Eric Lamaze rant on Facebook

[skydy]

@Sheasmom2

Do Olympic level horses not have poop and need nice stalls and water and grooms and riders who have to pee? Some things are exactly the same.

Requirements for elimination by horse and human may be “exactly the same” however venue requirements of Pony Club and the FEI WEG are not the same.

Marydell, I’m sure most everyone did their best in that far from well orchestrated situation.

[Moosequito]

@Palm Beach

You are so so so wrong. There are many many horsemen who are not 5* showjumping riders or grooms who do completely understand horse welfare and can manage ANY horse in ANY weather.

I don’t want to derail but just want to clarify: I definitely did not intend to imply that only 5* show jumping riders/grooms are good horsemen capable of understanding horse welfare. I was just pointing out that ladyj saying she is a former 5* groom is relevant to this discussion because her job meant she was privy to things most adult amateurs and even lower level professionals are not.

[belambi]

@DoubleTwistedWire

How on earth does this “premiere” venue in the hot, humid south not have some kind of large capacity, climate controlled indoor area facility? Not an unusal thing for a facility that hosts even AA level competitions (KHP, WEC, VHC, PGEC, Harrisburg…) let alone FEI levels.

So…I should have mentioned, It was not completely finished, as in it could not yet be sealed.
I was advised by the organisers that it is infact being turned into an ice skating rink, as soon as WEG is over, with the ability to be utilised as an arena when required.

[Marydell]

Just an FYI- KHP built the Alltech arena for the 2010 WEG. It did not exist before they were awarded the games and was still in construction just a few months ahead of the games.
Funny about the ice skating comment as that may be far, far into the future LOL. But indoor shows are already booked for next year. This information came straight from the top

[Marydell]

Copying this from Pam Stone, a local equestrian and author.

http://www.goupstate.com/news/20180923/pam-stone-success-of-world-equestrian-games-depends-on-perspective

[FitToBeTied]

Once you write this, I stop reading. You are just a self important, spoiled brat of a person.

“There was no shaded area for the riders to watch the competition from. You had to walk through a construction site to get to the VIP area, and the prices the organizing committee was charging were completely unacceptable for what you received. The VIP was disgraceful compared to any other world championship.”

[tabula_rashah]

@FitToBeTied

Once you write this, I stop reading. You are just a self important, spoiled brat of a person.

“There was no shaded area for the riders to watch the competition from. You had to walk through a construction site to get to the VIP area, and the prices the organizing committee was charging were completely unacceptable for what you received. The VIP was disgraceful compared to any other world championship.”

Okay- the shade part, whatever. But the VIP thing- yeah, that’s pretty horrible. Do you know what those VIP tables usually cost? In my previous job I bought those tickets for the owners of the big time horses our riders were competing- it may not seem important to you but those owners expect that and they pay thousands for it. If we have no owners backing our horses/ sports, how many riders and trainers would be able to continue?

[Tiramit]

@Marydell

Copying this from Pam Stone, a local equestrian and author.

http://www.goupstate.com/news/201809…on-perspective

This is a fair article. Loved these sections:

"The success of the two-week 2018 World Equestrian Games, which wrapped up Sunday at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, depends on who you ask.

And it’s helpful to ascertain that the individual you ask actually attended the event, as rumors and accusations were not in short supply, particularly on social media, for the games’ duration."

…

"To proclaim it a success takes a bit of perspective, particularly from those who have attended several in the past.

“Oh,” one German gentleman exclaimed to a group with whom he was sitting, “this is so much better than it was in Normandy (the host site of the 2014 games). So much better!” "

[ladyj79]

What?! A German doesn’t think the French did a good job?! That’s unpossible! :lol::lol:

[onthebit]

@FalseImpression

Another point of view from another team
https://medium.com/@anvidiz/diary-of-a-fiasco-f1d74d1914e9
I think Eric was frustrated with the facilities mostly and the heat. He never used that as an excuse for his poor performance.
I am glad that some athletes do speak up… yes, blame Canada as usual, blame Bromont… at least they realized on time they did not have the financial backing to go ahead.. but I am sure Tryon made enough assurances and promises that everything would be ready… I blame the FEI for not having the guts to cancel/delay the Games and Tryon for not keeping promises… “They miscalculated the number of grooms” geeze, can’t they check with previous Games/venues/Olympics to figure out the numbers?

