By John T. Wendt
We have all seen the results of a dangerous concussion in football, hockey, soccer, and other sports. Now imagine that you are riding and falling off of a 1400-pound horse onto the ground, and the only thing protecting your head is a top hat. Would you be safer with a helmet? Should a helmet be required? That is the debate that is going on right now in Equestrian Dressage.
Dressage is considered the most artistic of the equestrian sports testing the ability of horse and athlete to display both athletic prowess and supreme elegance by evaluating, for example, an athlete’s ability to make their horse move quickly from side to side, transition into a gallop or rapidly change direction, using subtle commands.[13] It is steeped in tradition and history. Dressage tradition also requires riders to wear elegant formal dressage show attire with a top hat.
Courtney King-Dye is an American Olympian and competed in not only the 2008 Olympic Games but also the 2007 and 2008 World Cups, the pinnacle of success.[14] In 2010 while practicing, her horse tripped and King-Dye, who was not wearing a helmet, fell and suffered a traumatic brain injury. It was an accident.
But her accident sent shockwaves through the sport. Equestrian federations from the United States, Canada, and Great Britain all instituted rules changes mandating protective headgear in practice. The equestrian international governing body Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) “strongly recommended” that all riders wear helmets in training and pre-competition warm-ups at all international Dressage shows. But riders in the competition arena still had a choice of wearing a helmet or the traditional top hat.[15]
At the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio some riders wore helmets others top hats. Edward Gal of the Netherlands said, “I always wear the top hat. I think with dressage it looks nicer. My face isn’t made for a helmet. With the young horses at home I wear the helmet. I don’t think I will fall off in an arena with (his horse) Voice.” While Kasey Perry-Glass of the United States said, “I’ve always worn my helmet. I’ve never been a big advocate for not wearing a helmet. I wanted to wear my helmet here. It’s very important, and I want to stay healthy. Anything can happen at any time. Dublet is a pretty sensitive horse—you just never know. I use one on any horse, at home too. It’s very important.”[16]
At their November 2019 General Assembly, based on a recommendation from the FEI Medical Committee, the FEI approved Article 140 of the General Regulations mandating protective headgear as of January 1, 2021 for all dressage riders any time that they are mounted, inside and outside the competition arena. Riders may remove the protective headgear during ceremonies, when accepting prizes and during the playing of National Anthems.[17] Frank Kemperman, Chair of the FEI Dressage Committee said, “Tradition is important in our sport, but it’s difficult to not follow the medical community’s advice…There’s no really strong argument against the use of protective headgear in dressage, except that it’s a tradition.”[18]
150 of the leading dressage riders petitioned the FEI to reverse the decision and give senior riders the option of wearing helmets or top hats. And that list includes some of the greatest riders in the world including Isabell Werth of Germany who is regarded as the Queen of Olympic Dressage with a record 10 medals, six of them gold over five Olympic Games. The petition was sent to the FEI for consideration at the 2020 FEI General Assembly to be held online in November 2020. In the petition the riders state, “There has never been a serious accident at an International Dressage competition, and the riders believe there is no reason to change that for Senior competitors at CDI4*/5*, Games and Championships on GP level. The top hat is an essential part of the identity of dressage. The dress code makes us unique and we feel very strongly that the top hat remains as optional to use, but only at the highest level of competition…”[19]
In contrast a group of more than 170 physicians calling themselves “Physician Women Equestrians” sent a letter to the FEI to maintain the mandate for protective headgear. The group said, “We, the undersigned, are an international group of physicians who ride in all equestrian disciplines, at all levels of the sport…We also treat brain injuries from the emergency room to the intensive care unit, from rehabilitation to psychiatric care, and we believe this petition, if granted, is a disservice to individual riders and to the sport of dressage.”[20]
While the FEI acknowledged they received the petition, a spokesperson indicated that it was sent in too late to be placed on the agenda. The FEI also noted that during the rule review period they did not receive any request to change the proposed helmet rule from the 137 National Federations or the International Dressage Riders Club.[21] It will be interesting to see if the riders bring forth their petition at the 2021 FEI General Assembly or if a helmet becomes the new tradition.
John T. Wendt is a Professor Emeritus of Ethics and Business Law at the University of St. Thomas and a member of the Court of Arbitration for Sport (Lausanne).
[13] Tokyo 2020, Equestrian, Tokyo 2020 (2020), https://tokyo2020.org/en/sports/equestrian/ (last visited Oct 30, 2020).
[14] Courtney Dye-King, Ckd Dressage, Ckd Dressage (2020), http://ckddressage.com/ (last visited Oct 29, 2020).
[15] Fédération Équestre Internationale, Safety Helmets Strongly Recommended By Dressage Committee, FEI (2010), https://inside.fei.org/news/safety-helmets-strongly-recommended-dressage-committee (last visited Oct 30, 2020).
[16] Molly Bailey, Top Hat Or Helmet? (2016), http://www.chronofhorse.com/article/top-hat-or-helmet (last visited Oct 29, 2020).
[17] Fédération Équestre Internationale, FEI General Regulations, 24th edition (2020), https://inside.fei.org/sites/default/files/FEI General Regulations effective 1 January 2020 – Final Version for Website – Clean.pdf.
[18] Eurodressage, Top Riders Sign Petition to Retain the Choice for a Top Hat in Grand Prix Competition, Eurodressage (2020), https://www.eurodressage.com/2020/10/26/top-riders-sign-petition-retain-choice-top-hat-grand-prix-competition (last visited Oct 29, 2020).
[19] Id.
[20] Dressage-News, Over 170 Physicians Involved in Horse Sports Appeal Against Move to Permit Top Hats for Senior Riders in High Level Competition (2020), https://dressage-news.com/2020/10/29/over-170-physicians-involved-in-horse-sports-appeal-against -move-to-permit-top-hats-for-senior-riders-in-high-level-competition/ (last visited Nov 1, 2020).
[21] Pippa Cuckson, Top Hats Set for Extinction Despite Dressage Petition, Horse Sport (2020), https://horsesport.com/horse-news/top-hats-set-extinction-despite-dressage-petition/ (last visited Oct 29, 2020).
