1. Please find below the latest news from FEIF, the International Federation of Icelandic
Horse Associations. FEIF is bringing people together in their passion for the Icelandic
horse. More information can be found on our website: www.feif.org . For mobile users:
m.feif.org .
A roadtrip to new sport judges' guidelines
The making and the maintenance of the sport judges’ guidelines is one of the
designated tasks of the FEIF Sport Judges Committee. As our sport is constantly
developing the guidelines needs to be adjusted regularly. Once in a while, when the
many adjustments have unsharpened the guidelines, a major overhaul is necessary.
The last time such an overhaul took place was in 2000. Now the time has come again.
Stud presentations at the World Championships 2013
During the World Championships 2013, a presentation of studs is planned for Friday,
August 9th, 2013. Details on registration and the selection process can be found in the
invitation.
New Instructor & Trainer Matrix
The revised FEIF Instructor & Trainer Matrix, launched by the
FEIF Education Committee, now also includes the list of skills
it takes to become a young-horse trainer. Every instructor or
trainer at level 1-3 who has gained a qualification in one of
the FEIF member states is entered into the list of instructors
on the FEIF website, and this list can be searched by country
and by the level of qualification, so it provides a good
overview of the instructors working in your area. The matrix
document summarises the minimum skills, experience and
knowledge that than can be expected from a qualified
instructor or trainer at any given level. Also the document can
help those organisations, which are currently in the process of
designing their own training programme, or plan to do so in
the future.
Delegates' Assembly 2013
Delegates and guests from 11 FEIF member countries participated in the Delegates'
Assembly 2013, February 8th 2013 in Strasbourg. All FEIF Board members who were
for re-election as well as Doug Smith, US, as a new Board member were (re-)elected for
a period of two years. The delegates agreed to follow the same line in finals in tölt as
well as gaited classes and so the sequence of gaits in finals of 4- and 5-gait will no
longer be open for discussion among riders. Furthermore, it was decided that the rider
in the fastest position in a starting group of Pace Race may decide which box he or she
will take. The proposal regarding a change in the selection of judges for World
Championships was withdrawn and will again be discussed in the Sport Meeting in
2014.

2. Annual Chairperson Meeting 2013
In the annual meeting for national Chairpersons the proposal for the acceptance of
Ethical standards was discussed further after the presentation in the DA. Participants
were generally in favour of the proposal, but many good comments were raised and the
need to emphasize on ethical behaviour was stressed. Some participants wanted to
implement the rules in the new FEIF rulebook so they would be binding for everybody
within the organisation. The Board will review the proposal together with comments from
participants at the conference. Participants discussed the current situation regarding
anti doping rules and the enforcement thereof. A presentation was made on the current
status of the matter, the outcome of the survey made by the FEIF board and the
possible ways to move forward. The Chairpersons were of the opinion that FEIF should
follow the FEI general principles of the matter, but the rules and enforcement should
cover all activities. FEIF needs to step in when there are no actions from the member
countries. Some were of the opinion that FEIF should make sure that all member
associations were linked to their national authority on doping, and FEIF would then only
have to control the matter at World Championships. A proposal from the Board on a
project where national associations would do a SWOT analysis on the current situation
of the Icelandic horse activities in their countries got a good acceptance. On basis of
this process, we might be able to identify focus areas for the coming years and mutually
agree on how FEIF best supports its member countries.
Annual Sport Meeting 2013
The annual meeting for Sport discussed a long list of items. One of the main items is an
experiment that will take place in 2013 in Tölt T3, where the judges will only judge one
side of the oval track in the second section and the riders will be asked by the speaker
to show the transitions from slow tölt into distinct lengthened strides (and back) one by
one. Dependent of the outcome of this experiment a proposal may be prepared to
change the rules permanently. The meeting re-discussed a previous decision about the
required gradient in the oval track and decided to prepare a proposal to leave the
gradient open to the organiser of an event, with a maximum of 7.5%. At the same time
the Sport Committee is asked to find evidence that any gradient is needed in relation to
the various speeds demanded in different sections of tests on the oval track. The
meeting tried to redefine 'fast tölt' as a demand in many oval track tests. This is often
wrongly interpreted as 'as fast as possible', while the actual demand is a faster tölt then
shown before with lengthened strides. This discussion will be continued next year. The
Sport Committee presented a change of requirements for World Ranking events.
