How many horses started?
Different guy. No idea. It was at the press conference. Heels Down Media was posting videos on FB
Thanks. Ugh. Poor horse.
So there were 95 starters, and more than half of them needed veterinary assistance before they even had a chance to finish?? Those are some ugly numbers.
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The Fb guy that was posting live for endurance is now answering questions live. Very interesting.
I saw that a 20 year old horse from New Zealand named Barack Obama was euthanized. I was suprised at how old that horse was - is that a normal age for an endurance horse? (I am not an endurance rider)
Not only was he 20, he is a 20 y/o named Barack Obama. How strange! Iâd like to know more about his life, as Iâm sure he has worn many hats and had different names over the years.
Ironies aside, what a tragedy. Iâm sorry for him and the people who cared for him.
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I missed it live, but I will watch it later. If nothing else, that guy has raised his own profile this week. A lot!
Apparently he wasnât going home anyway. I will never understand people.
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Wow, what a mess. Iâm so sorry for that horse. As for the decision to cancel the race, I have to agree with the riders who think itâs a wrong decision. The French team is furious:
âĂ travers cette dĂ©cision, ils punissent tous les chevaux qui ont Ă©voluĂ© Ă la bonne allure et dont les cavaliers ont tenu compte des conditions. Tous ceux qui Ă©taient encore en lice et couraient avec nous Ă©taient en trĂšs bon Ă©tat. On les a bien vus quand ils sont revenus. On punit les cavaliers qui font preuve de respect envers leurs animaux et on crĂ©dite ceux qui nâĂ©coutent pas leurs chevaux en annulant une Ă©preuve parce quâils ne peuvent plus figurer au classement⊠Câest un non-sens total, câest inacceptable et scandaleux. Notre rĂ©volte collective Ă©tait assez claire je crois. Malheureusement, je crains que cela ne signe la mort de lâendurance. On ne peut pas continuer comme çaâŠâ
Roughly translated:
This decision punishes all the horses who have been paced correctly and whose riders took into account terrain and weather conditions. All those who were still competing with us were in very good condition. Everybody saw that when they returned. Riders who respect and listen to their horses are being punished, and those who do not are being rewarded by the decision to cancel the competition because they couldnât place in it anymoreâŠItâs outrageous, unacceptable and a scandal. Our collective uprising was clear enough, I think. Unfortunately, I fear that this signals the end of Endurance. We canât go on like this.
I have to say I had bad feelings about this competition when I heard how they were modifying the course so that it would be âas flat as possible, easy on the horses, and without any obstaclesââŠThat not what Endurance is.
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I remember at the World Championships ( 3 day) in 1978? the New Zealand team could not take their horses back home due to the strict quarantine laws in New Zealand and the cost of such a lengthy quarantine.
But still⊠it didnât sound like this guy had planned things out very well. Doesnât sound like he could monitor how well his horse was coping with the heat and humidity on the trail either. Poor horse!
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So the best horses from New Zealand can only have a one way ticket if they leave for a competition? Yuck.
The rider in this case was a woman, by the way. Owner was a man.
Not quite how I read whatâs been posted/linked here.
Horses that go to New Zealand have what sounds to be a lengthy and costly import quarantine. A horse could return to New Zealand, it just costs more than it sounds like many wish to or are able to spend. For competitors, a decision and choice that should be made prior to a horse leaving New Zealand.
Extensive quarantines are not uncommon for âislandsâ to help keep pathogens out of the environment (Australia, New Zealand, Hawaii)âŠ
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I heard in 1978 that there was a 6 month quarantine for horses coming back into New Zealand.
With the Derssage Freestyle cancelled, I think it can be said that this WEG was a non-starter.
A partially finished venue, an Endurance scandal and riot, and a hurricane. 
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I donât think itâs nearly that bad for NZ or AUS now. I think that the long quarantines of the past are one reason why some international competitors from those countries chose to base themselves elsewhere.
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Were you there? I was, and I really enjoyed it. Saw some great dressage, walked the xc course, appreciated the effort put forth to make it happen.
There was an endurance scandal in Normandy - a horse died on course. There were awful bathrooms. Etc etc etc. But we still had a great time and have never regretted for a minute that we went.
I think itâs fair to say that these big ticket horse shows are a logistical nightmare. The hurricane certainly didnât help. But as a spectator it was possible to enjoy what was on offer. It sure as heck beat sitting at home stuck in my usual rut.
And the bathrooms were clean and plentiful!
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No I was/am not there. Are you still there? If not, you did not experience the tropical storm. It is only now arriving at the venue.
The scandal I was referring to was, unfortunately, not the death of the horse. As you mentioned, equine deaths in competition are not rare.
Iâm glad you had fun. Bathrooms are very important. Nice to see an event taking that into consideration. :yes:
I donât agree with ânon-starterâ at all. At this point Iâd say Tryon gets credit for surviving some adversity with style.
The XC day was superb. All the worries ahead of time, and yet it went beautifully, and the course on live stream looked so lovely. No major incidents, which is a much better result than thisâ yearâs Badminton which had 5 horse falls no one seemed to care about.
Reining has gone well, the previous dressage went well. The dressage cancellation is because the riders decided not to stay, not because it isnât possible to hold it. What happened with Endurance belongs to Endurance, only Endurance made the decisions that they did. The conditions were typical for the season and location and Endurance officials knew that well ahead of time (or should have known it).
Nothing is ever going to be 100% perfect. Tryon staged these games on short notice after the previous venue chucked it. No one else was stepping up. The hurricane was an unfortunate circumstance that never actually arrived, and that the facility handled as well as they could. The forecast is much drier next week for the next disciplines.
For what itâs worth, the âhurricaneâ scared a lot of people, but hasnât delivered anything more than a lot of rain tomorrow, Sunday. Even the wind is forecast to be under 20 mph. Re Tryon, itâs not a hurricane or anything remotely close. Itâs just a storm with heavy rainfall. That has happened at many venues all over the world from time to time, old videos of hammering rain on dressage and other disciplines are not hard to find. The previous weather was happening already and is part of the season in that location.
Weâll see what next week brings.
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