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World University Equestrian Championship

26.-30. July 2000   Berne, Switzerland



[ The authoritative version of the regulations is available as Word file (191KB) ]

II. TECHNICAL REGULATIONS

  1. GENERAL TERMS
    1. The sports events of the 4th World University Equestrian Championship (WUEC) will be organized in accordance with the most recent technical rules of the Fédération Equestre Inter­nationale (FEI) and the Association Internationale des Etudiants Cavaliers (AIEC).
      In case of disagreement in the interpretation of these rules, the French text will be regarded as authoritative.
      The technical supervision will be assured by AIEC on behalf of FISU and in conformity with the technical rules of FEI.
    2. All technical protests or complaints must be presented by a Head of Delegation (Chef d'Equipe) or his deputy to the Technical Commission (CT).
    3. The protest must be submitted in writing to the CT and must be accompanied by a participa­tion fee of fifty U.S. Dollars (50) which will be returned, if the protest is considered to be justi­fied.
    4. Any decision of the CT is final and must be reported immediately to the Head of Delegation (Chef d'Equipe) of the country/countries concerned.

  2. TECHNICAL REGULATIONS
    1. Each country may enter a maximum of six (6) persons: three (3) riders, one (1) reserve rider and a maximum of two (2) officials. Only complete teams with three riders may take part in the competition.
      At the first General Technical Meeting, the Head of delegation or his representative shall con­firm and sign the official list of the accredited competitors by the CISCA.
    2. The competition is composed of two parts, dressage and show jumping, in which the same riders must participate. The dressage and show jumping events will be organized following the "knockout" system.
    3. The reserve rider shall complete the team only in case of physical inability certified by the offi­cial doctor of the competition. If this occurs before the entire event has begun, the reserve rider is allowed to substitute a rider in both dressage and show jumping. In case the event has already begun, the reserve rider can only substitute a rider in one of the two parts before the beginning of the first round of the part in question.

  3. COMPETITION RULES
    1. GENERAL PRINCIPLES
      1. Treatment of Horses
      2. All riders must treat the horses in a fair and sporting manner in accordance with the FEI "code of conduct". Any abuse or violence will lead to elimination of the rider decided by the CT or the judges.
      3. The Knockout System
      4. All the tests will be judged according to the knockout system. The knockout system consists of the following. Riders draw lots for each round to know which horses they will ride. Every horse is ridden by two (2) or three (3) riders. The rider with the best result on the horse will be quali­fied for the next round. If it is necessary to qualify more riders, the non-qualified riders with the lowest difference score to the best rider of the same horse will be qualified. See also articles 13.9.3.1., 13.9.3.3., 13.6.3., 13.6.4., 13.6.5.
      5. Warming-up of Horses
      6. During the whole competition, horses will be warmed up by riders, who are not participating in the competition. If all the Heads of Delegation (Chefs d'Equipe) of the teams riding the same horse find the warming-up of the horses inappropriate, they must inform the technical delegate (TD) of AIEC.
      7. Presentation of Horses
      8. During the competition, the horses must be shown on an equivalent level to the test for which they will be used. The horses must be shown in the arena, where the test takes place.
      9. Preparation
      10. The organizers will fix the time allowed during which the competitors may ride their horses before the test. This preparation time will be the same for all competitors. The riders must respect the orders of the responsible person of the warm-up area, designated by the OC. See also articles 13.4.5. and 13.5.5.
      11. Lame Horse
      12. If the Team Managers of all the countries riding the same horse consider this horse lame, they must inform the TD of FISU, who will must find a solution.

    2. SERIES
      1. General Principles
      2. 3 series A, B and C are created for the purpose to avoid teams of equal strength to compete against each other in the first round.

        The teams will be assigned to the three series. The number of teams in each series must not differ for more than one from the number of teams in the other series.

        Separate series are made for dressage and for show jumping.

        The teams within each of the series will not ride against each other in the first round.

        The distribution of the teams in the different series will be established according to the results obtained in AIEC Student Riding Nations Cups (AIEC SRNC) in the two years immediately preceding the WUEC 2000 (1998: Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Luxembourg; 1999: Sweden, USA, Ireland; 2000: Belgium, Germany, Austria).

      3. Seeding of Teams
        • The results of the AIEC SRNC mentioned in 13.2.1. are converted into points. The maxi­mum number of points assigned to each competition depends directly on the number of official teams competing.
          Example: If there have been 12 official teams in a SRNC, the winner receives 1 point, num­ber two receives 2 points and so on to place twelve, which receives 12 points.
        • Series placement will be based on the country's 3 best performances (= lowest number of points) from the competitions mentioned in 13.2.1.
        • Two ranking-lists will be made: one for dressage according to the dressage results obtained in the AIEC SRNC and one for show jumping according to the show jumping results obtained at the competitions mentioned in 13.2.1.
        • The countries with the best results will be placed in series A, followed by series B and C.
        • The countries that only took part in two AIEC SRNC's will be placed right after the above-mentioned countries according to the above-mentioned system, followed by the countries with only one result.
        • Countries who did not take part in any of these AIEC SRNC's will be assigned to the remaining places on the end of the list. These countries will draw for the remaining places after all other countries have been assigned their places.

