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Minutes of the IDRC GeneralAssembly 2025
Organization: International Dressage Riders Club(IDRC)
Date: Friday, 19 December 2025
Time: 1:00 pm (CET)
Venue: Festhalle Frankfurt & via Zoom (hybrid General Assembly)
A total of 17 participants were present at the GeneralAssembly, of whom 11 were members entitled to vote.
1. Opening and Welcome
ThePresident, Isabell Werth, opened the General Assembly at 1:00 pm andwelcomed all members present on site and online. She emphasized the particularimportance of the upcoming complete revision of the FEI Dressage Rules andunderlined the need for active participation by the members.
2. Approval of the Minutes of the General Assembly2024
Theinvitation and the minutes of the General Assembly held on 17 December 2024were sent to all members in due time on 18 November 2025.
The minutes of the 2024 General Assembly were approved without objection.
3. President’s Yearly Report
The President reported on the activities of the IDRC during the year 2025.
3.1 Overview of Activities 2025
3.2 Noseband Measuring
3.3 Snaffle versus Double Bridle
3.4 Use of Artificial Intelligence
3.5 Participation in Key Events
4. Treasurer’s Report
The Treasurer presented the financial report for the 2025 financial year.
The treasurer explained the individual figures; when asked, there were nocomments or remarks.
5. Discharge of the ExecutiveBoard
The number of members entitled to vote was established. A vote was held on the discharge of the Executive Board.
The discharge of the Executive Board was approved unanimously. The members of the Executive Board abstained from voting.
The Executive Board was discharged.
6. Internal Discussion and Voting–Revision of the FEI Dressage Rules 2026
An in-depth internal discussion took place on the key topics of the upcoming FEI Dressage Rules revision 2026:
Adjustment of the Blood Rule
The participants agreed in principle that a uniform Blood Rule should apply across all FEI disciplines. With specific regard to dressage, the following approach was supported for future regulations:
· If blood is detected on the horse within the rider’s area of influence, this should result in automatic elimination.
· If blood is detected outside the rider’s area of influence, this should not lead to automatic elimination; instead, the horse must be examined immediately by a veterinarian.
There was agreement that the double bridle should remain mandatory in 4 and 5 competitions**. It was noted that the outcomes of the current FEI test phase must be awaited in order to obtain meaningful and evidence-based results.
In this context, the question was also discussed as to whether the FEI has conducted a study examining a potential increase in mouth injuries since the introduction of the noseband measuring device. If no such study exists, it was agreed that the FEI should carry out an appropriate scientific study.
A majority of participants spoke out against the publication of judges’ comments. It was emphasized that judges’ comments are intended for the riders, who ultimately also indirectly pay for this service.
It was further noted that there is neither a legal basis nor a uniform consensus requiring the publication of judges’ final scores or detailed comments. Both the FEI Dressage Rules and, at national level, the regulations of the FN, clearly state that judges’ comments are intended to explain and justify the awarded (and published) marks, primarily for the benefit of the riders.
Against this background, it was acknowledged that a certain degree of transparency through the publication of marks is already ensured and that any further publication of comments would, in practice, follow automatically from this principle. The arguments put forward in favor of withholding judges’ comments were therefore critically reviewed, as they risk appearing to be based more on personal considerations than on a solid legal or regulatory foundation, which may ultimately weaken the credibility of the position vis-à-vis the FEI.
Also in light of these arguments, the publication was viewed critically by a considerable number of participants.
Through the publication of marks alone, the general public is already sufficiently informed.
If publication of judges’ comments were to be considered at all, it could only take place with the explicit consent of each individual rider.
There was unanimous agreement that the FEI must continue to work on this topic with high priority and urgency. It was emphasized that it is essential to obtain timely, reliable insights into what is technically feasible, to what extent, and with what level of reliability. Only once this factual and technical basis is established should a substantive discussion take place on how and in what form artificial intelligence could be integrated into the judging and evaluation process.
There was unanimous agreement that such a transparency register, which has already been repeatedly urged in discussions with the FEI, must be introduced without delay. It was further agreed that this measure should also be implemented at national level, and members were encouraged to address this topic with their respective national federations. It was noted that Germany has already decided to implement such an approach.
There was unanimous agreement on the desire to introduce two separate collective marks, one specifically for the horse and one specifically for the rider, to allow for a clearer and more differentiated evaluation.
It was agreed that the FEI should actively work towards ensuring that the ordinary draw is more consistently implemented by event organizers. In this context, it was discussed whether it would be sensible to make the Olympic format for determining the starting order mandatory for other championships as well, as this format has proven to be highly effective and fair.
7. Any Other Business
In closing, the President thanked all participants. She expressed her personal wishes for2026:
Dueto time constraints during the General Assembly, it was noted that further proposed rule changes will be discussed at a later stage.
The General Assembly was closed at 14:30.
Frankfurt, 19 December 2025
IsabellWerth KlausRoeser
President, IDRC SecretaryGeneral IDRC