Starting 2014 the number of FEIF International Sport Judges will be raised from 2 to 3,
and the number of hours a judge may judge per day is limited, to ensure the best
quality. At the same time results from oval track tests will only be accepted from 250m
tracks. In a joined meeting with the Youth Meeting it was decided to present a proposal
at next years' Delegates' Assembly to allow the reigning Youth World Champions to
defend their title at the next World Championships, provided that they are still able to
compete in the Young Riders class.
Annual Breeding Meeting 2013
In a very constructive and positive atmosphere the annual Breeding meeting went

3. through a very long agenda. Basis line in this was to proceed step by step on the way to
better standardization and more professionalism in holding FEIF breeding horse
assessments. It was agreed upon the certification of tracks, the same rules for the
selection of judge panels and uniform procedures of the health and equipment controls.
To follow the demands of horse welfare and good riding and training a check of the
horses' mouths shall be included in the standard before the show and consequences of
injuries have been discussed and decided. Further actions as for example a list of
prohibited equipment will be prepared for the next DA. The breeding department
recommends the installation of an international inter-disciplinary expert group to speed
the progress. The integration of foal and young horse assessments into WorldFengur
was brought on its way. Þorvaldur Kristjánsson was elected as a member of the
Breeding judge committee, Barbara Frische was re-elected. For the Breeding committee
the two breeders' representatives, Sussi Lund and Inge Kringeland, were also re-
elected. New projects were introduced, among them the embryo transfer topic, new
markets for the Icelandic horse, etc. For 2013 a lot of activities - as several seminars,
the Breeders forum and a presentation of breeding farms at WC Berlin and the second
Open Breeders Meeting in autumn - are planned.
Annual Education Meeting 2013
The national Education leaders and participating guests had a stimulating and
productive annual meeting in Strasbourg, and we would warmly welcome all the new
faces! Excellent things are happening all over the place. Again, the presence of a
number of new representatives illustrated the importance of meeting colleges from
different countries, and the opportunity this offers for sharing ideas, innovation and good
practice. Later this spring, we will hear the outcome of a Leonardo application for
funding from Europe, which is lead by Iceland in collaboration with Norway and
Sweden. The money will facilitate the translation Icelandic teaching materials into
several languages, including English, and the publication of textbooks and an Icelandic
riders' badge system. Another highlight was the launch of the 'young-horse trainer
matrix', the last missing section of the Instructor & Trainer Matrix. The full document will
be available for download shortly. And finally the preparations for the next FEIF
Education Seminar are underway. The seminar is hosted by Sweden and will take place
7-9th September, near Stockholm. Invitations will be sent out soon later this month.
Annual Leisure Riding Meeting 2013
At the annual meeting of Leisure Riding it was agreed that the mission will be to
facilitate the creation of an open including environment within FEIF for Leisure Riding.
The preferred horse for Leisure Riding is defined as a well trained horse, which is
mentally and physically mature and stable. It is a horse with soft gaits, good looking and
with rich colours. A number of goals were defined and there is plenty of work ahead.
The complete minutes of the meeting will be available for download soon.
Annual Youth Meeting 2013
More participants than ever attended the annual Youth meeting where a lot of good
ideas and best practice were shared between the countries. Norway reported about the
coming FYCamp 2013 - see a separate news item. The important role of the leaders on

4. the FYCup was in focus as being one of the key factors for the success as seen by the
participants. It was decided to prolong the next FYCup with one day to encourage even
more team building within the teams as well as giving more time to try out the horses.
