case where penalties can be removed,” stated the FEI release.

However, riders will not be allowed to appeal the ground jury’s decision. The revision to the rule also states that 11 penalties at an obstacle will be accepted as a minimum eligibility requirement for qualification purposes.