In November, the union stated that Fyrberg would leave her position on June 30 of this year. On its website, the union announces that Fyrberg is leaving and will be replaced by Maria Guggenberger, who will take on the role of acting secretary general.
"We have chosen to appoint an acting secretary general to bring new energy and lead the work until a permanent solution is in place. We are facing an intense year where we need to step up the work and therefore, after a mutual dialogue, we have agreed that the best solution for both parties is for Fyrberg to leave now," says union chairwoman Sandra Ruuda in a statement.
Massive criticism
Ruuda and the federation leadership have recently come under heavy criticism for introducing a 13-year age limit for elite competition. The decision affects international starts, national championships and nationwide series.
The decision has divided the sport.
The federation management claims that it is in the best interests of the children and relies on the guidelines of the Swedish Sports Federation.
Earlier this week, the entire show jumping committee was fired. It included nationally-qualified riders such as Helena Persson and Fredrik Spetz, as well as well-known coaches, judges and course builders in the sport.
"Despite several attempts at dialogue and mediation, the current Jump Committee has not wanted to cooperate, which means that we are simply not making progress in our work," Sandra Ruuda said in a press release at the time.
Criticised by world stars
The 13-year age limit is to be implemented by 2029 at the latest. The decision has been met with criticism from the cream of the Swedish show jumping elite. World stars Peder Fredricson, Henrik von Eckermann and Rolf-Göran Bengtsson were three riders who expressed their dissatisfaction in an open letter to the federation. Among other things, they argued that the so-called B-pony years "constitute an important and natural part of children's development in equestrian sport."
The members of the Jump Committee said that the decision was not at all rooted in them.
The Equestrian Federation says it has taken note of the criticism and admits that it could have handled both internal support and communication in a better way.
“At the same time, the decision is a directional decision with great potential to influence frameworks and content,” said Sandra Ruuda.
