Following the accident in which Courtney King-Dye (USA) sustained serious head injuries in a schooling fall in Florida earlier this year, the FEI Dressage Committee has today issued a recommendation regarding the wearing of protective headgear, H&C has learned.

The FEI Dressage Committee strongly recommends that all riders should wear properly fastened safety helmets when training and in pre-competition warm-ups at all international Dressage shows.

Riders still have the choice of wearing protective headgear in the competition arena.

Courtney King-Dye suffered a fall when riding a young horse at home. She suffered head injuries and spent time in a coma. While she is on the road to recovery, her fall highlighted the need for protective headgear to be worn. Other riders have been seen competing in hard hats even in tails in support of Courtney and others, such as Steffan Peters, have held fundraising events in her honour where all riders have worn hard hats.

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