So, findeight, you’re willing to throw the proverbial baby out with the bath water? Why can’t there be better regulations without having to put an end to such a wonderful sport? Do you want to put an end to football? Hockey? Skiing? I don’t understand your POV.
Lets not forget that this thread is about Laine- and Frodo. Not the sport in general.
I had met Laine in FL before, but only quickly.
This past Thursday, Laine and Eleanor’s parents were at the USPC office for the dedication of the fund in Eleanor’s honor. I spoke to Lainey for few moments and she is a very sweet young lady. We spoke about Frodo and Eric, and you could tell that she was thrilled to be there and how much she loved Frodo- how “special” he is! They handed out ribbons and buttons in Eleanor’s colors that we wore on XC day. You could tell that what happened to Eleanor had been very very difficult for Lainey
But the moment that touched me the most was watching her talk to 3 young kids and their dad when they asked her questions. The one question was…“You ride him in all 3 parts???” and her very sweet comment, not at all condescending, was “I do!” and she went on to explain what eventing was about. Patient and kind. All good things. A
I was at the ditch in the coffin complex right after the flower jump. The view that each person had was indeed different then the jumbo-tron. I had my camera fixed on her as she headed toward the jump. My thoughts are with the Ashkers and their support team. There are indeed no words.
Rt66Kix was an outrider at Rolex this year and was posted at the Flower Basket jump, so she saw the whole horrible thing live. She was in tears as she told me about it and I joined her. 
My deepest sympathies to Laine on the loss of such a fine horse. My heartfelt prayers to her for healing: physical and emotional.
[QUOTE=pony grandma;3172694]
I was there yesterday two fences over. I am crying as I read this thread and this really got me as I deeply feel that need to curl up in a ball and it breaks my heart knowing that she can’t cry for her friend right now. I’ve had to euthanize two horses due to injury and you just never ever get over it. The only consolation that I had with it was that there really was no decision to make, it was already made. I never had to wrestle with that. It was the humane thing to do with your partner. The grief is unimaginable. God bless her and all of her support people. Our hearts are with you in every way.[/QUOTE]
WOW! You just said that perfectly. Honestly, I could not have said it better myself. I lost Tug just about 18 months ago and I think about him everyday. I am still not ‘over him’ and never will be. its something that you live with and it haunts you and you would do anything in the entire world to see x horse one more time to tell him/her you LOVE them! Something like this you never get over, and thats why we all need to be unbelievably strong for Laine’s sake. We are her base of support and need to be here for her, now and a year down the road.
RIP Frodo. I know Tug and a slew of other world-class athletes were there to guide you across the Rainbow Bridge. Thinking of you…
Gillian
here is some photos of Frodo at Kentucky this year before his death. i just thought they’d be nice to share:
http://www.rk3de.org/photo_gallery_photo_view.php?id=521
and Lainey and Frodo’s bio on the site:
We had just left that jump to walk to the ducks when we heard there was a fall.
We saw the tarps and the horse trailer and saw the second one pull in.
What was sickening for us, not seeing the actual fall, was the BobCat poor limestone over the impression Frodo had left on the ground, it looked just like a horse.
We left after that.
I cant even begin to imagine the magnitude of that fall, and I am thankful that we didnt actually see it.
My thoughts and jingles are with everyone envolved. and GodSpeed to Frodo and The Quiet Man.
HMMMMM, so let’s see, as many ULR and BNT and others on these threads say, it is a lack of training at the lower levels and therefore, that is a big reason for all the falls, well, which of these riders are “lower level riders”???
Falls yesterday,
Laine
Sarah Hansel
Dorin North( 2 X I believe)
Heidi White
Boyd Martin
Corrin Ashton
Tara Ziegler
Almost Allison Springer by a hair
and then we have in the last few years
Ralph Hill
Darren C
Kim Meier
Elenor Brennan
and on and on… so, which one of these is a LLR???
I don’t buy that theory at all.
