Coronavirus: effects on equestrian sport, horse races and tournaments

The effects of the coronavirus (COVID-19) hit clubs, companies, horse owners, athletes and breeders as well as tournament organizers with particular severity which shook them to the core. As representatives of equestrian sports and horse breeding, the clubs and its member associations have successfully campaigned for training and instruction to take place on the equestrian facilities even in Corona times. It was also achieved that events such as tournaments, performance tests, courses and seminars are again allowed to take place. Even though racing events take place under strict conditions, fans of horse races can still use promotions such as the bet365 ascot offer.

The particular horse associations cannot pronounce any nationally standardized and legally binding rules for dealing with the coronavirus. The governments, states, districts and municipalities are responsible for this. So it happens that there are regionally and locally different regulations for equestrian sport and horse breeding.

The government as well as the heads of government of other states have decided to allow sports and training in popular and recreational sports on sports facilities under certain conditions. This means that lessons and training can take place on equestrian facilities if the applicable requirements are complied with.

In particular, the minimum distance of 1.5 to two meters and the hygiene rules must still be observed and obeyed at all times. States should take responsibility for deciding on further steps against the background of country-specific peculiarities and the respective infection process. This means that very different regulations apply to sport from region to region.

The International Sport Horse Confederation advises all equestrian sports enthusiasts to read the publications of the state horse sports association, the government and ministries of their own federal state as well as the municipalities and, if in doubt, to ask the responsible regulatory office whether there are specific regulations for equestrian sports.

In addition, there are fundamental cornerstones of hygiene and infection protection management that should be ensured for equestrian sports and horse breeding in their entirety.

These are:

• Reduction / limitation of the attendance times on the equestrian sports facility or the breeding farm and the emphasis on the responsible protection of people.
• Comprehensible documentation of people’s presence times on the equestrian facility or the breeding farm.
• The number of horses and people training in a riding arena or on a riding arena at the same time is kept small with a view to infection protection and distance is guaranteed.
• The number of horses that are cared for in a stable section at the same time is kept small with a view to protection against infection and distance is guaranteed.
• Reduction of contacts and compliance with the minimum distance rules to other people.
• Designation of a person in the riding stable or breeding company who is responsible for monitoring and advising on hygiene and infection protection requirements.
• Compliance with all requirements for infection protection, such as hand hygiene.
• Special protection for members of risk groups.
• Weigh up, classify and implement appropriate protective measures against the risk of infection in all areas of the equestrian facility or the breeding operation and for all measures and offers. This also applies to the breeding use of horses. Specific guidelines are available to help with this, for example for riding school lessons, competitions and breeding events.
• Recommendation to use the Federal Government’s “Corona Warning App” in order to be able to understand and interrupt chains of infection more quickly. More information about the app is available at https://www.bundesregierung.de/breg-de/themen/corona-warn-app

The specific guidelines and recommendations for action for training and instruction with tips for creating a hygiene concept are available at the top of this page under Downloads.

Attention: It must always be noted that the Corona situation is very dynamic and the state requirements can change quickly. Therefore, the documents mentioned are also subject to a constant process of adaptation.

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.