In 2025, FEI Eventing Rules underwent full revision with the key changes being approved at the FEI General Assembly in Hong Kong. The new FEI Eventing Rules (clean and mark up versions) are now published here and come into effect on 1st January 2026
FEI Under 25 Eventing World Championship
The U25 Eventing World Championship was introduced to bridge the gap between the Young Riders (CCI3*-L) and Senior (CCI4*-L) Championships. The new Championship will be held annually at CCI4*-S level and is open to athletes aged 16 to 25. Competitors in the U25 Championship may still participate in the Senior Championships in the same year.
The inaugural FEI U25 Championship will be held at Millstreet (IRE) from 22nd-26th July 2026
Article 501.3 Structure of Competitions – Championships
Article 501.3.3 – Levels of difficulty
Article 504.2.2 – Other participation restrictions
Article 521 – Minimum Eligibility Requirements for Championships and Games
Participation restrictions 1* & 2* Competitions
Previously, horses that had achieved MERs at World Championships, Olympic Games, or CCI5*-L competitions were not eligible to compete in CCI1*-Intro or CCI2*-S/L events in the same or following year.
To support the development of less experienced athletes and allow experienced horses to act as schoolmasters, this restriction in Article 504.2.1 has been removed.
Article 504.2.1 – Other participation restrictions – Championships
Article 504.2.2 - Other participation restrictions – Junior Championships
Officials
Officials Remunerations
Article 514 – Officials Remunerations
To align with the Dressage and Jumping disciplines, per diems for Eventing Officials are now mandatory and have been increased from EUR 100 to EUR 120.
Ground Jury President Appointment at CCI4*-S/L and CCI5*-L Competitions
Article 513.4 – Ground Jury President Appointment – Additional Requirements
Previously, L3 Judges could not serve as Ground Jury Presidents at CCI4*-L or CCI4*-S events if an L4 Judge was also on the Ground Jury, limiting their opportunities for assessment and progression.
This restriction has been removed, allowing L3 Judges to officiate as Presidents and benefit from mentoring by more experienced Judges.
Rotation of Officials – Ground Jury & Technical Delegates
Article 513.8.1 – Appointment Additional Requirements and Restrictions – Ground Jury
Article 513.8.2 - Appointment Additional Requirements and Restrictions – Ground Jury – Technical Delegates
The rules on rotation were often interpreted inconsistently, causing confusion and added costs for smaller Organising Committees.
The definition of “two consecutive years at the same venue” has now been clarified as: “two Events held at the same location, in the same week of the year (±10 days), regardless of competition level.”
In addition, for Technical Delegates, the annual limit of five Long Format competitions has been clarified to exclude Pony competitions. Officiating at multiple Long Format competitions within the same event will count as one.
Sanctions
Article 525 – Eventing Recorded Warning
Article 526 – Yellow Warning Cards
Article 527 – Eventing Recorded Warning, Yellow warning Cards & Suspensions
NEW Annex I – Indoor / Arena Cross Country Rules
Previously, Eventing sanctions were set out in Articles 525 to 527 in a structure that was difficult to follow. These articles have been rewritten to improve clarity and practical understanding.
In addition, a new Annex I has been introduced, presenting all Eventing sanctions in a single table for easier overview and comparison.
Article 525.4 – Blood on Horses
Article 525.2 – Inappropriate Use of the Whip
Article 526.1.3 – Use of the Whip
Article 538.1 - Dress – General
Article 538.1.2 – Dress – General – Whips
Other sanction-related changes include:
The blood rule in Article 525.4 has been aligned with Jumping.
The rules on the use of aids have been clarified in Articles 525.2 and 526.1.3.
The use of the whip in Articles 525.2 and 526.1.3 has been separated by sanction type (ERWC vs YWC), based on the seriousness of the offence.
Scoring
Dressage
Art.544.1.2 – Marking – Scoring Flying Changes, Halts, Rein-Backs, and Walk Pirouettes
Previously, only flying changes could be reviewed at higher-level events or 4* Championships when there was a three-point or greater difference between judges.
This has been expanded to include halts, rein-backs, and walk pirouettes, as set out in Article 544.1.2.
Cross Country
Article 548.1 – Faults at Obstacles
In the Cross-Country test, the penalty for missing a flag has been reduced from 15 to 9 points. This places it below the penalty for activating a frangible device (11 points) but above the penalty for knocking down two fences in the Jumping test (8 points).
View an explainer video of the FEI Eventing Rules changes here