    3. DRAW OF HORSES
      1. General Principles
      2. Before each round horses will be drawn. Each horse will be assigned a number. This number is written on the papers used for the drawing. The drawing will assign one horse to each rider in each round. Each horse will be ridden by two or three competitors. Each Chef d’Equipe will draw a paper, which indicates the number and the starting number(s) of the horse(s) that his team/team-member will ride.
      3. Supervision
      4. Every drawing will be supervised by the TD of AIEC.
      5. Draw of Horses for the First Round Dressage
      6. The horses for the first round dressage will be divided into series of three. The horses will be drawn team by team; each group of 3 horses will be assigned to three different teams, each team will be from a different series (A, B or C).
        Teams in series A will draw first, and not compete against each other. Series B will draw second, and not compete against each other. Series C will draw last.
      7. Draw of Horses for the First Round Show Jumping
      8. The draw of horses will assign to each team one group of 3 horses as following:
        1 horse as 1st starter (the horse being ridden for the 1st time in the test),
        1 horse as 2nd starter (the horse being ridden for the 2nd time in the test),
        1 horse as 3rd starter (the horse being ridden for the 3rd time in the test),
        each group of 3 horses is assigned to three different teams of the different groups (A, B and C).

        Teams in series A will draw first, and not compete against each other. Series B will draw second, and not compete against each other. Series C will draw last.

      9. First rounds
      10. For the first rounds the Chef d’Equipe must declare which team member will ride which horse. Declarations must be made after the presentation of the horses and before any rider starts on these horses.
        For the team dressage test the Chef d'Equipe must also declare the order in which the riders will start the test, i.e. the order in which the riders are entering the arena. "Entering the arena" is con­sidered as the riders' turning down the centre line from the short side at A for the initial saluting of the jury.
        Not respecting the declared order will lead to a team mark of 0 (zero) points for each single lesson which is not performed in the declared order.
      11. Following Rounds
      12. For the following rounds, riders from the same team cannot draw the same horse except if there are more qualified riders from the same team than horses in the round.
        Teams with multiple riders in that round will draw first, beginning with the team with the most riders in that round.
        If these riders draw the same horse, the last rider to draw that horse will draw again until he draws a horse that has not yet been drawn by any rider of his team in the round.
        Chefs d’Equipe must declare for which rider they are drawing prior to pulling a draw-slip.
      13. Finals
      14. In the finals each rider will ride two horses, one horse as 1st starter and one as 2nd starter.

    4. DRESSAGE TESTS
      1. All tests can be dictated except for the dressage free style (final). This may be done by micro­phone only if all riders have this opportunity.
      2. Judges for the First Round Dressage
      3. Four judges will judge the first round dressage. Three judges will judge the three riders of the team individually. One horse is judged by one and the same judge during the entire first round. The fourth judge will judge the team as a whole and give a team mark. One of the three FEI judges will be appointed as President of dressage judges team for the whole competition.
      4. Judges for Further Rounds Dressage
      5. Three judges will judge the dressage test. All three judges must be from different countries. All judges must be FEI-dressage judges.
      6. Marking the horses in the first round dressage
      7. In the first round dressage the horses must be marked with a clearly visible coloured object attached to the tack. The three horses in each group receive a different colour. Each of the three judges (for the individual judging) judges the same colour during the entire first round.
      8. Preparation
      9. For all dressage tests, competitors will be allowed to ride their horses in the warm-up arena at least for the time of the duration of the dressage test used in this round. This time may be increased by the organizers, but must be the same for all riders in the same round.
      10. Tests
      11. The first round dressage is a team test. All further rounds are individual tests. The final round consists of a compulsory test and a free style test. The level of difficulty of the tests used must increase from one round to the next. The organization will send the tests to the competing teams in advance; i.e. no later when the invitations for the nominative inscriptions are sent out.
      12. Demonstration
      13. The organizers may organize a demonstration of the first round dressage test with no competi­tors. This demonstration can be judged and the marks be commented.

    5. SHOW JUMPING TESTS
      1. Judges for show jumping
      2. Two judges will judge each show jumping test. Both judges must be from different countries. At least one judge must be an FEI-show jumping judge and the other one must be licensed according to his National Equestrian Federation at the relevant level of the test. The FEI judge will be appointed as President of the show jumping judges team for the whole competition.
      3. The first round show jumping will be judged by style. Second round by faults and style and all further rounds by faults and time. Electrical chronometer is compulsory.

