Here’s what will appear in this week’s issue. If parts of it sound familiar, it’s because Nancy Jaffer contributed to the report.
MORRIS RESPONDS TO CRITICISM FROM FLORIDA SCHOOLING ACCIDENT
What witnesses called “a freak accident” at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, Fla., caused the death of a horse whose amateur rider was taking a lesson with renowned trainer George Morris, resulting in shock waves felt throughout the hunter/jumper world.
The Jan. 21 incident prompted the American Horse Shows Association to start looking into the matter and also set off a barrage of heated comments on the Internet. Most of those writing to chat rooms or bulletin boards using E-mail aliases criticized Morris, the U.S. Equestrian Team’s co-chef d’equipe—though none had first-hand knowledge of what happened.
Morris said he built a jump of less than 3’6" using a hollow pipe (with bare ends), approximately 6 feet long with a 1 1/2-inch diameter, as a stationary rail atop a narrow stone wall. The fence was the second obstacle on a 10-jump course being ridden by a group of students.
The pipe was dislodged as Rosamond SmytheÂ’s horse, Foreign Exchange, hit it.
“When you touch this little pipe, it falls down, because itÂ’s so light,” said Morris, explaining he can easily hold it with one hand.
Foreign Exchange “flipped [the pipe] off. As the pipe was falling down and as he was landing, he stumbled . . . then he turned over,” said Morris.
“I canÂ’t tell you exactly what hit what, whether he landed on the pipe, whether he landed on his foot, whether the point of his toe cut the artery, whether the pipe cut the artery. I was watching him but more the girl [Smythe], who was thrown off far to the front,” said Morris.
“I canÂ’t tell you whether he broke his neck; he did sever an artery in his chest. He was gone within three to four minutes,” continued Morris, calling it a “terrible tragedy.”
Although a veterinarian was on the scene immediately, there was nothing he could do for the 10-year-old Belgian-bred.
“I feel very, very badly for the horse; very badly for the person,” Morris continued. “It never crossed my mind anything could happen because itÂ’s such a light, flimsy little jump.”
Smythe, who had jumped the pipe previously, agreed and was saddened by the anger expressed toward Morris.
“If it takes a public statement to say everyone involved feels this is a tragic accident and everyone is sorrowful but everyone understands this is just one of the risks you have to take when you fall in love with horses, IÂ’m willing to go out in public and do that,” said Smythe, Medfield, Mass., who competes in the adult amateur jumper division.
“It was a freak accident—there was total safety, and itÂ’s the risks inherent in riding,” added Smythe, 42, who returned the next day for another lesson. “Everyone knows that when you fall off, the first thing you have to do is get back on. ThatÂ’s why I went back. ItÂ’s the first rule of horsemanship. ItÂ’s difficult for everyone.”
Jumper trainers confirm that the pipes are commonly utilized to train horses. ItÂ’s against AHSA rules to use them in shows or schooling areas, but the Winter Equestrian Festival was not yet under way at the time of the accident. Morris was working in a private ring he rents at the show complex, and he said he does not use the pipes during competitions.
The AHSA started investigating “for background,” said Executive Director Kevin Carlon. He noted, however, if the organization receives complaints in writing from members, then it could “formally investigate,” even though the WEF had not yet begun.
Morris, who said he had been jumping fences made with pipes for 45 years, learned how to use them from his trainers, Gordon Wright and former U.S. Equestrian Team Coach Bert de Nemethy.
When a hoof hits a pipe, “it makes a pinging noise, so it makes a horse more alert. It has never given a horse of mine a big knee because it is so light. This is the first time IÂ’ve ever had any problem. ItÂ’s a very safe fence,” said Morris, who explained itÂ’s particularly effective in preventing horses from being careless at narrow fences.
He resumed lessons later in the afternoon, for which he was criticized. He explained that psychologically, it was important for those who witnessed the accident to jump again that day, instead of sleeping on it.
“I shook like a leaf,” said another Morris student, Amber Mitchell-Peck, who witnessed the horseÂ’s death. She went home “to get my bearings” before trying the jump again.
“The point is, youÂ’ve got to get over it,” she said. “I really believe [Morris] didnÂ’t do anything wrong,” she said. “In a million years, it probably wouldnÂ’t happen again.”
Smythe conceded that “thereÂ’s always the risk of the random freak accident. Unfortunately, I had to be the person who had the random freak accident happen to me in the most public venue with one of the most publicly acclaimed teachers around.”
But Smythe continues to trust Morris.
“ThereÂ’s no doubt about my confidence in the safety of his training and his lessons. It was a freak accident, not due to a compromise of safety or any kind of stretch of the horseÂ’s scope or any of that type of thing,” she said. “It has been a very emotional ordeal.”