Responding to the bolded part, backing out at the 11th hour doesn’t qualify, to me, as “realizing on time they did not have the financial backing to go ahead.” Like it or not the Canadians, or more specifically the organizing committee for the Bromont WEG, carry a lot of “blame” for the 2018 WEG not being perfect. THEY BACKED OUT very late in the cycle. Realistically they probably never should have bid at all, and the FEI shouldn’t have awarded them the bid. I’d say the majority of any WEG debacle (Normandy was described by many as a debacle) mostly lies with the FEI. It seems to be well documented that they are corrupt, like to change their mind, change the requirements and parameters, and then blame organizers, officials, riders, or whomever happens to be handy in the moment when things don’t work out. One needs to look no further than FEI level endurance to see a shining example of extreme corruption within the FEI.

As I’ve said on many threads, when Bromont backed out at such a late date the FEI shouldn’t have tried to hold a WEG. They should have done it the old way where each discipline hosts their own championships at various venues. But undoubtedly people would have complained about that as well.

It is well known that Eric Lamaze does not like Mark Bellissimo. It sounds like many of Eric’s points were legitimate, but some of it reads like sour grapes. Who knows what we would all be discussing right now if Bromont hadn’t backed out. It would probably make this WEG look like the best sporting event in the history of equestrian sports.

[APirateLooksAtForty]

@FitToBeTied

Once you write this, I stop reading. You are just a self important, spoiled brat of a person.

“There was no shaded area for the riders to watch the competition from. You had to walk through a construction site to get to the VIP area, and the prices the organizing committee was charging were completely unacceptable for what you received. The VIP was disgraceful compared to any other world championship.”

Seriously?? You don’t think that riders and owners, many of whom are exhausted from traveling and who have spent over $50,000 (the owners) for the horses to be there deserve a quiet, well-stocked respite from the crowds and the vendor food as well as a place to network and strategize with their team?? Your jealousy’s showing.

[ladyj79]

@APirateLooksAtForty

Seriously?? You don’t think that riders and owners, many of whom are exhausted from traveling and who have spent over $50,000 (the owners) for the horses to be there deserve a quiet, well-stocked respite from the crowds and the vendor food as well as a place to network and strategize with their team?? Your jealousy’s showing.

These are the same people who think it’s cool for grooms to sleep in bunk beds in tents cause they should all just be happy to be there. Some people are awful.

[skydy]

@ladyj79

These are the same people who think it’s cool for grooms to sleep in bunk beds in tents cause they should all just be happy to be there. Some people are awful.

I doubt the owners felt that way. They want their horses well taken care of and know that their grooms are a major part of that. The organizers built the “bunks” and said they had “underestimated” the number of grooms. It was not mismanagement by the owners.

Obviously, if people are charged an outrageous amount of money for a table, they have every right to expect it to be nice.

I don’t know what tables go for at the WEG but if you look at the prize lists for the big indoor shows they can be as much as $10,000.

[ladyj79]

@skydy

I doubt the owners felt that way. They want their horses well taken care of and know that their grooms are a major part of that. The organizers built the “bunks” and said they had “underestimated” the number of grooms. It was not mismanagement by the owners.

Obviously, if people are charged an outrageous amount of money for a table, they have every right to expect it to be nice.

I don’t know what tables go for at the WEG but if you look at the prize lists for the big indoor shows they can be as much as $10,000.

I’m not talking about the owners, I’m talking about the spectators/cothers who thought the accommodations were good enough. They are the same people saying owners and riders have no cause to complain about the VIP amenities they pay tens of thousands for.

[AffirmedHope]

@APirateLooksAtForty

Seriously?? You don’t think that riders and owners, many of whom are exhausted from traveling and who have spent over $50,000 (the owners) for the horses to be there deserve a quiet, well-stocked respite from the crowds and the vendor food as well as a place to network and strategize with their team?? Your jealousy’s showing.

This is what’s funny to me about that whole paragraph. The only specific thing he said was that you had to walk through a construction zone to get to the VIP, but aside from saying 'ZZOMMMGGG ITS THE WUURSTTT EVERRRRR" he did not give specifics of why it was the worst ever. I doubt Bellissimo was serving cold cut sandwiches and tap water on plastic table linens.