      4. In all jumping tests the course must include at least 9 obstacles.

      5. Height of the fences
      6. In all jumping tests the difficulties must increase from one round to the next. For the first round the fences’ height must be at least 0.9 meters but not exceeding 1.1 meters. For the finals the fences’ height must range from 1.3 meters to 1.5 meters unless the judges decide otherwise.
      7. Preparation
      8. Riders have 5 minutes warm-up time on their assigned horse. During this time they may jump a maximum of two or three trial fences under the supervision of the responsible person of the warm-up area. The number of trial fences allowed will be determined by the organization, but must be the same for all riders in the same round. In case three trial fences are allowed, the organization must provide three different trial fences in the warm up arena of which only two fences may be at the average height of the course. Jumping more than the allowed number of trial fences will lead to immediate elimination of the rider.
      9. Time Allowed
      10. The time allowed for all jumping tests is taken for the entire course. The time allowed will be fixed by the judges and must be announced once at the draw of the horses for the round and at least twice over the public address system before the first rider starts. In addition, the actual time taken to complete the course, by each rider, must be announced at the conclusion of each ride.
        The judges may choose to adjust the maximum time allowed no later than after 4 riders have completed the course, in which case the change in the time allowed must be announced over the public address system at least two times before the next rider to compete receives his starting signal from the judges.

    6. JUDGING CRITERIA FOR SHOW JUMPING
    7. To avoid any misunderstandings because of different national judging criteria, the criteria for show jumping judging will be:
      1. On style
      2. A style mark on a scale from 1 to 10 will be given for each fence. All style marks added up and then divided by the number of fences give the average style mark.
        An overall style mark on a scale from 1 to 10 will be given for the entire course.
        The average style mark will be added to the overall style mark. This total is then divided by two to reach a consolidated style mark for the round that is between 1 and 10.

        From this consolidated style mark will be deducted:

        • for the first refusal: 1 point
        • for the second refusal: 2 points
        • for the third refusal: elimination
        • for each fence down: 0.5 points
        • for the first fall of the rider: 2.5 points
        • for the second fall of the rider: elimination
        • for exceeding the time allowed: 0.1 points per second over the time allowed

        The resulting mark is the final style mark.

      3. On faults & style or on faults & time
      4. There will be:

        • for the first refusal: +3 penalty points
        • for the second refusal: +6 penalty points
        • for the third refusal: elimination
        • for each fence down: +4 penalty points
        • for the first fall of the rider: +8 penalty points
        • for the second fall of the rider: elimination
        • for exceeding the time allowed: +0,25 penalty points per second over the time allowed

        All penalty points are summed up. This sum is the final faults mark. The rider with the lowest final faults mark qualifies for the next round.

      5. First round show jumping
      6. If two or more riders on one horse have an equal final style mark, the ranking will be made by the consolidated style mark: the higher consolidated style mark ranks first.
        If the consolidated style marks are equal, the higher overall mark ranks first.
        If the overall marks are equal, the judges decide in accordance with articles 13.9.3.1. and 13.9.3.2.
      7. Second round show jumping
      8. If the riders on one horse have an equal number of faults, the ranking will be made by the consolidated style mark: the higher consolidated style mark ranks first.
        If the consolidated style marks are equal, the higher overall mark ranks first.
        If the overall marks are equal, the judges decide in accordance with articles 13.9.3.1. and 13.9.3.2.
      9. From third round showjumping on
      10. If the riders on one horse have an equal number of faults, the ranking will be made by time: the fastest time ranks first.
        If the time is equal, the judges decide in accordance with articles 13.9.3.1. and 13.9.3.2.

    8. EQUIPMENT OF THE RIDERS
      1. Riding Cap
      2. As soon as a rider is on horseback, he must wear a riding cap. The dressage riding hat is tolerated under the rider’s own liability in accordance with his personal insurance.
      3. Whip
      4. For the dressage tests, the dressage whip is allowed only in the warm-up arena. Riders may use it during the test only if the Chairman of the Jury allows it expressis verbis. This must be declared before the first rider on the considered horse starts his test.
        For the jumping tests, all riding whips measuring less than 0.7 meters are allowed.
        It is forbidden to use the whip in the "violin stick" position.
        Not obeying this article leads immediately to elimination.
      5. Spurs
      6. Only blunt spurs are allowed, unless the organizers acknowledge another type of spurs for one horse. This must be declared before the first rider on the considered horse starts his test. Plastic spurs are not allowed.
        Not obeying this article leads immediately to elimination for this discipline.
      7. Stirrups
      8. In case of breaking a stirrup during the competition the rider may have a restart unless he shows the intention of finishing the test.

