The FEI needs to define this before they can start persecuting their people...
IF you didn't catch it, the FEI has officially announced the provisional suspension of British dressage athlete Charlotte Dujardin based on their FEI Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse
Its an interesting case because the footage is public now so I was curious to look into their welfare framework and apply it for myself. Sadly but unsurprisingly I am totally disappointed.
There is no framework, there are no definitions...
At best they are persecuting her under the following phrase: "They (horses) must not be subjected to methods which are abusive or cause fear."
Without a published framework, and without published definitions of abusive methodology how are FEI members to know if they are in concordance with the code of conduct?
Like most things about the FEI and their 'rules', their code of conduct is wishy washy, full of jargon, purely subjective and terribly general. A useless document.
If I am a rider and trainer, one that would like to ride under the FEI code one day... right now how am I to know what constitutes an abusive method? If I am a student, how am I to judge if my trainer is colouring outside the lines?
Like the FEI, right now the industry as a whole has ZERO consensus on these matters. We can't agree on universal principles like; what is abuse, what does stress look like, what are appropriate training practices etc. Until we can agree and DEFINE these concepts so they can be OBJECTIVLY measured its the wild west out there and horses and people will continue to suffer.
You can't punish people when you haven't defined the rules of the game. That is literally abuse right there...
People are going to argue 'its obvious', its obvious what constitutes an abusive method. If so, great, write it down for me then, DEFINE it if its so damn obvious...
Thankfully as a graduate of Equitation Science International, the school of Dr Andrew Mclean and therefore a practitioner of Equitation Science, I have a very clear framework that I follow.
One that is rooted in equine ecological science and peer reviewed.
One that incorporates objective language.
One that I believe represents the most ethical and welfare conscious framework available.
However if I was an EA or FEI member, based on their purely objective framework, I can only assume I could as easily be persecuted as Charlotte right now...
Click for a look at the 10 First Principles of Horse Training by The International Society for Equitation Science.
Lets take the framework (in full below) and highlight the aspects that Charlotte breaks in this context (not all points are measurable in all contexts).
1. Regard for human and horse safety
Acknowledge that horses’ size, power and potential flightiness present a significant risk
Avoid provoking aggressive/defensive behaviours (kicking /biting)
Ensure recognition of the horse’s dangerous zones (e.g hindquarters)
Safe use of tools, equipment and environment
Recognise the dangers of being inconsistent or confusing
Ensure horses and humans are appropriately matched
Avoid using methods or equipment that cause pain, distress or injury to the horse
“Disregarding safety greatly increases the danger of human-horse interactions”
2. Regard for the nature of horses
Ensure welfare needs: lengthy daily foraging, equine company, freedom to move around
Avoid aversive management practices (e.g. whisker-trimming, ear-twitching)
Avoid assuming a role for dominance in human/horse interactions
Recognise signs of pain
Respect the social nature of horses (e.g. importance of touch, effects of separation)
Avoid movements horses may perceive as threatening (e.g jerky, rushing movements)
“Isolation, restricted locomotion and limited foraging compromise welfare”
3. Regard for horses’ mental and sensory abilities
Avoid overestimating the horse’s mental abilities (e.g. “he knows what he did wrong”)
Avoid underestimating the horse’s mental abilities (e.g. “It’s only a horse…”)
Acknowledge that horses see and hear differently from humans
Avoid long training sessions (keep repetitions to a minimum to avoid overloading)
Avoid assuming that the horse thinks as humans do
Avoid implying mental states when describing and interpreting horse behaviour
“Over- or underestimating the horse’s mental capabilities can have significant welfare consequences”
4. Regard for current emotional states
Ensure trained responses and reinforcements are consistent
Avoid the use of pain/constant discomfort in training
Avoid triggering flight/fight/freeze reactions
Maintain minimum arousal for the task during training
Help the horse to relax with stroking and voice
Encourage the horse to adopt relaxed postures as part of training (e.g. head lowering, free rein)
Avoid high arousal when using tactile or food motivators
Don’t underestimate horse’s capacity to suffer
Encourage positive emotional states in training
“High arousal and lack of reinforcement may lead to stress and negative affective states”
5. Correct use of habituation/desensitization/calming methods
Gradually approach objects that the horse is afraid of or, if possible, gradually bring such aversive objects closer to the horse (systematic desensitization)
Gain control of the horse’s limb movements (e.g step the horse back) while aversive objects are maintained at a safe distance and gradually brought closer (over-shadowing)
Associate aversive stimuli with pleasant outcomes by giving food treats when the horse perceives the scary object (counter-conditioning)
Ignore undesirable behaviours and reinforce desirable alternative responses (differential reinforcement)
Avoid flooding techniques (forcing the horse to endure aversive stimuli)
“Desensitization techniques that involve flooding may lead to stress and produce phobias”
6. Correct use of Operant Conditioning
Understand how operant conditioning works: i.e. performance of behaviours become more or less likely as a result of their consequences.
Tactile pressures (e.g. from the bit, leg, spur or whip) must be removed at the onset of the correct response
Minimise delays in reinforcement because they are ineffective and unethical
Use combined reinforcement (amplify pressure-release rewards with tactile or food rewards where appropriate)
Avoid active punishment
“The incorrect use of operant conditioning can lead to serious behaviour problems that manifest as aggression, escape, apathy and compromise welfare”
7. Correct use of Classical Conditioning
Train the uptake of light signals by placing them BEFORE a pressure-release sequence
Precede all desirable responses with light signals
Avoid unwanted stimuli overshadowing desired responses (e.g. the horse may associate an undesirable response with an unintended signal from the environment)
“The absence of benign (light) signals can lead to stress and compromised welfare”
8. Correct use of Shaping
Break down training tasks into the smallest achievable steps and progressively reinforce each step toward the desired behaviour
Plan training to make the correct response as obvious and easy as possible
Maintain a consistent environment to train a new task and give the horse the time to learn safely and calmly
Only change one contextual aspect at a time (e.g trainer, place, signal)
“Poor shaping leads to confusion”
9. Correct use of Signals/Cues
Ensure signals are easy for the horse to discriminate from one another
Ensure each signals has only one meaning
Ensure signals for different responses are never applied concurrently
Ensure locomotory signals are applied in timing with limb biomechanics
“Unclear, ambiguous or simultaneous signals lead to confusion”
10. Regard for Self-carriage
Aim for self-carriage in all methods and at all levels of training
Train the horse to maintain:
gait
tempo
stride length
direction
head and neck carriage
body posture
Avoid forcing any posture
Avoid nagging with legs, spurs or reins i.e. avoid trying to maintain responses with relentless signaling.
”Lack of self-carriage can promote hyper-reactive responses and compromise welfare”
Under the above framework as either a practitioner or a student its very clear what went wrong, what needs to be changed, and what to avoid.
What I find incredibly sad and scary about this situation is the FEI does not even follow its own code of conduct...
"5. Education: The FEI urges all those involved in equestrian sport to attain the highest possible levels of education in areas of expertise relevant to the care and management of the Competition Horse."
While the FEI and its associated national federations remain clueless and resistant to the uptake of equitation science principles I am fearful of the future.
Till next time,
Cheers Sandra.
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