British Dressage Confirm Rule Change for Mules

British Dressage has today confirmed a rule change for mules competing in affiliated dressage.

The official statement;

British Dressage statement – rule clarification on horse definition 

At a meeting of the Board of Directors yesterday, the question regarding allowing the registration of a mule to compete in affiliated dressage competition was discussed fully.  Following consultation with the FEI, the Board have taken the decision to harmonise our rules with the international federation by adopting the same wording.  While our current rules refer to horses and ponies without a full definition, the FEI General Regulations 2018 are more specific and state:

Horse: Refers also to a Pony or other member of the genus Equus unless the context requires otherwise. A Horse shall be born from a mare.

This definition would allow mules to compete and therefore this change will be implemented with immediate effect and reflected in the British Dressage rules.

Chief Executive Jason Brautigam commented;

We are grateful that this situation has been brought to our attention so we can now ensure our rules are brought in line with the FEI.  We are delighted to welcome Wallace and his fellow mules to compete with BD, as part of our commitment to inclusion and diversity in dressage, making the sport more accessible to all.”

Suzanne Ashton

Suzanne Ashton, Founder of Everything Horse (Est, 2012), has a BA Hons in Marketing Management and a Diploma in Equine Science. Suzanne has ridden and owned horses all her life and has twelve years of experience in marketing, writing, design, SEO, and website creation.