Visible blood in a horse’s mouth or nose signals tissue damage. It is a pain question, not a paperwork question. Yet a proposed Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) rule would replace automatic elimination with a recorded warning, and in some cases allow officials to wipe away the blood and let the round go on—if a veterinary delegate deems the horse “fit to compete,” Horse Sport reports.

This is seen by animal welfare advocates as a blow to humane treatment and a direct departure from the 5 Domains of Horse Welfare Assessment—Ethics, Empathy, Evidence, Health, and Affect—because it normalizes continuing under rein pressure on already injured tissue.

Visible blood on a horse's mouth or nose signals tissue damage and active pain.

From Elimination to a Warning

Under current jumping rules, visible blood triggers elimination; only very limited, one-time rinsing is permitted when a horse appears to have bitten its tongue or lip, as explained by Horses and People. The new approach would issue a warning for rider- or tack-induced blood; two warnings in 12 months mean a CHF 1,000 fine and a month’s suspension.

The proposal downgrades elimination to an administrative warning.

Ethics Collide With Incentives

The FEI says its “zero-tolerance” abuse stance remains firm and that vet checks are an improvement, Horse & Hound reports. But ethics hinge on consequences that deter risk.

Reclassifying blood as administrative reduces the cost of pushing through pain—especially in hyper-technical modern courses where control often relies on strong bits and tight nosebands, Horses and People reports.

Across FEI disciplines, inconsistent “minor vs. significant” thresholds have already fueled confusion; clearer, welfare-first standards are needed, notes Just Horse Riders. National federations have publicly opposed the change.

Horses could continue competing after blood if a vet deems them fit.

Public Trust Is Already Fraying

Fans and sponsors will not accept blood as part of the show. A petition urging the FEI to keep “blood = competition over” gathered more than 17,000 signatures within days, according to Horse Sport, and later surged past 50,000. World Horse Welfare called the proposal “a real step backwards,” urging automatic elimination alongside rider sanctions, as reported by Horses and People. Even national bodies, including Germany and Denmark, publicly opposed the change, that outlet notes.

Nosebleeds or self-biting may draw no recorded warning.

The Welfare Line Must Hold

The IJRC argues the revision distinguishes accidents from patterns of negligence through warnings, fines, and suspensions, per Horse Sport. But the horse experiences pain, not policy nuance. A visible bleed during a round is harm in progress. The only welfare-credible response is to stop the round—every time—then investigate and sanction as needed. Anything less fails Ethics, ignores Empathy, and sidelined Evidence.

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