The big news to come out of the Fédération Equestre Internationale General Assembly, held Nov. 19-22 in Tokyo, was the move to three-man teams at the Olympic Games, but another major change that affects show jumping in the World Equestrian Games flew a bit under the radar. 

The FEI has eliminated not only the first round of competition, the “speed leg,” but also there will no longer be a “final four” competition for individual medals. Traditionally, the three individual medals were decided by the top four riders jumping four rounds and trading horses for every round, so each rider rode every horse.

Instead, athletes will contest two rounds of team competition over two days with different courses—after which team medals will be awarded. Only the top 10 teams and individuals in the top 60 after Round 1 will move on to Round 2; if a rider is in the top 60 individually after Round 1 but his team does not qualify for Round 2, they are able to jump in Round 2 for an individual score.

After a rest day, the top 25 return for Round A of the individual jumping. Only the top 12 will jump the final round, and a jump-off would break a potential tie for individual medals.

In addition, the maximum height at the World Games has been raised from 1.60 meters to 1.65 (5’4″). You can see all the changes to WEG show jumping on the FEI website. 

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

John Madden, FEI Vice President

Interestingly enough, I think there was only one federation that even commented on taking the horse change out the WEG [at the annual sports forum in both 2015 and 2016], so it was very strongly supported by the stakeholders in the sport and that includes riders. The reasoning behind it was, one, it’s very risky. When you think about horse welfare and you think about the sport, it would be an absolute tragedy if something went wrong. These people develop their horses for so many years and they compete so often and they work so hard to develop top horses and they take such good care of their horses, so that’s one factor.

Personally, my biggest reason for supporting getting rid of it is that our sport has evolved so much to be so much about the partnership between the horse and rider. In the olden days it was more horses jumping over fences and seeing if it could make it—no bigger than today, but the proficiency has developed so much, that the defining difference now is really not whether you can make it or not, but it’s the relationship between the horse and the rider. And all of the tests of our sport that we’ve evolved to have become more about the communication and the relationship between the horse and the rider. So that’s a little bit a different test to crown the world champion it seems a little funny.

In the ‘70s, you had Michael Matz with Jet Run, a Thoroughbred, riding Gerhard Wiltfang’s horse, Roman, this big, huge German horse. Well that was really interesting. The fact of the matter is the world’s gotten very small. The riding styles have gotten very similar. The horses have become very similar. The sport is getting more refined, so it was probably time to switch that.

Luckily on a personal note, I was involved through Beezie, one of the very few people who have ever been involved in it twice. It’s a lot of jumping and obviously we also looked at many alternatives like crowing a World Champion before the final four and then having a World Champion Rider or something like that, using different horses.

We looked at a lot of alternatives to it, but the jumping committee came to the conclusion that if you’re going to keep the horse changing you have to keep it pretty close to the same. Honestly if there was a horse change and an extra set of medals I think we would each time not participated because it’s just too much for the horse and you would be happy with your team medal. If you are then going for another set of medals and letting other people ride your horse you’d probably say, I’d just skip that and that’s not really fair to the horse and you don’t want to go through that.

If you have different horses, I think the public interest wouldn’t be there because the public really wants to see that.

Beezie Madden of the United States, who participated in the final four twice, with Authentic in 2006 and with Cortes ‘C’ in 2014.

I like the decision. It’s always seemed to me a little like the real competition was over, and that [the final four] was a little bit of a show. I think it was something great for the crowd, but I think at the same time it would have been as exciting a competition if it had ended the day before for the individual final just like the World Cup Final or the Olympics.

A lot more of the anxiety you have on that day is other people riding your horse, and you riding someone else’s horse. You don’t want anything to happen to their horse when you’re on it either.

Eric Lamaze of Canada, who took individual Olympic gold in 2008 and participated in the final four in 2010 with Hickstead. 

I’m glad that the final four will not be a part of the WEG moving forward. From my perspective, the final four does not prove anything, and it’s too much for the horses. 

If you get to the final four, you’ve already proven yourself as a rider. While it may be interesting for the spectators, it is not good for the horses; the horses do not deserve to have to jump so many rounds again, especially with a rider that is not familiar to them. The true world champion is the person on top at the end of the individual final.

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany, the individual bronze medalist at the 2006 World Equestrian Games

Because of the uniqueness of it and the fact that it’s a different event than we normally have that takes place every four years, [I am for the horse swap]. If this is an event that took place every year I would be against it.

Of course there are plusses and minuses to the system. I feel the pluses outweigh the minuses because it makes it a unique event—something that people talk about, something that people can’t wait to watch. It bring something to our sport. There are people who never watch any horse event and watch the World Championship final.

The normal person who is not professional at all thinks this is the most interesting to see how everybody else rides everybody’s else’s horses. Often I’m asked by people, ‘How much does the horse have to do with your result? What percent is the horse a part of winning or losing?’ And that’s an interesting question and the world championships addresses that question with that format.

That’s my personal opinion on the event, it makes it special and unique and quite distressing that nobody was addressed about this.

I don’t understand the thinking behind it. I can understand the idea of the welfare of the horse, the stress of the horse because Shutterfly experienced that stress [in 2006 when he was very nervous during the change of riders]. But as far as brewing the attractiveness of the sport, I don’t understand how that’s going to happen by taking that away. I can only see the other argument that by taking it away you don’t improve the attractiveness of the sport. Of course no argument was ever made, so we have no idea.

The most distressing thing is that no rider was addressed about this change. We can discuss changes in the sport and perhaps we’re able to hear different views and come up with new ideas and improvements, but this was a shock for the riders and so disappointing and disheartening that nobody was addressed. The FEI came up with new rules and regulations without asking and without discussing and this is the future of our sport. I feel that’s the most disappointing thing. It’s upsetting that we were not addressed about this.

I think that you endanger it being boring when all the championships are the same and no normal, uneducated spectator would know the difference between what is the world champion or the Olympic champion or the World Cup champion and that’s why the difference in format is actually quite interesting and easy to explain.

Some people who don’t have anything to do with this sport have asked me, ‘Well what is the difference?’ And then I would explain that the Olympics are on one day with two rounds and that the World Championships takes place over one week and many rounds and all the scores carry over into the final four and there’s a difference between the champion at the World Equestrian Games and the Olympics and it’s an indoor event at the World Cup Final.

Being able to differentiate the championships makes them unique and special. If they all become the same nobody’s going to care whether you’re World Champion or European Champion or World Cup Champion or Pan American Champion. All those event blend together then; they’ll sink into oblivion I think.