An Open Letter by Georgina Bloomberg

[Katona]

I really don’t like the idea of anyone putting their hands on a horse to judge if there is blood there or not. It reminds me of grade school: You look with your eyes. Why are you touching/rubbing to “see” if there is blood?

I’m not saying that it was forced in this particular case. And perhaps I’ve read too many novels…but it seems like an easy enough thing to have a needle/tack in a glove to force a puncture and disqualify a team/country.

I, like others, have seen dripping blood on legs/hooves, under tails from crupper rubs and other places without issue.

[vineyridge]

@Katona

I really don’t like the idea of anyone putting their hands on a horse to judge if there is blood there or not. It reminds me of grade school: You look with your eyes. Why are you touching/rubbing to “see” if there is blood?

I’m not saying that it was forced in this particular case. And perhaps I’ve read too many novels…but it seems like an easy enough thing to have a needle/tack in a glove to force a puncture and disqualify a team/country.

I, like others, have seen dripping blood on legs/hooves, under tails from crupper rubs and other places without issue.

Then you would really hate dressage and eventing that do bit checks. You must also be against the hands on testing for leg sensitization.

I do think that we have to trust officials to be fair, even when they aren’t. If we don’t, then nothing can ever be certain in our world. Catch the bad ones and kick them out, but continue to trust in the ones who we are showing in front of until bias is actually shown.

[GoneAway]

@AppleBird

Information for those who care:
STEWARDS’ PROTOCOL FOR HANDLING CASES OF BLOOD ON A HORSE’S FLANK(S) AND/OR MARKS INDICATING EXCESSIVE USE OF THE SPUR(S)
A member of the Ground Jury must be available throughout the event to examine, at the request of the Chief Steward, a horse if it is found to have blood on the flank(s) and/or marks indicating excessive use of the spur(s).

If a Steward notices blood on a horse’s flank at any time in connection with the warm-up for a competition or at any time in connection with a horse leaving the competition arena, including but not only during post-competition boot and bandage control, the following procedures must be followed.

…

3. On his arrival, the Chief Steward will:
   a) Examine the area in question making sure that he is wearing an unused latex glove.
   b) Establish whether points a) c), d) and e) above have been followed, and if not, take the appropriate photos as required above.
   c) Lay the back of his gloved hand over the area in order to transfer blood from the flank(s) onto the glove taking care not to smear or spread the blood over a wider area.
   d) Photograph the blood on the glove.

Might be worth clarifying that gloves are used to detect blood, not towels, and per the protocol posted above (assuming that is from the FEI site?), there should be no rubbing of the area. Only direct contact on/off. Assuming Bloomberg’s observation is accurate and not just sour grapes…I guess my question now is will competitors insist that the stewards themselves be filmed while they conduct this test to ensure there is no misapplication of the glove test?

[ladyj79]

@GoneAway

Might be worth clarifying that gloves are used to detect blood, not towels, and per the protocol posted above (assuming that is from the FEI site?), there should be no rubbing of the area. Only direct contact on/off. Assuming Bloomberg’s observation is accurate and not just sour grapes…I guess my question now is will competitors insist that the stewards themselves be filmed while they conduct this test to ensure there is no misapplication of the glove test?

Great point, and good question! It actually surprises me that people aren’t videoing since everyone has their phones on them and clearly “everyone” is taking pictures of these marks.

[RugBug]

I wasn’t really a fan of the letter. On the face, it came across as whiny and illogical: A rule that DOESN’T take into account individual situations is more likely to be fair and consistent. That said, after reading this post below, I think Georgina has a point. It does not sound like things were handled appropriately according to the rules. No where does it say you can rub a cut. If there is a scrape and no blood, that does not violate this rule as written. Perhaps there is another rule that would come in to play here? Rubbing a scrape to make it bleed does move into the “unfair and inconsistent” world to me.

@AppleBird

Information for those who care:
STEWARDS’ PROTOCOL FOR HANDLING CASES OF BLOOD ON A HORSE’S FLANK(S) AND/OR MARKS INDICATING EXCESSIVE USE OF THE SPUR(S)
A member of the Ground Jury must be available throughout the event to examine, at the request of the Chief Steward, a horse if it is found to have blood on the flank(s) and/or marks indicating excessive use of the spur(s).

If a Steward notices blood on a horse’s flank at any time in connection with the warm-up for a competition or at any time in connection with a horse leaving the competition arena, including but not only during post-competition boot and bandage control, the following procedures must be followed.

1. The Steward must inform the Athlete that there is an issue with blood on the horse’s flank(s), and that he will:
   a) Take photographs of the horse and the affected area(s) and of the spurs
   b) Inform the Chief Steward (unless he is the CS)

2. After informing the Athlete as above, the Steward must:
   a) Take a close-up photograph of the injury and the blood.
   b) Summon the Chief Steward and inform him.
   c) Take a photograph of the general area where the injury/blood is located.
   d) Take a photograph of the horse, including its competition number that, if possible, also shows the area of the injury/blood.
   e) Take a photograph of the spurs that the Athlete was using.
   f) Remain with the horse until the Chief Steward arrives, making sure that nobody touches the area in question and that the blood is not wiped off.
   NB: If the horse is in a very public area, the Steward should require that the horse be moved to a more private area before proceeding with the above steps. The Athlete may, if he wishes, place a horse rug or cooler over the horse while the horse is being moved.

