Dhe German show jumpers have to say goodbye to a traditional training method that has repeatedly caused them considerable trouble in the media: touching, a gentle form of parallel bars, which has been banned since a scandal 30 years ago.
On Thursday, the German Equestrian Federation (FN) announced that this method, which can be used to improve the horse’s performance in the course, will be banned from May following a decision by the Executive Committee. Although the “professional application of touching at the jump . . . still not relevant to animal welfare, ”explained the FN in a press release. However, said General Secretary Soenke Lauterbach, the public does not differentiate between parallel bars (which are forbidden) and touching (which was previously permitted) and sees both methods as unfair to the horse. “We didn’t succeed in making the differences clearly understandable.”
The reason for a commission of experts to check whether touching is still up to date was a report by the private broadcaster RTL on January 11th, in which it was claimed that methods contrary to animal welfare were being practiced in the stables of top rider Ludger Beerbaum. Blurry footage was shown of horses jumping with their forehands against a light pole that a helper had pulled up. In one case, the FN, which was able to view the non-pixelated material, recognized a “swinging motion”. “Even experts often find it difficult to illustrate and convey where the limit of the previously permitted, professional touching at the jump is,” explained the FN. Lauterbach defined touching as “application of a tactile stimulus”. The aim is to “sensitize the horse by specifically touching the horse’s legs while jumping”. Only by banning touching can the horses and riders be protected from incorrect use, according to the FN statement. The “risk of deviation” is too high.
Another important reason for the proposal formulated by a commission of experts and unanimously accepted by the Executive Committee was the attitude of the world association. The FEI strictly prohibits touching.
The FN expressly emphasized that it was not the task of the commission to “legally evaluate the images shown in the RTL report and to pronounce regulatory measures”. She left open whether the association’s disciplinary committee would deal with the pictures. Beerbaum said he could “understand” the ban. For top-class sport, however, an “applied and recognized training method will be eliminated”. Riders and experts had previously defended the method, which is often the method of choice due to the modern course with light poles, flat faces and tricky distance problems. “As athletes and as an association, we will have to explain to the public much more in the future how we manage to achieve top performances together with our horses,” explained Beerbaum.
