Apparently major confusion at the start of endurance today- now they are being held after the first loop (39.9 km I think) for a 45 minute rest and the race is being re-started. This is ridiculous and highly embarrassing. Seriously, how do you not clearly delineate the start???
Wow so the loop is almost 40km, and they have to redo that? Oy…that is unacceptable. What is happening?
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Just read the official announcement that they are restarting it as a 120km race instead of a 160km (basically a 75 instead of a 100). Apparently about half of the riders were sent in one direction at the start and half another? How that happens I have no idea. So now the front runners that have pretty much galloped that first 25 miles have sat around to for a long while and the horses at the back will get much less of a break. Not to mention now more of the ride will be in the heat of the day. And I know that at least one pull has already happened so I don’t know what they’ll do with that??? Sounds like some countries are already planning on a protest
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Just reading this on Facebook too…what a disaster
where is it on fb?
Good grief…
It’s on the AERC FB page
Who was ciritcising and making fun of JEM 2014?
The FB page “2018 WEG Show” on is doing live coverage at the Endurance park. The owner of Horseware Ireland owns some horses? Or is he just Team Ireland…couldn’t quite hear. He is talking right now. He said the course is gorgeous but they screwed up the start.
Also on the many of National sport FB pages, I’ve followed so many not sure who was posting it lol
Looks windy and overcast.
Hardly any people watching dressage 
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Are the problems “normal” for an event of this size, or is this kind of exceptional - lack of infrastructure, planning, etc.?
Just… wow. What a horrible way to start these games. Such an absolute shit show.
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OMG what a mess!
Wow…what a total cluster. Tensions are high, wait until the hurricane hits.
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I hate that this is the “face” we are showing the world
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https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/tryon-2018-endurance-statement/
As some teams were unfortunately misdirected at the start of today’s Endurance ride, the competition will be stopped at the first vet gate and re-started as a 120-kilometer championship. In order to ensure that all horses are fit to compete they will all go through the vet check. Only horse that have passed the vet check will be allowed to compete. No substitutions of horses will be allowed.
The restart of the ride will take place 45 minutes after the last horse has been inspected at the vet gate.
As there is no possibility to reschedule the ride tomorrow, the President of the Ground Jury, President of the Veterinary Commission, Foreign Veterinary Delegate and the Organizing Committee agree that this was the only pragmatic solution.
This is in line with the preamble to the FEI Endurance Rules which state: “in any unforeseen or exceptional circumstances, it is the duty of the Ground Jury and the Veterinarians to make a decision in a sporting spirit and approaching, as nearly as possible, to the intention of these rules and of the General Rules of the FEI.”
This information has been communicated to all chefs d’equipe.
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/chaos-weg-endurance/
Unprecedented scenes of chaos and anger are unfolding on the opening day of the World Equestrian Games, with the ground jury’s decision to re-start the endurance race as 120km 2* event. Many horses had travelled most of the first loop’s 40kms already, but confusion reigned after some riders were misdirected at the start.
Angry scenes erupted amongst participants and their back-up teams, notably within the UAE camp. Sheikh Mohammed al Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, is sponsoring the event through his Meydan corporation, and his son, Crown Prince HH Hamdan al Maktoum is vying to claim gold again following victory in WEG 2014.
Officials tried to stop the UAE 4* judge Ahmed AL Hammadi broadcasting his altercation with FEI officials on Facebook Live.
In recent days Al Hammadi has provided a lot of video and personal criticism from the site of the acres of unfinished facilities. Endurance is the discipline whose field of play is most behind schedule at the beleaguered Tryon venue.
Those following the official livestream could see a Spanish team member being wrongly directed soon after the start, while the GPS tracking showed two other horses running back in the direction of the vet gate when they should have turned right. About 20 riders then encountered others coming the other way at a bridge.
While FEI TV coverage has been sporadic, due to technical issues, Dubai Racing TV has followed the ride intensively and carried some interviews with knowledgeable officials who felt the whole ride should be cancelled in these astonishing circumstances.
The decision was made to re-start the event 45 minutes after the last rider had completed the first loop, with all horses having to pass a new veterinary check.
A statement – issued to media on paper but not put on the event’s website – said there was no possibility to re-schedule the ride tomorrow, and that the ground jury had to take a “pragmatic” approach. It added rules allow this sort of decision. “In any unforeseen or exceptional circumstances, it is the duty of the ground jury and the veterinarians to make a decision in a sporting spirit and approaching, as nearly as possible, to the intention of these rules and to the general rules of the FEI.”
The statement also confirmed riders had been “unfortunately misdirected.”
In the run-up to the ride, many fears had been expressed that there would be a scandal, but no-one expected this.
There are unconfirmed reports that the UAE has already offered to re-stage a world endurance championship in four months’ time and help all affected national teams with costs.
That would pose a further dilemma for the FEI, because it stripped Dubai of hosting the stand-alone world championship in 2016 “because horse welfare could not be guaranteed” at the Dubai venue.
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Wow. Awful for all involved. Particularly the (likely volunteer) person who gave the wrong info.
Terrible situation all round.
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What a mess. Has it been determined who misdirected the riders?