3. On his arrival, the Chief Steward will:
   a) Examine the area in question making sure that he is wearing an unused latex glove.
   b) Establish whether points a) c), d) and e) above have been followed, and if not, take the appropriate photos as required above.
   c) Lay the back of his gloved hand over the area in order to transfer blood from the flank(s) onto the glove taking care not to smear or spread the blood over a wider area.
   d) Photograph the blood on the glove.
   e) Advise the Athlete that according to FEI Rules, he must inform the Ground Jury of the situation and tell the Athlete that the horse must remain available and under the supervision of a Steward until further notice.
   f) The Chief Steward will then report the incident to the Ground Jury member designated to handle such cases and show him the photographs.

If blood is not visible on the horse’s flank but the horse has a mark or marks which could indicate excessive use of the spur(s), the Steward must summon the Chief Steward, who will follow the procedure outlined in paragraph 3 above.

The Ground Jury may not take a decision on disqualification until the designated member of the Ground Jury has seen the photographs and examined the horse. It is not the role of the Chief Steward or any member of the stewarding team to inform the PR that he has been disqualified. This is the responsibility of the Ground Jury.

If blood is noticed on a horse’s flank prior to the horse entering the competition arena, the Steward shall inform the Athlete that the horse will not be allowed to enter the competition arena until the procedure outlined above has been carried out and permission has been granted by the Ground Jury for the horse to take part in the competition. Failure of the Athlete to comply with the Steward’s instruction will result in the issuance of a yellow warning card by the Chief Steward.
The Chief Steward must always brief his team on the above procedures before the start of the event.

[AffirmedHope]

So is the photo in the original NF article about the disqualification one of the ones her team took before the check? It’s the same one that was posted on the Miami Glory page right after the incident and how she was looking forward to everyone seeing the phot below and clearing Scott of any wrong doing. If this is one of the pre check photos, then there is a red (possibly open wound) irritated mark (though very small). Why not put the photos that they have before the check with the open letter if it’s different? I’m starting to think more and more that this is sour grapes and facts lost and omitted as they got passed down as to what really happened at the check. I don’t think Georgina herself witnessed the check. I recall her giving an interview pretty much immediately after Scott went clear, so she wouldn’t have been at the post round checkpoint.

I’m just having a hard time believing that the steward vigorously rubbed at the mark until it started bleeding. I think the steward probably just ran their hand over what was already a pretty sensitive raw spot and that was enough to break what ever skin barrier was left and draw blood.

[ladyj79]

Like, it’s not “wrong doing”, it’s just a thing that can happen.

I am looking through my pictures trying to find Stephan’s pic from Rio, because the mark is very small, but yeah, it was there.

And there was a mark on Scott’s horse.

And the rules say if the Steward sees a mark,

“If blood is not visible on the horse’s flank but the horse has a mark or marks which could indicate excessive use of the spur(s), the Steward must summon the Chief Steward, who will follow the procedure outlined in paragraph 3 above.”

So, this is totally standard and normal with regards to the application of the rules. There was a mark, the chief steward has to come examine it.

The issue here then shouldn’t be with the rule itself, like I don’t think we can say oh, it’s just a small mark and Scott’s a nice rider, so we’ll just let it go, but whether the proper protocol was followed in examining the wound.

[sixteenhands]

@AffirmedHope

I’m just having a hard time believing that the steward vigorously rubbed at the mark until it started bleeding.

It was hard to believe at the World Cup that Sapphire was prodded 57 times to get a reaction, but it happened.

[ladyj79]

@sixteenhands

It was hard to believe at the World Cup that Sapphire was prodded 57 times to get a reaction, but it happened.

Tapped, rather. But that’s such an odd case, because yeah, if you hit me 33 times in the same spot, I’m gonna start hurting. Or at least flinching/reacting/hating you. I also think that thermo-imaging and visual inspection should have been enough.

BUT

The inspection of Sapphire was because of a “confidential informant”…yeah

Whereas the inspection of Scott’s horse was triggered because there was a mark on the horse that literally demanded inspection given the rules of the sport.

[RugBug]

@ladyj79

Tapped, rather. But that’s such an odd case, because yeah, if you hit me 33 times in the same spot, I’m gonna start hurting. Or at least flinching/reacting/hating you. I also think that thermo-imaging and visual inspection should have been enough.

BUT

The inspection of Sapphire was because of a “confidential informant”…yeah

Whereas the inspection of Scott’s horse was triggered because there was a mark on the horse that literally demanded inspection given the rules of the sport.

Not sure this changes the nature of the quoted reply and the implication. Someone stated they have

a hard time believing the steward vigorously rubbed at the mark until it started bleeding.

Not sure why that is so hard to believe. Depending on how thin the skin was, you could easily start something bleeding by rubbing it.

