I have today sent the petition to FEI and EA. Hopefully I the matter will be discussed at the upcoming FEI forum in the coming week. I will post updates. Here is the letter I sent.
March 30, 2025
Fédération Équestre Internationale
HM King Hussein I Building
Chemin de la Joliette 8
1006 Lausanne, Switzerland
Email: info@fei.org
Dear FEI Leadership,
I am writing to bring your attention to a petition I have launched on Change.org regarding the welfare of dressage athletes in the context of FEI-affiliated social media and media usage. You can view the petition here: https://chng.it/jRQKCtsxNc
As of now, it has garnered 590 signatures, reflecting a growing concern within the equestrian community. I have also attached a PDF of the current signatures for your reference, though I encourage you to visit the live link for the most up-to-date support.
The petition addresses two pressing issues affecting dressage athletes. First, athletes face abusive and inappropriate comments on FEI-affiliated social media pages, such as those on Facebook. These comments create an unsafe and distressing environment for competitors who should feel supported and celebrated on these platforms. Athletes deserve to engage with FEI pages—and encourage their family and friends to follow them—without the fear of encountering hurtful or derogatory remarks about themselves.
Second, the petition highlights how some influencers, such as Dressage Hub, misuse official FEI media by lifting photos and footage, slowing it down, or screenshotting specific moments to produce content that bullies and disparages riders. This practice amplifies negativity and undermines the integrity of the sport. To address this, the petition calls for FEI and its official media partners to copyright their material, preventing such influencers from exploiting it for harmful purposes.
I respectfully urge the FEI to consider the following actions:
Implement stricter moderation of comments on your social media pages to filter out inappropriate or abusive content, or disable commenting entirely on posts featuring athletes to prevent such interactions.
Ensure that all official FEI media content is copyrighted, with clear protections in place to stop influencers like Dressage Hub from repurposing it to harass or demean riders.
FEI-affiliated pages and media should be a safe space that promotes the sport and its athletes positively. The current situation—both through unmoderated comments and the misuse of official footage—risks alienating competitors and tarnishing the community spirit that equestrian sports thrive on. As a passionate supporter of dressage, I believe these changes align with FEI’s mission to uphold athlete welfare and foster a fair, ethical partnership in the sport.
Thank you for your time and consideration. I would be grateful for a response to discuss how we can move forward together on these issues. Please feel free to contact me if you need further details or wish to explore this matter further.
Sincerely,