The impact of the mandatory rest period in Fédération Equestre Internationale endurance events.

This study evaluates the effect of mandatory rest periods (MRPs) in international endurance events for horses. The results indicate that the implementation of MRP has led to a reduction in the number of dismissals due to lameness or metabolic issues.

Study Objective and Methodology

Given the requirement by the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) for horses to take minimum days of rest between competitions, known as MRPs, this research focused on examining the influence of this policy on Failure to Qualify (FTQ) results. It assessed the data recorded between January 2014 and December 2016.

• The study involved a retrospective analysis and a predictive model using a segment of FEI data encompassing all global horse starts in Concours de Raid d’Endurance Internationale (CEI) competitions from 2010 to 2017.
• The methodology included assessing descriptive statistics, followed by predictive and retrospective modeling of possible scenarios. These scenarios proposed extended MRPs for all horses and specific ones for the fastest ridden horses.

Study Findings

The research disclosed several benefits derived from the introduction of MRPs. The existing MRP policy potentially prevented around 2.3% of FTQ outcomes among directly impacted horses. Expanding MRPs could yield additional benefits. The most significant impact could be obtained by extending a 1-week rest period for all horses and an additional 1-week for the fastest ridden horses. This extension could lead to an approximately 11.5% reduction in FTQ outcomes among the directly affected horses.

• The research data covered all FEI events but not any National Federation events. While the dataset encompassed competitions globally, it didn’t record every competition that each horse entered. Moreover, the study data did not include training records of individual horses.

Conclusions

MRPs mandated for horses between endurance competitions have aided in reducing the number of FTQ results during the CEI events. More benefits could be realized by extending the rest periods for all horses, with a particular focus on horses ridden at the highest average speeds.