News Update at http://www.lex18.com/Global/story.asp?S=8236834&nav=EQlp
Includes video of comments by Laine’s mother
That is such great news… does anyone kinow what kind of vest she was wearing because it sounds like that saved her life. WOW, every rib broken is unbelievable.
Best wishes to her and her family
boppin - I doubt it was the vest, they don’t do much for crushing injuries. Unless it was a Woof Exo vest, but I don’t think so.
I don’t know if this has been posted yet but Laine’s webpage is posting daily updates from her family. The website is www.laineashkereventing.com.
Laine and Frodo- Story on Nashville local news
I found this very odd…the NBC affiliate in Nashville carried a story on Laine’s accident tonight. Looks like the national media may be picking it up- Laine and Frodo have no connection to Nashville that I know of.
The story concentrated on Laine’s injuries and featured interviews with her mom. They had shots of the picnic basket fence but not the fall itself.
Anybody seeing this popping up in the media? It can not be a good thing for our sport, I think…I’m still getting the NYT article emailed to me by everyone I know with the subject, “This isn’t what you do, is it???”
Are we really surprised?
How can anyone really be surprised??? There are alot of up and coming riders now who did not event in the olden days when you learned how to bravely gallop fences out of stride. We took the education of the horses and riders away by gradually eliminating steeplechase and “slowing them down” by increasing the technicallity. Now our younger riders do not know how to jump and come under paced at the bigger spread fences…evidenced from Lanie’s last fall at Rolex several years ago where her horse bounced the footbridge when it was presented in a nearly collected canter for a fence that demands a balanced galloping attack. Not to pick on Lanie personally but it’s a very large problem at nearly every show I have seen lately.
There was also a pretty detailed article on the Lexington Herald website (I assume also in the paper itself) including a heart wrenching picture of The Quiet Man’s fall, actually of him catching a leg and falling. The Louisville Courier Journal ran a short article Sunday morning about Rolex in general, and it included a brief statement about Laine and Frodo as well. Although I’m all for more media coverage of eventing, this is not the kind of publicity the sport needs.
[QUOTE=gchildean;3174527]
I don’t know if this has been posted yet but Laine’s webpage is posting daily updates from her family. The website is www.laineashkereventing.com.[/QUOTE]
RIP Frodo, Jingles for Laine.
Is anyone else having trouble reading the updates? I get the site fine, but with the design of it the updates are half blocked by the graphics or whatever and hard to read.
why in the video footage link from the Lexington Herald do they make the statement that Laine was riding another horse for a friend who was sick and couldnt ride Rolex…did anyone catch this? Mazetto was Eleanor’s horse…
[QUOTE=hookedoneventing;3174717]
why in the video footage link from the Lexington Herald do they make the statement that Laine was riding another horse for a friend who was sick and couldnt ride Rolex…did anyone catch this? Mazetto was Eleanor’s horse…[/QUOTE]
I caught the same thing. Fact checkers must have been asleep at the switch.
NYT Gets hold of story
New york times article about Lainey
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/29/sports/othersports/29eventing.html?ref=sports
There is an update on her condition on her blog and a sweet statement from her Mom about the trophy named afterher horse St. James, that died last year.
I would like to write a personnal note to Valerie but I can’t find where to send it on Laine’s web site or blog, does anyone know the name of the farm or web address? My heart just aches for her.
Thanks
[QUOTE=closetoperfectionfarm;3176255]
There is an update on her condition on her blog and a sweet statement from her Mom about the trophy named afterher horse St. James, that died last year.
I would like to write a personnal note to Valerie but I can’t find where to send it on Laine’s web site or blog, does anyone know the name of the farm or web address? My heart just aches for her.
Thanks[/QUOTE]
Crow’s Ear Farm, Inc.
1745 Genito Rd.
Crozier, VA 23039
They are relocating to CA and selling their farm but that is their current VA address. Valerie has an AOL account but anything you send there might go straight into SPAM.
