The Board of FEIF has again called on the Icelandic government to end the extraction of blood from pregnant mares for the production of the fertility hormone eCG, also known as PMSG and to ensure full compliance with EEA animal welfare legislation. The hormone, used...
Equine allergies represent a significant and often frustrating challenge for both veterinarians and horse owners. This talk explores the complex pathophysiology underlying allergic responses with particular emphasis on summer eczema in horses, highlighting current...
Follow the star, it’s not very far, The light is all around you. I’ve got a hunch, just follow the crunch Feel hoofbeats underneath you. The nostrils blow, the manes they flow, The track is clear before you. There’s light ahead, can you see the shed? Not very far to...
The controversial practice of "blood farming" in Iceland continues to face mounting criticism, as the licence for the main operator is set to expire later this year. Around 4,000 pregnant mares are kept solely for the extraction of blood used to produce PMSG — a...
Ullu Becker was a true pioneer of Icelandic horse riding from its earliest days. Since the 1950s, she devoted herself with great passion to her beloved Icelandic horses. Together with her husband Claus Becker, and with the support of Ursula Bruns, she imported her...
The European Horse Network (EHN) started a process with its 34 members to generate scenarios of the future. They are only thought experiments about possible future developments and possible impact for the horse industry. The four scenarios were created around two...
A new exhibition was opened at the Icelandic Horse History Centre on June 1st. Visitors are invited to learn about Icelandic horse colours and the studbook WorldFengur, as well as to explore a variety of fascinating objects connected to outstanding horses and riders....
As you may be aware about 4000 pregnant mares in Iceland are used for the production of PSMG, a fertility hormone that is mainly used in pigs in Europe. Animal welfare groups within Iceland and abroad have been protesting against this practice for several years now,...
The European Horse Network (EHN) published a new website, with quick access to the goal, the members, position papers and other documents and reports of meetings, including meetings with members of the European Parliament. This is also important for FEIF, as the...
All Rules and Regulations valid for 2025 are now published on the FEIF website. A summary of all changes is available here. In addition, the minutes of the annual meetings (FEIF Conference 2025 in Vienna) and the sport judges guidelines are now online.
The FEIF Delegates Assembly 2025 took place online on January 28, 2025 with delegates from 19 out of 23 FEIF member countries. You can see the results of elections and votings here: https://www.feif.org/delegates-assembly-2025/ Jean-Paul Balz did not stand for...
Shhhh – are you listening? What is your favourite sound in the world?Favourite sound? Oh! Black‘n’decker, black’n’ decker…Eh? The drill???No - listen! 1-2-3-4; 1-2-3-4…You mean like: tuck-a, tuck-a? Tucka, tucka, tucka tucka…Yes, but faster! More like fa la la la, fa...
The selection of the World Championships 2025 Sport Judges is complete. The following judges will be judging the sport tests in Birmenstorf, Switzerland, next summer (in alphabetical order): Alexander Sgustav Andreas Windsio Anna Andersen Anne Fornstedt Birgit...
Mid of November 2024, representatives from 11 FEIF member countries met online to discuss issues related to Horse Welfare and SLO as concerns the issues in their respective countries. It was a stimulating and informative meeting with lively contributions from all the...
In this year's Education Committee meeting in Frankfurt several items were on the agenda.. The committee welcomed Mathilde Ladefoged as a new young committee member. Furthermore, different systems of rider education with tests and rider’s badges used in the member...
A productive meeting of the Sport Committee and the Sport Judge Committee was recently held during the FEIF committee meetings 2025. As every year, the Sport Judge Committee proposed optimizations for the sport judge guidelines which are the basis for all judges...
The Breeding Committee and Breeding Judges Committee meeting 2024 focused on key initiatives to support and further develop Icelandic horse breeding. A primary emphasis was on clear representation of Icelandic horses across various contexts, including breeding,...
As part of the FEIF committee meetings, the discussions of the Youth Department centred around the evaluation of past and the planning of future events: this summer’s FEIF YouthCup which was brilliantly hosted by Switzerland, and the most recent FEIF Young Leaders’...