The article I read about Buck said he appealed to the ground jury and I assume there were plenty of videos of his ride to show what had happened.
But it is interesting that the TD at Fair Hill told your sister something different. I guess it really is up to the officials’ discretion. I wish there had been more specifics about what rule was cited in the decision or whether the ground jury just essentially agreed it was an unfair situation.
When I read this, I wondered if she would have been penalized for stopping on course and taking a few breaths/moments to gather both herself and the horse. It’s been YEARS since I evented, so I have no idea what the modern rules are. Am I right to assume that so long as she did not present to the next fence, stopping would have been fine?
I do know that a few years ago I was excused from a jumper course for doing that (stopping to organize and make sure everything was safe) after a dog ran into the ring.
I don’t know the answer to your question, but I’m a bit surprised you were excused for stopping in a jumper round. I would expect the rules to not penalize competitors for taking a moment to reorganize and start up again if that’s what they need to do to safely complete the course. It’s not as though it would start a trend, as it pretty much guarantees you’re out of the placings by stopping, but it would give riders the flexibility to make safer decisions should something go wrong in the course like it did for you.
My horse once had a pretty big stumble in the middle of a western horsemanship pattern. We stopped for a few seconds (obviously not a part of the pattern) while I looked down and around us to make sure there were no obvious injuries to my horse, collected myself briefly, and then proceeded where we left off. The judge actually thanked me for checking on my horse and not just mindlessly carrying on.
I didn’t see it (I was further along the course) – but I believe she circled but didn’t present to the fence – so not technically a refusal either. It was also a starter trial – not a rated competition – so the benefit of the doubt was always given.
Agreed. 
Myself and my trainer were both baffled that I was excused for it. It was only a local show, though, so not very high stakes.
No idea about your case of course … but sometimes small local shows don’t know the fine points of the rules.
It’s good to have a rulebook in the car with you, just in case. Most officials don’t mind having a competitor respectfully challenge a decision with a rulebook for support. They want to know more and do better, too. (I’ve got the thin one in my day pack, sometimes it’s fun to look something up. )
Veronique is my barn owner, she is definitely a badass
Herds of them come crashing out of the brush out hunting, as the huntsman casts the hounds.
One time the master’s wife was taken out and injured. Get your eventing horses out hunting to expose them to such things.
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