So is anyone else following this?
10 year old legally blind canadian girl who equine Canada had allowed to compete but has since reverse their ruling.
And I believe someone protested since she did place.
And there is is a petition which has 3k signatures and growing to let her compete.
Thoughts?
P.
How does this work? Does her horse follow the guide horse over jumps? Is she ponied? How does it work in the jump ring? Is this common practice? I can see a big risk factor for sure which is what EC seems to be saying.
EC did NOT reverse their decision even with the petition and she WILL NOT be allowed to compete.:mad:
I hope the person who complained to EC (note: it wasnāt me - I can get myself Eād without karma!) never completes another course, only gets a big E.
The guide horse is ridden around the course but never over the jump; the guide rider just gives directions towards the jump but the girl has to do it all, including the pace and steering.
Plus, weāre talking Starter level here (2ā3" max), not upper levels.
There is at least one legally blind (she has some sight, but it is very limited) event rider in the US. I have been out walking the course when she was walking it with her coach, and there is a lot of emphasis on which landmarks she can see at which point. I think she only competes at Beginner Novice. Most people who see her ride do not even realize that she has a vision problem.
Going to try finding other articles. But from what I gather for dressage she has people around the ring but not reading the test. Just person on right side wearing red , left side blue type thing. Not sure if they talk at all.
Cross country she she has a guide horse but they donāt go over the jumps. Not sure if itās the same for show jumping.
I havenāt followed all of it but the girl is local to me so have seen it on fb groups discussion and the fact the petition has grown to fast.
P.
Para dressage is big, para show jumping is growing but para eventing seems perhaps a step too far? Evemting is dangerous enough for those with full sight. But then, maybe Iām limiting someone who has the courage to develop the skills.
Iāve been following this one.
For XC the guide horse provides a visual cue but the guide horse does not provide a lead over the jump. In stadium, there is a verbal caller providing directions to fence location but not information on āhowā to ride it.
At Silver level competitions and above, EC has rules in place regarding approval of equipment. At the level sheās competing, Bronze and below, there is no public process where EC staff has the authority to approve or reject compensating aids. It is determined by medical consultation and coach sign off. Information then put on file with EC for recording purposes. At competition, a competition steward or TD has the right to refuse the competitorās participation if the horse or rider are put at undue risk by the compensating aids.
EC has started applying the Silver and higher process to Bronze and below participants even though that is not how the rules are written. Sheās riding at Starter/Pre-Entry/PeeWee. She has been also been informed she is permitted to participate so long as she doesnāt use the guide horse to cue her over the terrain until she can see the fence enough to steer. The safety argument put forward by EC is a smokescreen.
Iāve had a similar fight with them all year over a stirrup because none of the conventional solutions work for my ankle with a dislocating peroneal tendon. As long as my heel is stabilized in the vertical plane, I can ride normally. Without vertical plane stabilization Iām at serious risk of fall. Iāve similarly been informed I can only participate if I use equipment on the FEI Para list, even though it puts me at vastly higher risk.
Hereās the petition if anyone wants to read it .
P.
Thank You @Synthesis - that was a very comprehensive description of the EC process.
The sad thing is, the complainant is probably not an EC member either, if he/she was competing at (Bronze level) Starter.
It shows on StartBox the big Scratched beside her name
And now EC is bragging about its new Directors in an email- Big Whoop
@Polydor I donāt think the petition is valid anymore- EC has already stated it wonāt change its ruling
My roommate in college was a blind GS/downhill racer. And I mean he was just as fast and serious as any sighted racer. He won a Silver in GS in the Paralympics in 1984 in Innsbruck. My parents were so proud they had his medal on our counters for a semester! A blind eventer would be not nearly as at risk as a downhill skier.
EC and whoever is blocking this kid deserve to never ride a horse again.
They would be an EC member at the Bronze level, and a provincial horse trials member.
Comprehensive or not, Iāve been slamming my head on this wall for 8 months. Its been utterly soul-crushing. It breaks my heart that its happening to a kid
Right @Synthesis! I got EC Bronze and Horse Council BC (Provincial) mixed (itās been a while since Iāve competed Starter level- or any level actually) and forgot sheād have to have HCBC, EC Bronze AND Provincial Horse Trials memberships. I hope EC refunds her memberships since she canāt use them now
Iām not sure how it works in Canada, but I hope that every unrated venue in the area personally invites her and her guide horse to attend their events.
Peanut and I would give up a yearās worth of competing just to be her guide for that time. And I would be happy to flip off and get in the face of every official who attempted to stop her from competing.
I am not sure about BC, but there are so few unrecognized shows in other provinces, I wouldnāt be shocked if it was the case there.
I wonder if we can get some weight and visability behind it with some BNR?
Unrated shows - EC wonāt allow places that have rated events to host unrated events. It is one of the biggest hurdles for growing our sport in Canada.
I donāt know, I think eventing is too dangerous if you canāt see. Often times the Pre Entry division runs when the sun is setting here, it would really really dangerous if you didnāt have good vision. Our Pre Entry is also bigger and harder than the US starter level.
It sucks, but I think in the name of safety the reasons are legit.
This is really the crux of it for me. I admit to being somewhat on team āthat seems riskyā until I was informed that the rules as they are currently written have clear delineations by level of sport license (Bronze applies to competitors at Novice and below). Am I comfortable with someone who requires a guide horse galloping around the 4* at Bromont? Honestly, not really. But am I comfortable with someone who requires a guide horse jumping around a Novice? Yes, pending approval from people more informed than me (her doctor, her coach). It is reasonable to expect most (guide) horses to be able to keep up with the competitor, there is significant open space to allow for everyone out on course at once (unlike a roped course or one with many complex combinations), most jumps are single fences, and they are low enough that an error is generally quite forgivable.
The current rules do not require EC to hold this rider to the compensating aids that a 4* rider must adhere to. They are well within the rules to approve her now, but point out that this approval ends upwards of Bronze level competitions. I doubt most people (the rider included, from the sounds of it) would have a problem with that. I donāt really get why they have chosen this way forwardā¦
But sheās allowed to run XC without the guide horse! Thatās the thing and why the safety reason is bogus.
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