Officials discussed minor changes to the equestrian formats for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and Paralympics at the 2026 Sports Forum. While several adjustments were proposed, teams will stick with three riders each. The ideas will be debated this summer ahead of a vote in December.
Proposed updates to Olympic and Paralympic equestrian rules emerged from the 2026 Sports Forum. These include raising the penalty for substituting an alternate combination in eventing from 20 penalties. For showjumping, suggestions allow a replacement team to compete in the final if a qualified team withdraws, introduce jump-offs for all medals in team and individual finals, and adjust the individual qualifier draw. Proposals also address team scores in eventing, dressage, and para-dressage if a competitor is disqualified or eliminated, alongside tweaks to the dressage grand prix draw. The minimum age for Paralympic horses would rise to seven years from six. International Jumping Riders Club president Francois Mathy Jr advocated adopting the Longines League of Nations format for team showjumping, with four riders in the first round dropping the lowest score, then three in the second with all counting. “In many cases, one bad round eliminates any chance to be in the team final,” Mathy said. “I think it would make the sport more interesting.” He also suggested qualifying the top 30 riders for the individual final based on both individual and team qualifier rounds. FEI executive director of sport and games Áine Power called the four-three team idea interesting but noted the quota for equestrian competitors is fixed. She added that combining team and individual qualifiers would complicate spectator understanding. The proposals face summer debates before the FEI general assembly vote in December.
