Dubai: International jumping and dressage looks set to grow following the ratification of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the riders and the International Federation for Equestrian Sports (FEI).
The International Jumping Riders Club (IJRC) and the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC), which together represent the world’s top riders, signed the agreement with the objective of expanding the Olympic disciplines of jumping and dressage.
The two organisations, formerly FEI Associate Members, will work closely with the FEI to further develop jumping events, which have grown by 20 per cent since 2010, and dressage, which have grown 28 per cent in the same period.
Around 1,300 jumping and 450 dressage events took place in more than 70 countries last year alone, but the memorandum aims to broaden the calendar and ensure a strong future for the two popular equestrian disciplines.
“Our club strongly believes that the co-operation between our riders, event organisers and the governing body for our sport, the FEI, is key in bringing equestrian sport to a higher level,” Olympic jumping athlete Christina Liebherr, who was appointed as the IJRC’s first female president in August 2013, said in an FEI press release.
“This is the start of a new way of working with the FEI and the athletes we represent as we focus on the global development of jumping.”
The IDRC, founded in 1986, is the voice of almost 600 dressage riders around the world, with President Kyra Kyrklund and six active Olympic dressage athletes on its board.
“This is an exciting new chapter for the IDRC as we represent more and more dressage athletes thanks to the rapid growth of the sport,” Finn Kyrklund said.
“We now have a formal agreement with the FEI that recognises the IDRC as the sole international organisation representing the views and interests of international dressage riders and our athletes fully understand the weight of this agreement.”
FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos said: “Our athletes are the lifeblood of our sport and the FEI’s collaboration with the International Jumping and Dressage Riders Clubs helps to ensure that we all have our fingers on the pulse of the sport and fully understand the views of our athletes on the future of two of our most popular disciplines.
“These new relationships underline the importance of collaborating with our athletes and represent a very important step as jumping and dressage continue to grow in all four corners of the world.”
The IJRC, founded in 1997 by a group of 25 international jumping riders including David Broome, Raimondo D’Inzeo, Paul Schockomoehle and Nelson Pessoa, is under the direction of Eleonora Ottaviani Moroni.
The organisation represents more than 250 of the world’s best jumping riders, which have competed at Olympic, World Championship and FEI Nations Cup level, as well as the top riders in the FEI World Jumping Rankings. The IJRC also represents the North American Riders Group (NARG).
