As this is the first time that the event is held in tropical climate, there were concerns about the weather affecting the performances of the horses. Therefore, the FEI has set strict qualifying criteria for this year's championship

According to FEI qualification procedures, to qualify for the WEC Malaysia 2008, a rider/horse combination must

• Complete 2 FEI CEI 3* rides ie; 1 in 24 months and the other 12 months prior to the closing date of nominated entry.
• Successfully completing the ride in a time equal to or less than 13 hours 20 minutes per 160KM distance. This calculates to an average speed of 12km/h.

Once achieved, the rider will have a Certificate of Capability (CoC) for eligibility to enter the WEC.

In addition, any rider qualified as per the criteria mentioned but is eliminated from any consecutive events (FEI or National level) within 12 months of the nominated entries deadline will experience forfeit of qualification if the elimination is found to be of a metabolic reason. This also applies to any horse that is eliminated from any FEI or national competition for metabolic reasons.

Source: www.fei.org