After the 2024 Olympics: The horses will be watched closely

New videos of riders beating their horses, some of them top class ones, are appearing almost every month. They are scenes of brutal training methods – equestrian sport, in this case dressage, is being pilloried. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) has every reason to be concerned, among other things because of the risk of being excluded from the Olympic family. Animal welfare is now also playing a role at the International Olympic Committee (IOC), and frequent reports of violations of animal welfare are not helpful.

On October 1, dressage experts – riders, trainers, veterinarians, judges, officials and tournament organizers – will come together for a “crisis meeting,” according to the FEI press service. The meeting will focus on the horse’s mouth and what happens to it when a rider pulls on the reins; how the metal bits used to bridle it work.

A good rider is characterized by a sensitive hand. This means that the connection of the reins from the horse’s mouth to the rider’s hand must be so fine that the hand never interferes, let alone causes pain, but rather manages with the slightest hints to show the horse the right way. This is what all riding teachings say.

So much for the theory. It doesn’t fit that dressage horses are repeatedly taken out of competitions because of traces of blood in their mouths. And it doesn’t fit that photos are circulating online of horses’ tongues turning blue. This also happened at the Olympic Games in Paris. Horses’ tongues are naturally light pink, lighter than humans’. “A blue tongue is always a sign of too much pressure on the tongue from the bit, and indicates a blood clot,” says riding master Martin Plewa, a long-time judge and trainer. Which suggests the opposite of a sensitive rider’s hand.

The FEI has now taken action itself to show that it is serious about its efforts to ensure the welfare of horses. It had more than 2,500 pictures taken by professional photographers during the Olympic competitions shown to it. “In the end, there were two riders whose horses clearly had blue tongues. That is obviously two too many,” says Henning Lehrmann, the German judge in the Versailles equestrian stadium, who has seen all the pictures. “There were no German riders or medal winners among them.”

A blue tongue is often difficult for the judge to detect. For example, if the mouth is closed, as required, or the horse is too far away and the judge’s eye sees less than the photographer’s telephoto lens. The rules say exactly how the horse’s mouth should look during a test: slightly chewing, with a little foam, but not too much. The lips are allowed to move. Grinding the teeth is not desired. Happy horses do not grind their teeth, do not have blue tongues, let alone have blood on their mouths.

It is often a matter of consideration as to how a judge evaluates an open mouth: “I then deduct a point,” says Lehrmann. This was the case with the later Olympic champion Jessica von Bredow-Werndl in the Grand Prix Special, the team test, where her mare Dalera showed the world her tongue – which was not blue – a few times. “But if a horse is otherwise obedient and relaxed, I would not judge it too harshly,” says Lehrmann.

Isabell Werth is taking legal action against pictures of her horses with blue tongues – she considers them to be fakes

For the FEI’s chief veterinarian Göran Akerström, the curb bit is often the cause of too much pressure on the tongue. The curb bit is a solid metal bar, about 1.6 centimeters thick, and together with a second bit, it is the standard bridle in advanced dressage. For now. There are efforts within the FEI to allow other bridles as an option. However, this is met with strong resistance, especially from Germany.

“A rider in the higher class is expected to be able to handle the curb bit, which allows for a more delicate influence. The problem always lies with the person sitting on top, not with the curb bit. A kitchen knife is not dangerous per se either, because you can stab someone with it,” says national coach Monica Theodorescu: “In case of doubt, the rider is not ready yet.” The silver medalist from Paris, Isabell Werth, does not want to get involved in vague assumptions. “There is a lack of scientific evidence as to how a curb bit and other bits actually work. You need that before you give in to populist pressure.” A rule change would not be due until 2026 anyway.

Two of her horses can also be seen with blue tongues in photos from a Swedish newspaper. Werth is convinced that both cases are fakes. With the help of a lawyer, she has managed to prevent the photos from being published. “Everyone can see that they have been edited, so the other colors in the picture are also falsified.” Her request to release the original data of the photos has not yet been met; the proceedings are still ongoing. Until then, the dressage scene will continue to try to fight its way through a jungle of insinuations, lies and whole and half truths.