Teleconference meeting 6 June 2022
The first key point of discussion during the Commission’s inaugural meeting were the Terms of Reference for the work of the group. There was a general consensus that the main purpose of the Commission will be to focus on the welfare of the horse and not on environmental sustainability, while acknowledging the importance of this topic and the related work being done by the FEI and the European Equestrian Federation in this field.
To this end, the Commission decided that it was necessary to reconsider the name of the group and that alternatives would be put forward for consideration at the next meeting.
The Commission acknowledged that two Working Groups may need to be created and consulted (details to be discussed further):
- Scientific Research Working Group to gather and analyse data that the Commission will use to inform their decision-making.
- Education and Communication Working Group to consider ways in which to disseminate the Commission’s findings to the equestrian community and members of the public.
Additionally a Survey Working Group composed of the Chair, Professor Visser-Riedstra, Professor Heleski and Jessica Stark was created to work on the design of a questionnaire to be circulated among National Federations, FEI MOUs, national horse welfare organisations, mainstream and equine specialised media, and other stakeholders.
The Commission agreed to the following work plan and timings:
Stage 1: June to November 2022
- A first report will be presented by the Chair to the 2022 FEI General Assembly which will take place from 9 to 13 November in Cape Town (RSA).
Stage 2: December to April 2023
A second report will be presented to delegates during the 2023 FEI Sports Forum that will be held in Lausanne (SUI) in April.
Stage 3: May to November 2023
- A final report will be presented by the Chair to the 2023 FEI General Assembly in Mexico (MEX).
With regards to Communication of the Commission’s work, members agreed on the need for transparency and consistency and that for clarity, the Commission should communicate with ‘one voice’. The Commission acknowledged that the Chair would be the main spokesperson.
Finally the Commission agreed to design a questionnaire to be circulated among National Federations, FEI MOUs, national horse welfare organisations, mainstream and equine specialised media, and other stakeholders.