    9. TACK
      1. The organizers must check the tack of the horses before the tests.

      2. Only the person in charge of the horses may change the setting of the horses’ tacks.

      3. A tack of a horse must not be changed after the first rider has ridden the horse. In case of breaking the tack during the competition the rider may have a restart unless he shows the inten­tion of finishing the test.

      4. Martingale
      5. Only a running martingale is allowed for show jumping. No martingales will be permitted in dres­sage.

    10. RANKING
    11. At the end of the competition, the following 4 titles will be awarded:

      1. INDIVIDUAL RANKING
        1. Ranking of Non-qualified Riders
        2. a) After each round the non-qualified riders are ranked according to their point difference with the best rider on their horse. The rider with the least point difference is ranked immediately after the last qualified rider for the next round. The individual ranking on the horse (whether the rider was second or third best on this horse) does not affect the ranking.
          Riders who are eliminated are ranked after the last non-eliminated rider in the round.

          b) Riders who retire on their own purpose during their ride will be ranked after all other riders of this round including all eliminated riders.

          c) Exceptions to b): But if a rider decides to retire during his ride when there is no more theo­retical possibility for him to be the winner of this round - in accordance with article 13.1.1 - the rider will be ranked equal with all the eliminated riders of this round, or in case there are no eliminated riders in this round, he will be ranked as the last rider of this round.
          This rule is meant to reward fair treatment of the horse.

          d) When a rider retires before he starts riding, he will get no ranking at all in this discipline. Moreover he will get no individual combined ranking. His team will get no team combined ranking.
          A ride is considered to have started after the judges have been saluted.

          e) Exception to d) is made when a rider is forced to retire before he starts his ride due to physi­cal inability according to article 12.3, or if the Technical Commission decides that there is another valid reason. In this case the rider will be considered as having retired during his ride and will be ranked as sub b).

          f) In case article 12.3 must be applied, the two riders are ranked normally in the respective disciplines in which they participated, and the team will be ranked normally with the results of the two riders being considered as the results of one rider.

        3. Convert Ranking into Points
        4. Riders receive points according to their ranking, i.e. ranking 1 = 1 point, ranking 2 = 2 points, etc.
          When riders have the same rank, they receive points equal to the sum of the rankings occu­pied by the riders divided by the number of riders with the same result, e.g.: 4 riders placed 20th, the points given to each rider are equal to (20+21+22+23) / 4 = 21,5 points.
        5. Individual Combined Ranking
        6. For the individual combined ranking, the rankings of the rider in dressage and in show jumping are converted into points according to article 13.9.1.2. These points are summed up. The rider having the least points is the winner of the combined ranking. When two or more riders have the same amount of points, the best-ranked rider in dressage will be ranked as the better one in combined.
      2. TEAM COMBINED RANKING
        1. The team combined ranking is calculated as follows:

          The placing points of the three riders in dressage and the placing points of the team mark (multi­plied by three) are added, then divided by four giving the total for dressage. The placing points of the three riders in show jumping are added, then divided by three giving the total for show jumping.

          The team combined ranking is calculated by summing up the total for dressage and the total for show jumping.

          The team with the least sum is the winner of the team combined. All other teams are ranked in ascending order.

        2. If two or more teams have the same amount of points calculated sub 13.9.2.1., the team with the better team dressage placement ranks first. In case the team dressage placements are equal, the better team dressage mark from the first round dressage ranks first.

      3. RIDERS WITH THE BEST AND EQUAL RESULT
        1. Show Jumping
        2. If two or three riders on the same horse in the same round of show jumping have the best and equal result (see articles 13.6.3. to 13.6.5.), they will re-ride the course in the same starting order on a horse designated by the organizers. If the organizers only have a horse already ridden in the test, the course may be shortened. If the organizers do not have any horses available, the judges decide who is qualified for the next round. There must be at least one reserve horse for every round.

          The riders who are not qualified after this separation procedure are ranked as first of the non-qualified riders in the round.

        3. Disqualification in Show Jumping
        4. If all riders on the same horse in the same round of show jumping are disqualified, they will re-ride the same course in the same starting order on a horse designated by the organizers. If the organizers only have a horse already ridden in the test, the course may be shortened. If the organizers do not have any horses available, the rider who jumped the most fences will be quali­fied. If none of the riders went farther than all the others, the judges decide who is quali­fied for the next round.

          The riders who are not qualified after this separation procedure are ranked as first of the non-qualified riders in the round.

        5. Dressage
        6. If two or three riders on the same horse in the same round of dressage have the best and equal result, the difference is made by their collective mark (sum of all collective marks). If they are still equal the difference is made by their position mark (sum of all position marks). If they are still equal they must re-ride the same test in the same starting order on a horse desig­nated by the organizers. If the organizers do not have any horses available, the judges decide who is qualified for the next round. There must be at least one reserve horse for every round.

          The riders who are not qualified after this separation procedure are ranked as first of the non-qualified riders in the round.