Exclusive: The Global Equestrian Federation’s Response to the Noseband Check at Falsterbo 2026

15 minutes ago
2 min read

Transparency in modern equestrian sports is written in capital letters - very capital letters indeed. Pages of glossy paragraphs are churned out, solemn oaths are sworn to horse welfare, and at every opportunity, officials insist that the rules apply to everyone without exception.

Following a high-profile horse show in Falsterbo in July 2026 in Sweden, footage made the rounds online showing the application of the noseband-measuring device during noseband checks.

As a reminder: The official FEI measuring tool for the noseband is supposed to glide under the strap as relaxed as possible, as gently as possible, and from top to bottom, according to protocol. The reality on the videos, however, could be interpreted differently. In one video, you could see how the measuring device - after some initial difficulty getting it through - was simply pulled back out through the top.

Was that rule-compliant we asked ourselves during meditating.

Hmmm....

That is exactly what we at The Carrot Post wanted to find out.

The Polite Mail to the Holy Headquarters

Since we as a satire magazine are naturally always completely relaxed and generally meditate a lot, we turned directly to the Global Equestrian Federation (GEF). An email was written to clear up questions that, despite intensive meditation sessions, simply wouldn't leave our minds.

The GEF’s Response

(Here the editorial team gazes into a digitally yawning, almost meditative (black) hole of the email inbox)

But hand on heart: Perhaps the fault lies not in a lack of willingness to communicate on the part of the Global Equestrian Federation (GEF), but simply in ourselves?

Perhaps we used the wrong medium to get in touch!

Who even uses email in the year 2026, anyway?

That is, like, totally retro.

Alternative Contact Channels for the Future

To make sure it works next time, we’ve put together a small, non-binding list of alternative contact methods that will probably go down much better at the posh headquarters in Lausanne in the future:

The classic carrier pigeon: While you never know whether the bird will end up in Lake Geneva and if the letter will actually arrive, it would be worth a shot. We would, of course, pay strict attention to animal welfare while doing so!
Smoke signals over Lausanne: Perfectly suited for short-term crisis communication. Three puffs of black smoke mean: "Please answer the questions regarding the noseband check."
Flashlight blinking: Morse code sent directly into the office window.

... / --- / ... (SOS – Save Our Sport).

It would have charm.

A message in a bottle in Lake Geneva: You throw the questions on paper inside an empty champagne bottle into the water. The chance that it will wash up on the dock of the GEF headquarters is probably precisely 0.0%, but at least the inquiry would have style. Though we would have to worry about the welfare of the fish in Lake Geneva. They could be hit by the thrown bottle, and that would go against animal welfare.