The FEI Dressage Task Force met in Lausanne, Switzerland, April 21-22. The Task Force discussed the following items:

Olympic Games: competition formula and qualification process. A proposal will be included in the Task Force’s final report to be presented to the FEI Bureau in November.

Dressage Committee: future composition. A proposal in line with the FEI Statutes is currently being prepared in cooperation with the FEI Nominations Committee. The Secretary General briefed the task force on the evolving governance framework and the roles of Technical Committees, the Nominations Committee, the Bureau and Headquarters in the democratic process that leads to election and appointment of committee members.

Dressage Judges Education: An education system is currently being put together with the objective to have it in place for 2010. Dr. David Stickland gave a presentation concerning tools to improve judge training and education using statistical analysis. It was felt that this would be an excellent tool to combine with the work of the task force.

Rules: Some amendments to the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Rules, based on feedback from National Federations, will be sent to the FEI Bureau for approval. Only changes to the FEI Rules for Dressage Events (23 edition) made for urgent operational reasons will be allowed this year as these rules underwent a major revision last year.

The Task Force heard presentations from the International Skating Union (ISU) and the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) regarding the judging systems used in ice skating and gymnastics. These models were found very educational.

The FEI Dressage Task Force will continue their work and keep stakeholders informed of their progress.