First day and already a disaster :(

[Mardi]

@dr j

All logistics and errors aside, the UAE contingent, although the most knowledgeable contingent in endurance racing in the world…are certainly not the people to police any event. In fact the officials needed to have to be at the top of their game to police the UAE and obviously they are not. Exponential mess.

Most knowledgeable at cheating ?

[skydy]

The Spanish man should be arrested for trying to incite a riot. That was disgraceful, kicking down the barrier and waving for people to join him. Thankfully they didn’t do so.

I mourn the loss of civility in this world and especially in this country.

To think of the difficulties with which the first responders are faced in preparing for this storm, seeing them have to attend to a violent tantrum at an equestrian event is disgusting.

[fordtraktor]

@JanM

The course never should have been used, and they should either have postponed to tomorrow early, or cancelled then. It’s also too late to get the endurance people and their animals home to free up space in the most solid looking of the stables, and housing. However, saying most solid isn’t giving me much confidence. I’m wondering what will be left of the arenas, and cross country course after the wind and rain end.

The only people who are looking good are the local people who have offered housing to contestants, and grooms who would be in jeopardy from the pathetic housing on site.

I know they had two years to plan and build instead of four, but if the organizers didn’t think they could do better than this, then they shouldn’t have offered to host.

Luckily the XC should run well before the hurricane arrives in Tryon. It won’t be that windy or rainy there. It is 350-400 miles from the coast.

I have no no idea what to think about this endurance fiasco. The rest seems manageable. We will see. But the endurance…what a trash fire. I think FEI is to blame here significantly. I really feel for the Spanish team (which was winning) and the race leaders. How heartbreaking for them. It is also on the many teams who did not properly condition horses for the climate. If you aren’t ready for the climate you shouldn’t send the horses.

i can see why the Spanish guy was pissed. Obviously he should not let his temper get away but if you are winning a world games and you feel UAE has sabotaged it, you would be pissed too. Who wouldn’t?

[skydy]

@Mardi

Most knowledgeable at cheating ?

Most definitely.

[lesson_junkie]

@MHM

So did they ever stop the leaders who were still on course? Or are those poor horses still out there in the dark for no reason?

We’re hunting in the morning. We’ll find them if they’re still out there.

[RegentLion]

@fordtraktor

i can see why the Spanish guy was pissed. Obviously he should not let his temper get away but if you are winning a world games and you feel UAE has sabotaged it, you would be pissed too. Who wouldn’t?

How did the UAE sabatoge it? Wasn’t the guy posting FB videos UAE? He seemed angry.

[fordtraktor]

@RegentLion

How did the UAE sabatoge it? Wasn’t the guy posting FB videos UAE? He seemed angry.

i have heard a number of rumors. The sponsor is UAE. The UAE riders were fairing poorly. The UAE Shiekh went off course. They are reported to be ruthless. Money talks. Who knows? I don’t follow Endurance but the past scandals speak for themselves (numerous horses ridden to death, etc.). Endurance itself is so corrupt I don’t trust any of it.

[skydy]

To be fair, U.S. Endurance is nothing like what the Middle Eastern countries consider Endurance. They are completely different.

[caffeinated]

@skydy

To be fair, U.S. Endurance is nothing like what the Middle Eastern countries consider Endurance. They are completely different.

I doubt any of those mid eastern guys would get even a quarter of the way through the tevis cup, honestly.

[Salty]

Even if Ahmed is truly evil, it doesn’t matter, because he was showing what was happening as it happened. He was advocating shutting down the ride before it started.

[skydy]

@Salty

Even if Ahmed is truly evil, it doesn’t matter, because he was showing what was happening as it happened. He was advocating shutting down the ride before it started.

However, he really could have behaved in a more professional and less dramatic manner. It may have set an example for others. He only started to calm down and talk peace when other officials (men) were in tears and the police came on the scene.

[tabula_rashah]

@fordtraktor

i have heard a number of rumors. The sponsor is UAE. The UAE riders were fairing poorly. The UAE Shiekh went off course. They are reported to be ruthless. Money talks. Who knows? I don’t follow Endurance but the past scandals speak for themselves (numerous horses ridden to death, etc.). Endurance itself is so corrupt I don’t trust any of it.

Please, please note that AERC endurance is NOTHING like this.

[MHM]

Could somebody please give an overview for those of us who are not familiar with this discipline? It sounds like the UAE team has a history of doing bad stuff, and the guy posting the live videos is part of that UAE group?

[LSMarnell]

@fordtraktor

i have heard a number of rumors. The sponsor is UAE. The UAE riders were fairing poorly. The UAE Shiekh went off course. They are reported to be ruthless. Money talks. Who knows? I don’t follow Endurance but the past scandals speak for themselves (numerous horses ridden to death, etc.). Endurance itself is so corrupt I don’t trust any of it.

This is EXACTLY why we do NOT need FEI Endurance here and why AERC needs re-branded. Immediately.

[AffirmedHope]

@MHM

Could somebody please give an overview for those of us who are not familiar with this discipline? It sounds like the UAE team has a history of doing bad stuff, and the guy posting the live videos is part of that UAE group?

Well I don’t know much, but I do remember a few years ago that one of the UAE (I think it was for that country, might have been Saudi Arabia or Quatar) guys finished on what was a clearly different horse than the one he started with and FEI didn’t sanction him because there wasn’t enough evidence or some horse crap even though there were pictures of the start and finish.

[skydy]

@MHM

Could somebody please give an overview for those of us who are not familiar with this discipline? It sounds like the UAE team has a history of doing bad stuff, and the guy posting the live videos is part of that group?

I’m really not the one to explain but…Endurance as we know it is ridden over terrain. Sometimes steep and rocky. There are multiple vet checks. Conditioning is key. It is not done on the flat at a full gallop.
The Middle Eastern “endurance racing” is run on the flat at speed. The UAE NA in its entirety was suspended from the FEI due to their having trucks following the horses to make them run faster and people on the ground chasing them with whips. Their horses suffered broken legs at a very unusual rate. They have a huge number of suspensions for banned and controlled substances in their horses.

The U.S. sport of Endurance has been around for much longer and is a completely different animal.

[Catie79]

@MHM

Could somebody please give an overview for those of us who are not familiar with this discipline? It sounds like the UAE team has a history of doing bad stuff, and the guy posting the live videos is part of that UAE group?

https://horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/uae-endurance-the-shameful-saga-continues/
https://horse-canada.com/horse-news/top-endurance-horse-tests-positive/
https://horse-canada.com/cuckson-report/lies-damned-lies-and-statistics/

[MHM]

Ugh. Thanks. I seem to recall reading something about the horse switch, and a tendency for loss of horses. But I didn’t realize it was all in the same group.

[skydy]

@AffirmedHope

Well I don’t know much, but I do remember a few years ago that one of the UAE (I think it was for that country, might have been Saudi Arabia or Quatar) guys finished on what was a clearly different horse than the one he started with and FEI didn’t sanction him because there wasn’t enough evidence or some horse crap even though there were pictures of the start and finish.

It was Sheikh Mohammed’s son the Crown Prince of Dubai (UAE) The Sheikh himself was suspended for riding a drugged horse back when his junior wife Haya was the FEI president.

[MHM]

@skydy

It was Sheikh Mohammed’s son the Crown Prince of Dubai (UAE) The Sheikh himself was suspended for riding a drugged horse back when his junior wife Haya was the FEI president.

His junior wife??