The account I’ve heard is that it happened in a class with jumps, but in between the jumps.
However, I was not there to see it myself.
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Does anyone know for a fact that the family actually requested it?
If so, I agree that it is up to the family to decide on the best way for them to grieve their loss.
As I recall, the collage of the lost rider made up from the pictures others posted a few years ago really turned out to be a remarkable tribute.
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Baxter Lane posted the following on FB/Instagram, which lead me to think they might be involved with the family somehow?
"My heart aches for her parents, Janine and David, and for my friend, her trainer Robin Swinderman Mitchell. On behalf of them, we would like to show our love and support for Hannah and her passion for horses by tagging #rideforhannah on social media. We hope to give some support to her family and friends during this extremely difficult time. Please come together as a community and show our love for Hannah @hmsequestrian
Please share a picture of yourself with the hashtag"
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That sounds a little… family-adjacent to me. Not necessarily coming directly from the actual family.
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I have lost a child (illness not injury) and if strangers did something like sharing pictures of themselves on a hashtag with my deceased child’s name, this it would be so painful to me for so many different reasons. I do understand that other families might feel differently about their own child’s death but when it comes to something as sensitive and universally known to be painful as the death of a child, it seems to me to be a ridiculously basic, obvious and easy rule that you don’t post pictures of yourself referencing a stranger’s death unless the family themselves asked for that. Especially within hours of the child’s death.
Christ, in a world where a friend might consider it rude if she is complaining about a situation and I share a similar situation to show empathy/understanding as part of a mutual two-way conversation, how does literally anyone over the age of about 13 think it is a good idea to pictures of themselves happily riding horses in the name of a dead child unless they have really solid reason to believe the family wanted that??? Rhetorical question because I have plenty of suspicions as to why, some being more generous than others.
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I agree, but I think it can be misleading to anyone who reads it - especially by mentioning the trainer’s name. If I was 13 and I saw that I wonder if I would feel as though it was an invitation to post?
Since it was a Sunday, and the majority of classes for the week would have gone, I could see why people wanted the show canceled. However, if they canceled all the rings they would have to pay back a lot of entry fees, and they still have to pay the judges, jump crew, staff, etc. for that day. From the venue perspective I can see why they didn’t.
I do hope the accident was videotaped and someone at USEF is going over it with a fine toothed comb. Accidents do happen but it’s very weird that a trip would happen in between jump efforts. I’m not saying anyone or anything is to blame, just that I hope that they can find the cause, even if the cause is just bad luck.
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Is there a mechanism in place at USEF to conduct an investigation?
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I think everyone who doesn’t know those involved or is personally connected can refrain from armchair quarterbacking. Robin, her trainer, is an old friend or mine and this very much does come from the family and the FL horse community they so loved. Enough said.
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This may be another opinion that not everyone would receive well.
A death at a show is a rare and unexpected event. Someone’s life comes to an end.
But horse shows and events are not one off moments. They are part of qualifying cycles for future competitions. They may be part of a championship scoring qualifier, or a special riding program qualifier.
In other words, shows & events are about life going on and going forward.
To stop a show in the middle of the show is to stop something in the lives of every single participant. For some riders it wouldn’t matter, but that’s not the case for everyone.
Riders who weren’t involved in the tragedy and may not even know the victim may have their lives and goals significantly disrupted, not just for the weekend, but going forward as well.
This is even more impactful for the juniors who may be on a schedule to accomplish certain things before they age out. In certain cases they could lose that goal in their young life all together.
Trainers and grooms who depend on the show for income, even the workers at the show, what becomes of that paycheck?
How does suffering those broader impacts help the victim? Or their family?
Those who remember the 2013 EHV1 shut down, may remember that there were young riders at risk of losing goals they had worked toward for their entire riding lives because the qualifiers didn’t run. In some cases special arrangements were made to allow them to achieve those goals.
Going back to the NFL game that was never finished, when he woke up, Damar Hamlin himself was shocked that they stopped the game and didn’t finish it. That wasn’t what he wanted. When he first woke up his first question was who won.
Not finishing that game came close to throwing the entire playoff schedule into disarray, even rescheduling the Super Bowl. Affecting the many workers who look towards major events of that type for income. The PTB figured out a way to make an exception and work around it. But it is an example of the larger ramifications for all those whose lives and goals are continuing.
Certainly a tragic death should not be ignored. Some recognition is due. I can think of several ways to do that. Have an area set aside with a tribute to the rider, where people can leave their own tributes if they wish, a space where they can quietly reflect.
But I’m not sure what is the beneficial significance, or the help to the victim, that comes from closing down an entire show. Some individuals may choose not to go on, and that is the right choice for them. But I am really not sure that it is right for every participant.
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I really don’t know, but I’d hope so. I believe they review fatal XC falls so I’d assume they would look at this one too.
I looked through the rule book and could not find anything except that an accident report form had to be submitted by the show staff.
If that’s the case, then it is enough said. Until now, it sounded rather vague whether it came from the family or from others.
And welcome to the BB.
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Horses can trip anywhere at any time. It happens, although usually without such dire results.
As someone mentioned in an earlier post, it happened to an Olympic dressage rider at the walk, with life-changing consequences.
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Deepest sympathies to the family, friends, trainer, and barn mates who lost their loved one.
Every USEF horse show has an accident preparedness plan in place prior to the show that all show personnel know and refer to if an accident should occur. The steward submits the plan to the USEF along with the rest of the required paperwork. Shows are required to have privacy screens for major incidents involving horse or rider, so hopefully they were used during this sad accident. The steward notifies the USEF who will then conduct an investigation if necessary.
Should the show be cancelled? That is not something that any show is prepared to do for many different reasons. Maybe removing that ring from competition or a specific jump if needed, but to cancel all the rest of the competition would create many other issues.
Again, deepest sympathies to all who lost their loved one.
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Furthermore, there is a gofundme campaign to plant a tree/memorial at WEC Ocala and then excess proceeds will be given to the family to allocate to their cause of choice.
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That’s good to know.
Do you have a link for it?
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I agree it is strange. A trip is one thing but a full rotational is very strange on the flat. Could be many possibilities. I wonder if the horse grabbed a heel or stepped on the shoe.
But with horses we all know the craziest things can happen. Some answers to why in this case would help us understand.
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They definitely can. However, it’s still a good idea to review footage to see if there’s anything we can do in the future to save lives. What is odd to me, and the reason I hope they review it, is that usually when jumping a horse is light on the forehand and paying attention to its feet. Most of the trip and falls I’ve seen (or been apart of) happen when the horse is not paying attention. Walking on a loose rein, trot warmup, etc.
I was in the ring when a girls horse tripped at the canter and skidded on its’ face. Girl was uninjured but the horse had some serious road rash. But I’ve also witnessed accidents on the flat due to footing, shoe malfunctions, slipping, a bad landing from a jump, etc. In any other sport a death would cause a whole slew of investigations. Equestrian sport should be the same.
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The trip and fall (both of us) I sustained with my mare was due to her flipping her head in protest at being asked to turn when she didn’t want to, and the next stride we were down.
