IT wasn't long ago that the idea of safety helmets in top-level FEI dressage sent lovers of the top hat into a tailspin. They've since become the norm. Now, a proposal by the freshly formed Equine Ethics and Wellbeing Commission to the FEI to consider permitting the use of snaffle bridles at all levels is the hot topic. Double bridles are currently mandatory at international grand prix level. But why? And should tradition trump all?
One rider who has recently changed his mind on the matter is Michael Eilberg.
“I can see why people could think that the double, with all its heritage, fits the picture that we traditionally