The latter important as the next FYCup will be hosted in Hólar, Iceland meaning that
most youngsters will ride on borrowed horses. It was decided to propose a change in
FIPO for flag race: removing the calculation from time to a point and instead keep the
times (like is done in the pace race for example). It was also decided to replace T5 with
T3 the next FYCup. A youth reunion for participants at FEIF youth activities will take
place on the WC and more information will follow in due time.
Changes in FIPO 2013
The Delegates' Assembly 2013 decided upon 2 changes in FIPO, to be valid as of April
1, 2013. To follow the same line in finals in Tölt classes and in gaited classes it is
decided to change FIPO in such way, that the sequence of gaits in finals in four gait and
five gait is no longer open for discussion among riders, but has to follow the sequence
as described in FIPO. At the last three World Championships riders couldn't choose
their own start box, but had to take the box marked with their colour. This was done to
ensure calm and quiet handling of the start, and the general feeling is that it helped.
However some riders considered this as being of disadvantage, as they could change
even if they would agree. It is decided now to adapt FIPO 8.5.5 in such way, that the
fastest rider in a start group has to decide before the start group is called into the start
boxes which box the rider prefers, with no right of change the moment the starting
procedure has started. The new edition of FIPO will be available for download from
March 15, 2013 on.
Horses on Ice 2013
Saturday, March 23, the fifth edition of Horses on Ice (HOI) will take place
in Haarlem (NL, near Amsterdam) on a 400 m skating rink. Horses on Ice
is also the European Championships on Ice 2013. The first participants will
enter the ice on 23 March at 9.00 am, and that will be the kick off for HOI
2013. This will be followed by a day of fire, flowing manes, spectacle and
excitement during a amazing event. Many international top riders can't
hardly wait to go on the ice in Haarlem, and set the floor on fire. Names
like Nils Christian Larsen, Uli Reber, Johannes Hoyos, Styrmir Árnason,
Jens Füchtenschnieder, Jolly Schrenk and Högni Fróðason have conformed their
participation. And of course the Dutch World Champion in Pace Test Sigurður
Marínusson will be there as well! Tickets can be booked on line.
Impressions from the FEIF Conference 2013
The FEIF Conference 2013 was the largest in our
Conference-history with 112 registered participants from 11
different member countries. The annual meetings of sport,
breeding, youth, education and leisure riding took place. And
apart from that participants could enjoy different
presentations, e.g. 'Characterisation of leisure horses' (Sylvie

5. Rizo), 'Definition of gaits' (Þorvaldur Kristjánsson), or 'A roadtrip to a new sport judges
guideline' (Þorgeir Guðlaugsson).
FEIF Events until 27 July 2013
European Championships - Horses on Haarlem (nr
23-Mar Netherlands
Ice 2013 Amsterdam)
05-Apr - FEIF Sport Judges Seminar
Berlin Germany
06-Apr (International Sport Judges)
World Championships Sport Judges
06-Apr Berlin Germany
Meeting
19-Apr - Young Breeding Horse Trainer Seminar
Skeidvellir Iceland
21-Apr 2013
22-Jul -
FEIF YouthCamp 2013 Molde Norway
28-Jul
FEIF WorldRanking Events until 03 May 2013
19-Apr - 21-Apr Iceland Mánagrund Keflavík Opna íþróttamót Mána
01-May - 05-May Iceland Víðidalur Reykjavík Reykjavíkurmeistaramót
FEIF International Breeding Shows until 03 May 2013
17-Apr - 18-Apr Austria Panoramahof
22-Apr - 23-Apr Germany FIZO Kronshof
23-Apr - 24-Apr Germany FIZO Berlar
27-Apr - 28-Apr Germany FIZO Stutensee
29-Apr - 30-Apr Germany FIZO Töltmyllan
29-Apr - 03-May Iceland Skagafjörður
02-May - 05-May Germany FIZO Wurz