The application of the FEI rules for the welfare of the horse in driving sport in Croatia

The FEI (Fédération Equestre Internationale) is the international governing body for equestrian sport which established the new rules and regulations regarding the driving sport and the welfare of the horse from the aspect of animals' well-being (FEI, 2009ab). The FEI rules are applied to the Olympic disciplines of Show Jumping, Dressage and Eventing as well as Endurance Riding, Vaulting, Driving and Reining. The purpose of this paper was to present the FEI rules for international combined driving events which are prescribed by the national Rules and Regulations of the Croatian Equestrian Federation (HKS, 2007). The welfare of the horse must be beyond the economic interest and the demands of breeders, trainers, riders, owners, organizers, sponsors or officials. Good horse management requires the highest standards of nutrition, health, sanitation and safety. During transportation, feeding, watering, ventilation, weather conditions and safety must be taken into consideration. All riding and training methods in all stages of driving sport must treat horses as living beings and must not include any techniques which are not approved by the FEI and are degrading for the horse or cause them injuries and pain. Championships in driving sport (Dressage, Marathon, Obstacle Cones Driving) in Croatia are organized according to the FEI rules and the Croatian representative qualified in the last two World Championships in two- horse team driving (Baban et al., 2007, 2009). However, regardless of the individual success of Croatian drivers on the international scene, the traditional attitude of other drivers towards horses is still at a low level regarding the rules for the welfare of the horse. The competence of the driver is essential in the interests of the horse and the emphasis is placed on the practical experience of drivers and scientific research. The FEI especially encourages all those who participate in driving sport to achieve the highest level of education in training and management of horses. For this reason, within the scientific project, the education and training on the international level have been provided for the judges, who spread their