Ros Canter and Lordships Graffalo compete at Badminton in 2026. Photo by Sophie Robins / Girl In The Field.
British Eventing has launched an independent review of horse and rider safety, the first independent examination of the sport’s safety systems in Britain since 2018. This announcement comes after several serious incidents in recent years, which do sadly include two during the 2026 season.
The new Eventing Horse and Rider Safety Commission will be chaired by Dame Caroline Spelman, a former Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and recent board member of the British Horse Society. British Eventing set it up in partnership with the FEI, British Equestrian and the British Eventing Support Trust. The Commission is expected to report within six months of its formal establishment, though the Chair can recommend an extension if more time is needed to consider the evidence.
The review’s remit is broad. According to its published terms of reference, the Commission will examine at least five seasons of incident data, including British Eventing’s use of EquiRatings/EquiRisk analysis. It will also assess whether past safety interventions have delivered measurable results and review everything from qualification requirements and return-to-competition rules to frangible technology, course inspection and the training of officials. The review is also asked to look at safety culture, including how concerns are raised within the sport and whether there are barriers to challenging current practice.
Its reach extends past British Eventing’s own fixtures, too: the review covers FEI competitions held in the UK and unaffiliated eventing as well (oe of its governance questions asks what responsibility British Eventing should take for unaffiliated competition). The Commission is also directed to benchmark Britain against other major eventing nations and to highlight any implications for eventing safety internationally.
“The Board has instigated this review as part of our responsibility for good governance and our duty to ensure that the sport continues to examine, challenge and improve our approach to safety,” said Julia Mulligan, British Eventing Chair. “It is deliberately independent of British Eventing’s operational activity, with a majority of independent members and Dame Caroline leading the work. This is bigger than any one organisation. Eventing is delivered by a wide community of people and organisations, and we want this review to draw on that collective knowledge while also bringing in independent expertise and learning from outside the sport. The Commission must be prepared to ask difficult questions, follow the evidence and identify where meaningful change can be made.”
The Commission will not reinvestigate individual incidents, determine liability or assign blame. Its terms of reference state that it will not duplicate investigations by police, coroners or statutory authorities, nor prejudice any ongoing legal or regulatory proceedings. The publication of its findings will be subject to any ongoing coronial or statutory processes.
“The purpose of an independent review is to be prepared to ask difficult questions and test existing assumptions, while also recognising the considerable work that has already been undertaken to improve safety,” said Dame Caroline Spelman. “No outcome has been predetermined. We will look carefully at the data, research and experience available to us, both within eventing and beyond it, and consider where further practical and proportionate improvements may be possible. Our focus throughout will be on learning and identifying what more can be done to reduce avoidable risk to horses and riders.”
Multiple demographics of the sport’s stakeholder are represented on the Commission, including Harry Meade representing professional riders, Lottie Bullick representing amateur riders, Alec Lochore representing organizers, and more. The full list of panel members can be found here.
