Health, Safety and Welfare News – May 2026

Be a Guardian: Rules at Competition

Over the past several months, the Health, Safety and Welfare team has participated in State-based webinars with Clubs and Officials, and attended a number of Coach update sessions. Horse welfare was a central theme throughout, alongside the importance of ensuring our athletes have a positive competitive experience by understanding the key rules that apply — and what happens when they are not followed.

What Is Horse Abuse?

Horse abuse is defined in EA General Regulations Article 142 as any action or omission that causes, or is likely to cause, pain or unnecessary discomfort to a horse. Each discipline also provides sport-specific examples. The following abridged summaries highlight the key points — athletes and coaches should refer to the full rule text for complete detail.

Eventing – Riding an Exhausted Horse

Riding a horse that is exhausted — most commonly seen during the cross-country phase — constitutes horse abuse under Eventing Rule 526.1.2 and Annex I.

Jumping – Rapping

Rapping encompasses all artificial techniques used to induce a horse to jump higher or more carefully, including deliberately causing the horse to strike an obstacle, or otherwise making it difficult for the horse to negotiate a practice fence without hitting it. Full text: Jumping Rule Article 265.1.1.

Dressage – Substances in or Around the Mouth

It is strictly forbidden to apply any substance or product inside or around a horse’s mouth or tongue that may: (i) imitate, induce or cause foaming; or (ii) coat or partially cover the bit. Full text: Dressage Rule Para 1.3.J.

Consequences

Under EA Sport Rules, officials are required to issue a Yellow Warning Card in all substantiated cases of horse abuse during a competition, regardless of where on the grounds the behaviour occurs. The Yellow Warning Card is a formal warning about the observed behaviour. In severe cases, a penalty may be issued in addition to the card. Importantly, multiple Yellow Warning Cards received within a 12-month period will also result in a penalty.

The Yellow Warning Card system exists to ensure consistency across all sports, and to maintain a record of incidents so that behaviour that is prejudicial to horse welfare can be identified and monitored across multiple competitions.

What Should Athletes Expect?

If an official directly observes abusive behaviour that is ongoing, they will first ask the athlete to stop.

Issuing a Yellow Warning Card can be a sensitive process for both athletes and officials. Every effort should be made to handle the discussion calmly and objectively. Where emotions are running high, it may be appropriate to delay the discussion by up to 20 minutes to allow both parties to settle.

Where possible, the card should be issued following a discussion with the athlete. Both the athlete and the official may choose to have a support person present during this discussion — this is mandatory if the athlete is a junior. The official will listen to the athlete and, where the horse abuse has been directly observed or otherwise substantiated, will issue the card. The card should be signed by both the athlete and the official, and a copy forwarded to EA for its records.

If the athlete has left the competition grounds before a discussion can be held, a Yellow Warning Card may be sent to both the athlete (by email) and EA at [email protected].

EA Support

EA has provided a short guide to assist with Yellow Card discussions, available here.

We will continue to work with coaches to provide guidance to their athletes on key rules, warm-up strategies, practice ring etiquette, and other common pitfalls — so that athletes and their horses can have the best possible experience at competition.

If you have any questions, please contact [email protected].