It’s ta-ta to top hats as a change to Article 140 of the FEI General Regulations enforces the mandatory requirement for protective headgear to be worn while riding anywhere on the show grounds at a competition
The decision to introduce the change was voted on at the FEI General Assembly in Moscow, but implementation has been postponed until 1st January 2021 in order to allow for education and for manufacturers to produce sufficient quantities of protective headgear.
New Zealand led the way in 2016, mandating that top hats could not be worn in any National competition but FEI rules were still in place for International competition until the recent decision
Now we will see all riders at eventing competitions required to wear protective headgear during the dressage phase from January 2021 (even William Fox-Pitt ……)