[skydy]

@ladyj79

I’m not talking about the owners, I’m talking about the spectators/cothers who thought the accommodations were good enough.

Oh. I didn’t realize that anyone thought the bunk tent was good enough. It so obviously wasn’t.

[ladyj79]

@skydy

Oh. I didn’t realize that anyone thought the bunk tent was good enough. It so obviously wasn’t.

Yup, lots of cothers, who also wanted to say it was better than stalls where they sleep at shows…failing to understand that a) that’s not a thing at all at this level and b) I’m sure most of us would way rather sleep in a stall than 40 to a tent in awful weather, or honestly any weather. As I said before some people are awful!

[skydy]

@ladyj79

Yup, lots of cothers, who also wanted to say it was better than stalls where they sleep at shows…failing to understand that a) that’s not a thing at all at this level and b) I’m sure most of us would way rather sleep in a stall than 40 to a tent in awful weather, or honestly any weather. As I said before some people are awful!

Expecting men and women (any people really) who don’t know each other to sleep in the same tent is completely unacceptable and that is only the first issue with those accommodations. Thankfully owners and riders stepped up to keep their grooms from having to sleep there.

That the organizers thought it was OK is embarrassing.

[Jealoushe]

![]( love Eric.

Eric is far from a spoilt brat. He came from absolutely nothing. I believe his parents were addicts and he escaped his home life at the barn. Eric has been through so much turmoil in his life, he has had the lowest of lows and the highest of highs (no pun intended ). I seriously doubt he would post such a thing publicly if he didn’t feel strongly about it.

Eric has plenty of Olympic and world medals; I really do not think (my own opinion I am not friends with him lol) that he is THAT upset Canada didn’t do better at the Games. He said he was there to support the team and help the team.
[TABLE]
[TR]
Olympic Games [/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Gold_medal_icon_(G_initial).svg/16px-Gold_medal_icon_(G_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2008 Beijing[/TD]
[TD]Individual jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg/16px-Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2008 Beijing[/TD]
[TD]Team jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg/16px-Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2016 Rio de Janeiro[/TD]
[TD]Individual jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
World Equestrian Games [/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg/16px-Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2010 Lexington[/TD]
[TD]Individual jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
Pan American Games [/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d5/Gold_medal_icon_(G_initial).svg/16px-Gold_medal_icon_(G_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2015 Toronto[/TD]
[TD]Team jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/91/Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg/16px-Silver_medal_icon_(S_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2007 Rio de Janeiro[/TD]
[TD]Team jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg/16px-Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]1999 Winnipeg[/TD]
[TD]Team jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[TR]
[TD][IMG]https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/60/Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg/16px-Bronze_medal_icon_(B_initial).svg.png)[/TD]
[TD]2007 Rio de Janeiro[/TD]
[TD]Individual jumping[/TD]
[/TR]
[/TABLE]

He also has these accomplishments to name a few;

In 2007, Lamaze became the first Canadian jumping rider in 20 years to make the top ten in the world rankings. He was also the first North American jumping rider to exceed one million in prize money a year, a third of these earnings came as a result of winning the CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows.[SUP][1][/SUP]

In the January 2009 Rolex World Rankings for show jumping by the International Equestrian Federation, Lamaze was named to the top spot for the first time.[SUP][3][/SUP] Lamaze returned to No. 1 for July 2010

He has shown around the world, and seen many many things. Passing his comments off as sour grapes reminds me a bit of the meetoo movement and victim blaming.

It is not Bromonts fault Tryon is being seen as a failure. Bromont should NEVER have been awarded, they were practically in financial ruin when they were. Tryon agreed to host the games knowing the timeline. The blame lies fully on their own and the FEIs shoulders.

[MHM]

@skydy

Expecting men and women (any people really) who don’t know each other to sleep in the same tent is completely unacceptable and that is only the first issue with those accommodations. Thankfully owners and riders stepped up to keep their grooms from having to sleep there.

That the organizers thought it was OK is embarrassing.

OK, I will chime in here to say that when I saw a video posted on Facebook of the tent arrangement, it looked like there was a tent for men, and a tent for women. That does not make the arrangement acceptable in any way, but as far as that one point goes, it looked like the tents were divided by gender.

I will also say that nowhere in Eric’s post did I see one word about the grooms’ accommodation or comfort. If I missed it, I’m sure someone will point it out to me.