FEI make five vet gates a mandatory

After the death of two horses at the World Endurance Championship in Jerez, Spain the Federation Of Equestre Internationale (FEI) have made it mandatory that five vet gates is a must for a 160-km ride.

Hallvard Sommerseth, Chief of the FEI's Endurance Committee told Gulf News that it was a quick change that the Endurance Committee made at its London meeting. It was decided that five vet checks were a must for rides of 160km events following only four vet gates and a trot up that was in vogue at the Jerez ride.

Sommerseth also said that the image of Endurance had greatly improved over the last few years. "Endurance used to be treated like a second-class sport in the FEI itself.

"However, we have been successful in slowly trying to change the fundamentalists - those who think Show Jumping, Dressage and Evening are the top equestrian sport- within the FEI.

"In fact, in the recent FEI meeting the Endurance Committee chief was also invited unlike in the past," Sommerseth said.

"We are now the second-largest sport after Show Jumping. We just have to control and regulate this development. We must not go too fast as it will be detrimental to the sport itself," he added.

"Thanks to the UAE the FEI World Masters Series is one of the best things that has happened to the sport.

"I personally prefer the distance of 120km, which is the Masters' ride distance. This gives more chance to many riders. The 100mile (160km) rides are being organised much less than before and I think the future of the sport lies in the 120-km distance," he said.

"Even for owners a horse cannot take part in too many 160-km rides while from our side I see my colleagues struggling through the night to take care of horses after a 160-ride. Even from the spectator's point of view a 120km ride is good," Sommerseth said.

Commenting on the march towards becoming an Olympic sport, he said the sport itself was in danger.

"Recently the FEI have had problems as Endurance was left out by the International Olympic Committee, and the FEI is fighting to get it back. But we will keep working on it and for this we may have to change the format a bit like making it a standard 120-km event," he said.

"The Athens Olympics is too soon so we are hoping to make it a demo event at Beijing in 2008," Sommerseth said.

Commenting on the Wadi Rum ride, the endurance chief said "The FEI welcomes countries like Jordan who have done an excellent job in organising this ride."

"This course is very picturesque and the riders will really enjoy riding here," he said.