Ok. I’ve never been anywhere that I’ve gotten to approve of the footing before I showed on it.
The traditional way to show disapproval of the footing is to pull your entries. I have certainly been to shows where people elected not to show because of the footing, this just happened on a grander and more public scale.
10 Likes
I would presume you have the option of approving of the footing at every single place you’ve ever shown.
I would hope if you found the footing lacking you would elect not to show, because you can make that decision. Our horse are the ones to pay the price for our bad choices.
If you didn’t know that you have that option, remember you can absolutely choose not to compete on bad or improper footing.
6 Likes
Ok. Sure.
I can’t always ride my horse in the show arena the night before. Sometimes the warm up arena has totally different footing. I might warm up for my test on grass or sand and the rings are set on sand or fiber. Does this mean I should scratch?
I have a memory of warming up in the sides of the farm drive at a show. Trot down, stop, turn around and canter. The warm up arena had flooded and was unsafe but the dressage rings were set up indoors. Nobody scratched.
I think it depends on the level you are showing at and what your expectations are. If the footing wasn’t right for any of mine, but not terrible, I’d do an easy, soft test, not ask for much effort (hope that being fiendishly accurate would get the marks), but if I were in the position of having to ride to contest a big championship I’d kick up more of a fuss about crappy footing, and it it wasn’t fixed, I would not show.
2 Likes
Logistically perhaps removing the reining footing in its entirety, replacing it with dressage footing for one day, then switching back again for the para reiners was too just too much? I know this was actually one of the options considered and rejected. And it wouldn’t have addressed the issue of the European horses flying out. How many of the top 15 horses were not from Europe?
2 Likes
I don’t know about you but there are certain local shows in my area I simply won’t enter because I know the footing will not hold up well if we get bad weather. And I only ride First Level on a not at all expensive horse.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable for FEI riders to expect / demand a certain standard of footing at a world championship and I would be surprised if there aren’t FEI rules around it. It’s the same in other sports at Hugh levels. Remember all the fuss at the women’s World Cup (soccer) when they expected the women to play on artificial turf?
2 Likes
So frustrating isn’t it? Every Paralympics this happens too.
2 Likes
Was anybody riding a multi-million dollar Olympic contender of a horse?
6 Likes
The safety of those horses is so much more important than that of the horses packing us lowly plebeians around.
1 Like
So I agree that the footing would have been dangerous if they hadn’t switched it out. Are there rules requiring some sort of warm up in the competition ring before the competition? That seems to have been where the problem with switching out footing was.
And has anyone seen an explanation why the eventers could delay, and the dressage riders couldn’t? Maybe the eventers were all on one plane and dressage horses had to share with someone else since there were fewer left for freestyles? It didn’t make sense just from that statement, but I’m sure there was some logic I don’t know.
I do agree that it is far better the horses and riders all be safe than they push on regardless.
1 Like
The eventers sucked it up and had a very effective show jumping day in the main arena this morning. The sun was shining, and the footing was just about perfect. Now someone is going to have to reschedule all the eventers’ flights back to Europe, and all but about 10 are involved. So how come no one seems to give a flying f* about the eventers’ horses not getting home right on schedule? Are the flight logistics for ground staff any different for rescheduling the eventers and finding places for 13 dressage horses on outgoing planes. Or is the serious threat to horse welfare only supposed to apply to dressage horses?
The dressage people are simply divas with all that implies.
1 Like
That is my issue. If Tryon says the footing would be fine for dressage horses then why do they need to “test ride” on it for 24 hours? Is there some sort of rule about if your horse cost over a certain amount you got to test ride in the show arenas?
Why could all the eventers stay over until Monday but none of the dressage horses could? Special gold plated dressage horse airplanes?
2 Likes
Reining footing is extremely deep and very loose so they can slide. I believe they have to change the footing in that arena for the vaulting competition, and I wonder if they did not have enough staff and equipment to make that many footing changes (reining to dressage to reining to vaulting) plus time to put the dressage footing/GGT back in the outdoor for the show jumping ring familiarization. I also think they were asking the reining individual finals to move earlier, so it wasn’t just a matter of getting the dressage competitors to agree. It would have been nice if they could have had any freestyle competitor who could stay do demo rides on Monday.
I saw on FB that the GB dressage horses were already on the trailer to the airport Monday afternoon.
I bet the Eventing horses aren’t scheduled to fly out until Tuesday, probably because there might be some that would need additional recovery and possibly veterinary attention from the cross country and show jumping efforts. It’s also likely partly the import quarantine schedule at the arrival airport as well - depending on how much room they have in the European airport quarantines, they likely couldn’t combine arrival dates.
2 Likes
I think that this discussion about footing is great. I grew up in a small town riding lower level flatter moving horses and we never thought of scratching because of footing. Our horses trudged along and didn’t seem affected. our horses were also used to all of the venues so we just hauled in day of show hopped on and mosied right on into the arena.
now that I ride with a top rider and have a bigger moving horse I’ve become more picky about footing.
my trainer will turn around and leave a show if footing isn’t safe. She says that one weekend is just not worth the soundness of the horses. She rides horses worth 100k plus and the owners are always thankful for the conservative approach. as for warmup footing vs show footing - at international shows the warmup footing must be the same as show footing. As for getting a chance to see the arena before showing in it - these arenas are INCREDIBLY scary. You have remember that there are huge video cameras and screens set up right next to the arena. There are SEVEN judges booths around the outside with fronts and sides that are potentially reflective or spooky. There are stands with lots of people that makes tons of noise. And the horses are super lively because they must have enough energy to make it through a GP test.
The environment is nothing like our local shows and the riders and horses absolutely require acclimatization time to have safe rides.
And for reining vs dressage footing - I think everyone has spoken very clearly about that already.
I was supposed to see the freestyles at WEG and although I’m disappointed I completely understand why it wasn’t possible to just shove it into the indoor.
these horses move so much bigger and with so much more bounce than what most of us ride that they must be extremely discerning about footing. There is so much more torque and force on their joints when doing huge extensions and insane sitting for the collected work. Most horses doing Dressage don’t have anywhere near the same demands on their bodies as these international athletes do.
7 Likes
Yes, but the big outdoor arena that dressage used for the other classes WAS available on Monday. So footing wasn’t an issue today.
The original schedule had the eventers jumping in the big arena on Sunday afternoon and the dressage people going either that morning or that evening. Same footing.
I personally find it hard to believe that, in the original schedule, the eventers would have been held an extra day if the dressage people weren’t. The stalls are needed for the incoming competitors.
1 Like
There are over 1200 permanent stalls at Tryon. I have a hard time imagining they couldn’t find 15 for the Freestyle horses!
Apparently, since youre ok riding on subpar or downright dangerous footing, by your own admission.
1 Like
I am not Ok riding on subpar footing. Who wants to sponsor putting whatever WEG has in my ring? Hahaha
4 Likes
Because the epitome of grand prix dressage is collection as manifested in p/p and canter pirouettes.
2 Likes