The real point is, though, that rubbing is not proper procedure. Placing the back of a gloved hand directly onto the wound and off…with NO rubbing is the stated procedure.

[ladyj79]

@RugBug

Not sure this changes the nature of the quoted reply and the implication. Someone stated they have

Not sure why that is so hard to believe. Depending on how thin the skin was, you could easily start something bleeding by rubbing it.

The real point is, though, that rubbing is not proper procedure. Placing the back of a gloved hand directly onto the wound and off…with NO rubbing is the stated procedure.

Agreed. And that’s where the issue of whether Georgina was even there in the paddock arises, as it seems she might have been giving an interview at the time, so may be reporting what she heard rather than something she saw.

And then, do we need to start videoing? It feels absurd. But yeah, we probably do need to start videoing. Like there should just be a couple cameras in the boot check area recording every inspection.

And there will then obviously have to be FEI stewards with the horse, because while I haven’t had this issue myself, we know ML has her “wipe the blood off the mouth” black towels and I can say it doesn’t take a rocket surgeon to think as a groom or rider, yeah, I’m going to have a tube of superglue in my pocket so I can dab a little on my finger and slap it on the mark while someone goes to get the chief steward because a small enough amount and that stuff dries quick and clear.

And other people are obviously concerned that a steward is going to stab a horse. Seems unlikely, at best, but since people are thinking it, you know you have to have that base covered.

So rather than rule changes, it looks like videos to ensure proper procedures are followed may be the key.

[Katona]

@vineyridge

Then you would really hate dressage and eventing that do bit checks. You must also be against the hands on testing for leg sensitization.

I do think that we have to trust officials to be fair, even when they aren’t. If we don’t, then nothing can ever be certain in our world. Catch the bad ones and kick them out, but continue to trust in the ones who we are showing in front of until bias is actually shown.

LOL. How is checking the tightness of a noseband at all the same as looking to see if there’s blood? If they are checking for spur sensitivity, then by all means…rub away…

[Mukluk]

What if they ban spurs? Just saying.

[vineyridge]

If blood is not visible on the horse’s flank but the horse has a mark or marks which could indicate excessive use of the spur(s), the Steward must summon the Chief Steward, who will follow the procedure outlined in paragraph 3 above.

So a cut or scrape in the flank area calls for action also. It isn’t just blood.

[no_sniveling]

The most disturbing sentence in the interview, to me, was this-“and stewards turn a blind eye to certain riders behaviors and mistreatment of their horses.”
Leprevost’s yanking her horse’s face off after a stumble went viral, nothing was done by the stewards at that time.
There are most likely many similar incidents that are never reported- although I sure saw a lot in the warm up ring at Devon in the early '70’s!
If you look at the photo of Scott’s horse, there are 3 or 4 clear swollen bumps- wondering if a lot of belly bands will crop up now like they did after Bertram’s DQ.

[Texarkana]

As someone with no dog in this fight and no prior knowledge of the situation:

The open letter struck me as in poor taste.

I can’t tell you if how the FEI enforces rules is “fair” or “impartial.”

But when you are called out on a horse welfare issue, it’s generally best to accept it and voice your concerns at another time. There is little to be gained by arguing a welfare call, but much more to be lost. Regardless of the fact that you may be in the right.

The unfortunate nature of regulation is that it’s never perfect.

[Sistersiouxz]

This comment is coming from someone who knows almost nothing of this sport and if I had my druthers wouldn’t allow riders to use spurs. It appears the white glove is used to make a mirror image of the area in question. Someone in this story has errored, either in the actual procedure or the telling of what they saw take place during the procedure. Unforunately I’ve been around long enough to see blatant deceptive practices in many forms of judging. It’s not fair, it’s not right but chances are the top people will be targeted at some point.

[LR4]

As an almost attorney (law student) I think this rule is simply lazy/poor drafting, which probably comes from poor lawyering. Even heinous crimes like murder leave room for evaluating the level of culpability through mitigating factors.

Take some time, put together a committee of vets and riders and experts and attorneys, and figure out a way to write a rule that only punishes people who actually deserve it while simultaneously protecting the horse’s interest. And if that sounds hard or complicated, do it anyway–that’s no excuse for perpetuating a rule that, in application, is showing some major flaws.

[Saskatoonian]

Not my sport - I’m an eventer and god knows we’ve had issues with blood recently - but in surfing around for the pictures (not linked in the letter, interestingly), I found not only pictures showing 2 small cuts but this one from the warmup - http://edition.cnn.com/2017/07/09/sport/showjumping-cascais-brash-disqualified/index.html - and, um, seriously, this isn’t the first incident of a nice rider wearing that type of spur having blood problems after a nice round. (Why people are still wearing them is unfathomable.) Those cuts weren’t made by a towel or a glove. That’s ridiculous.

Uneven enforcement - if it’s happening - would be a problem. It doesn’t follow at all that blood should be ignored.

[vineyridge]

Per Horse and Hound, the FEI will be revisiting the blood rule for 2018.