Is anyone else as ashamed of what happened at the WEG Endurance race as I am?

[173north]

The Brazilian rider above says it was clear that the second group of around 70 horses, that was sent off at 6:30, was smaller than it should have been.

So how did they send only ~50 horses off in the first group at 6:05, when 124 were cleared to start? No one had a list of starters and scratches? Not one of the officials, volunteers, riders, crew members looked around and thought “weird, a bunch of people aren’t here yet, let’s all sit tight for five minutes and find out what’s going on”?

I understand it’s early in the morning, there was a lot of confusion in general, and everyone was nervous and excited and eager to get going. But horse sports are tight knit, I’m sure all these people at least know each other on sight. It just didn’t occur to anyone that the field was half as big as it should have been and entire teams weren’t present?

[Where_sMyWhite]

Should not the riders who rode their horses not bear some culpability in the fitness, or lack thereof, of their horses?

I thought that endurance put a premium on horse fitness and the rider is a component of that. If your horse isn’t fit enough to continue, you stop. You don’t keep going.

Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work? Not getting why FEI has to bear the burden for the course misdirection. The actual misdirection, yes, not the rider’s fault. Horse fitness… the rider has some level of responsibility in my eyes.

[RPM]

@Watershed moment 55

The whole world is WATCHING YOU, folks. Really, it is.

Bit of an exaggeration there, I think. The world is NOT watching. Only a comparatively small percentage of it who even know what the WEG is and that have access to any broadcasts of any of its competitions. I got only a few hours, of dressage and vaulting, and a little cross country.

I also seriously doubt that the WHOLE world saw coverage of the hurricane either. It probably heard about it, but I wonder how many outside that comparatively small percentage of WEG watchers paid much attention to news of yet another hurricane striking a relatively small area of the United States.

[MHM]

I may have already said this, but the glaring question in my mind is: Why didn’t they stop the horses that were out on course when they decided to cancel the race?!? If the FEI decision to cancel was based on dangerous conditions for the horses, why didn’t they send out somebody on a golf cart to stop those horses??

[RPM]

@MHM

I may have already said this, but the glaring question in my mind is: Why didn’t they stop the horses that were out on course when they decided to cancel the race?!? If the FEI decision to cancel was based on dangerous conditions for the horses, why didn’t they send out somebody on a golf cart to stop those horses??

What’s done is done. … Don’t look back.
–paraphrased from J.A. Talbot-Ponsonby: The Art of Show Jumping

[Plumcreek]

I have only competed in one NATRC ride, 30 miles per day for two days, which is judged on condition and recovery times, and where you carefully monitor your horse’s pace to finish on a sound and healthy horse within the time allowed. So I am not an expert. However, Endurance at WEG is a 100 mile RACE, and “competitors should have altered their pace per their horse’s condition (sic)” meant they would not have WON. Probably a 100 mile endurance race is contrary to the showcase of top horsemanship which personifies the WEG in general.

[tabula_rashah]

@Plumcreek

I have only competed in one NATRC ride, 30 miles per day for two days, which is judged on condition and recovery times, and where you carefully monitor your horse’s pace to finish on a sound and healthy horse within the time allowed. So I am not an expert. However, Endurance at WEG is a 100 mile RACE, and “competitors should have altered their pace per their horse’s condition (sic)” meant they would not have WON. Probably a 100 mile endurance race is contrary to the showcase of top horsemanship which personifies the WEG in general.

Um, that’s exactly what endurance riders do in the US- ride as their horse’s condition and the environment dictate. If you don’t look out for your horse’s condition and your horse is pulled then you can’t win.

[Where_sMyWhite]

@Plumcreek

However, Endurance at WEG is a 100 mile RACE, and “competitors should have altered their pace per their horse’s condition (sic)” meant they would not have WON. Probably a 100 mile endurance race is contrary to the showcase of top horsemanship which personifies the WEG in general.

As TR said… yes, even at WEG it was a “race” but one must finish in order to even be possible to win. If your horse doesn’t recover at any of the intermediate vet checks or the final vet check, one does not complete the race and winning is not possible.

[TMares]

@tabula rashah

Um, that’s exactly what endurance riders do in the US- ride as their horse’s condition and the environment dictate. If you don’t look out for your horse’s condition and your horse is pulled then you can’t win.

Exactly! How does one get involved in NATRC and not have even a basic understanding of how endurance races work?

[Plumcreek]

Um, guys, I do understand about needing to pass vet check points in order to get to finish an endurance race, and have several friends who regularly ride or volunteer at Tevis. However, some other countries may have more lax or politically driven standards, and the fact that so many horses were pulled or about to be pulled at WEG underlies that, for some, monitoring their horses condition on the trail was not their main priority. In the past, both Reining and Eventing focused on ways to solve horse welfare-related public impression issues during their competitions, and endurance may need to think about that after this mess.