The Australian Dressage Committee is conducting a nationwide survey in order to gauge the interest of dressage riders in relation to a proposal to removing the height restriction for horses and ponies competing in Official EA Open Dressage events. This survey is open until 30/4/12.
Removing the height restriction would mean that horses and ponies would compete and be judged together. Ponies would no longer be placed as a group at the beginning or the end of a competition. There would be no need for Organising Committees to conduct separate pony competitions. Ponies would have to qualify to enter major events and be considered along with the horses – not separately.
The National Dressage Championships are currently restricted to horses that exceed 149cm. If there was no height restriction ponies would be able to qualify to compete at the Nationals (Note: Ponies still would not be eligible to compete in the Prix St Georges Challenge)
There would no longer be any separate Pony grading.
If the height restriction was removed it will make administration easier for all concerned – owners, riders, Organising Committees etc.
There is no minimum height rule for horses competing in EA Eventing or EA Jumping. New Zealand, the United Kingdom, America and many countries in Europe do not have a minimum height rule for horses and already allow ponies and horses to compete together in open dressage.
Please take a moment to complete the online survey, which closes on 30th April 2012.
Photo © Berni Saunders
Related Links
FEI Pony Measurement Rules Fine-tuned and Regulated
FEI Decides to Ban Over-sized Ponies
Eurodressage Editorial: Pony Pure
Follow-up on Pony Measurement Conducted during the 2007 FEI European Pony Championship