I just saw this on Facebook. If it’s true, I cannot even imagine the amount of pending pushback. :eek:
http://dressage-news.com/2018/09/15/world-equestrian-games-dressage-freestyle-reported-canceled/
That’s the only article I’ve seen so far.
Reports from thm that it will be held Sunday but riders are unhappy- want to ride on the surface beforehand and they will need to change the surface after the reining final
Just saw this.
Well, that seems like a better idea if they can make it work. That’s a pretty big ring to change out all the footing in the allotted time, I would think. Good luck to them.
Wow. At least they are talking with all involved to find out what needs to be done instead of just canceling like the endurance.
And if they pull this off, then they will have gone a long way toward making up for some of the earlier snafus.
(and that’s a really tacky comment about “just canceling like the endurance”. There were horses out there being ridden off their legs and the riders weren’t realizing it. They didn’t have a lot of time for discussion.)
I suspect they won’t actually have to change (remove/replace) the footing–just smooth it, roll it to pack it, and then rework a less-deep surface. Still a very big job, and they don’t know the surface that well yet. Gotta give them credit for trying.
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THM reporting that riders have withdrawn and it will be cancelled
Link?
If so, that’s very unfortunate. Bad enough to have one whole discipline go home unhappy, never mind two.
I hope that is wrong!!!
Yes, hope it’s wrong. One wonders if the flight schedules may be affected by the weather also. I’d think they might delay the departures to let the weather get out of there.
Feels like the tail wagging the dog unless the Europeans simply dislike the humidity that much.
Wow. I have no dog at all in either fight, but I’m so sorry to see another group who will be sad on the flight home. 
Here it is direct from the FEI: freestyle cancelled.
https://inside.fei.org/news/helgstrand-dressage-freestyle-cancelled
I see someone posted the link. I would expect the riders won’t want to start unless they are satisfied the surface is okay and they have a chance to ride on it. You wouldn’t risk your horse or your reputation
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Official press release; [h=2]HELGSTRAND DRESSAGE FREESTYLE CANCELLED[/h]
Your Role
- Athlete
- Official
- Organiser
- Veterinarian
- Event Medical Officer
- National Federation
- Bidder
- Media
- Horse Owner
- Coach
15 Sep 2018
Following yesterday’s announcement of the intention to hold the Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle competition on Monday morning due to extreme rainfall forecast for Sunday’s original time slot of 8.30am, further discussions have been taking place to review the options available to reschedule.
Despite the best efforts of the whole Tryon 2018 team and the Officials, who have been working on plans for rescheduling since yesterday evening, including meetings with the Chefs de Mission and Chefs d’Equipe, the logistics of putting all necessary elements into place in time have proved insurmountable. As a result, and very regrettably, the Dressage Freestyle will now be cancelled.
“This was not an easy decision, but we have explored every option, including trying to reschedule the horse departures, and even looking at moving the competition into the indoor with a change of footing, but the logistics of making all this happen are just not possible”, Tryon 2018 Organising Committee President Michael Stone said.
“We know this is desperately disappointing for the 15 athletes who had qualified their horses for the Freestyle, and of course for all the spectators who had bought tickets, but the weather has simply left us with no choice. Horse welfare has to be the top priority and flying the horses out on the same day as competition doesn’t work, so sadly the decision to cancel the Freestyle had to be taken.”
“Although we are devastated that this decision has had to be taken, we’ve had two absolutely world-class competitions here at Tryon, including yesterday’s Grand Prix Special, and to see Germany’s Isabell Werth and Bella Rose taking double gold and Team USA claiming silver was a real treat for Dressage fans.”
The decision does not affect the Olympic qualification process, as this was completed on Thursday. The teams that have earned their ticket to Tokyo 2020 are Germany, USA, Great Britain, Sweden, Netherlands and Spain.
Notes to Editors:
This decision has been taken in accordance with Article 109.12 of the FEI General Regulations which states:
"Subject to the unanimous agreement of the President of the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate and President of the Veterinary Committee in consultation with the Organiser, a Competition (either before or during) can be postponed and/or cancelled, not only due to force majeure, catastrophic occurrences, extreme weather conditions but also for non-compliance with FEI Rules and in specific situations where the welfare or safety of the Horses, Athletes, Officials or the public is compromised.
Will the jumpers be affected by all of the weather issues? Will the horses be able to get there?
From pictures I saw on Facebook, it looks like the jumpers that flew in are already there. They just got out of the on site quarantine yesterday or today.
The ones that are driving in are getting ready to head that way, again from posts on Facebook. But they probably have a little more leeway on the travel, since they don’t have to factor in the quarantine.
This is interesting, because the most recent update on the Tryon website (as of 12:50 pm EST today) is that the dressage freestyle has specifically NOT been cancelled.
It seems silly to cancel just because of flight schedules, as at least one source suggests - surely a group that large/wealthy can work something out with an air carrier!
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I understand either way but clarification would be nice. TIEC has a reputation for phenomenal footing but I can understand the challenges of getting it from reining depth to dressage appropriate material and depth in the allotted time frame.
