Thank you so much! I was looking at your blog. Our mares are like long lost sisters, they sound that much alike
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The Para-Equestrian Medical form includes an additional waiver of liability for any accident/damage/etc associated with the use of the listed adaptive aids. The Bronze process in place limits the difficulty of competition to Pre-Training and below. The TD/show steward is mandated that they have both āthe right and responsibilityā to inspect the adaptive aids and prevent the competitor from continuing if they or their horse are at undue risk.
That is a higher standard of safety than applied to able bodied competitors.
Iām not trying to trash EC, Iām trying to protect them. The Bronze competition process as currently written balances safety checks with disability law compliance. The process is being ignored for the Silver and above competition process and puts EC in a dangerous place where active discrimination against disabled equestrians is occurring in all EC disciplines. It doesnāt just look bad, its likely illegal and actionable!
Loads of people have thrown their hands in the air and given up. It only takes one really angry person to stand up and have others cast aside pour out of the woodwork. Havenāt we seen that happen all to often lately? No one is asking for āspecial treatmentā here, only to compete under the rules and space created for disability law compliance.
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I canāt even imagine being petty enough to lodge a complaint like that! Eventing is a challenging sport for those of us with no additional physical limitations. That this girl is overcoming substantial vision problems to be competitive speaks volumes about her courage and determination. Then to have to scratch based on a fellow competitor complaining? What a blow :no:
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Well I do not know enough about this particular case to weigh in, I will say that it would concern me that compensating aids for a Bronze show would need only to be approved by a doctor (who likely knows nothing about horses) and a coach (who likely has interest in their student succeeding). It only makes sense that EC would review these forms and possibly not accept some of the aids. Especially since there are usually no stewards at a bronze show and no TD at a jumper show either
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I love it!
Please, someone correct me if I am wrong, but I believe a TD and ground jury are mandatory at an EC sanctioned bronze level event, and would be responsible for stopping any competitors that appeared to present safety concerns.
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I have not read all the comments - will try to get back to them as she is a local girl and a subject that interests me because of the different facets.
However, Iād give a million bucks for her pony - it is so honest, so cute and they are a good pair. The lead horse is not interfering in any way and is perfectly mannered and kind. It is the best little thing e.v.e.r.
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Anyone that canāt see clearly and jumps is incredibly brave. Salim started with a lead horse, and now just uses sound queues.
//youtu.be/WxVdYx2dowsETA: He started riding at 12, lost his sight completely by 16.
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I was watching this young riderās show jumping round and I was very impressed at how brave she is and what a beautiful rider. She had about five people in bright reflective vests standing still at obviously decided points throughout the arena, and one guy in the middle who told her straight or right or left as needed (which really wasnāt often). It made me smile to watch her, and she deserved that placing.
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So, nobody here remembers when it was normal teaching to blindfold students while jumping so they learned how to feel the horse?!
Old dead cavalry guys (and my teachers, and by association, me) used to hav to jump blindfolded regularly. There is a reason I do my night jumping for the holidays.
Seeing has less to do with being safe or brave on a horse than being able to feel and move with a horse.
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Makes me think of Senora Webster 
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Yes, but not courses. We used to have something set up almost like you would for free jumping down one side of the arena, so sight wasnāt an issue to get straight to the jumps. It definitely teaches you to trust what you feel.
Then we took the blindfolds off, and went over normal courses without stirrups and/or reins. Granted, that wasnāt over anything too high, but it teaches independent aids like nothing else.
I ended up taking first in a class where the horse stepped on a plastic bottle that slid, nearly went down, my foot popped out of the stirrup on the side the judge couldnāt seeā¦ I didnāt even bother fishing for it. I just hopped over the last combination with one stirrup and collected my blue ribbon. lol
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Our old cavalry teachers in Pony Club made us ride blindfolded, too! It was fun. And night riding is more about the horses who can see incredibly well at night. My other fun thing to do out hunting was to try and ride the fences without cueing my horse - let them decide where to take off.
For the night riding, how are you steering to a jump? Is there some form of little light or something so you know where the center is?
Liability/Negligence/Insurance unwilling to underwrite it. Full stop.
Would you like to bet YOUR farm this kid will never miss a distance and have a wreck? Riiight. Me neither!
Eventing is, in terms of risk, akin to motocross. Would you let a legally blind minor run motocross? Drive an ATV around a ādirt park?ā Snowmobile in rough terrain? If she breaks her neck, there are ruinous financial and legal ramifications. Please try to see this situation the way a jury would if the worst happened.
āParaā competitions are geared to compensate for participantsā impairments. Regular competitions are not. Not everything that might be āniceā is a great idea.
P.S. āOld Dead Cavalry Guysā taught before the present-day litigious societal norm.
With the right broker anything is possible
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I definitely hear what youāre saying, and I do completely understand why the governing body is taking the stand that it is; however, we sign release waivers in order to compete in these events and so Iām genuinely curious in asking: arenāt we releasing EC and the event facility from liability by signing the waiver? Kyra (or more specifically her parents) has to sign the same one I do to compete at these events. Obviously I have the advantage of excellent vision, but my horse could stumble at a fence just as easily as hers could - more so, in fact, since I am heading into Training level and she rides at Starter. My understanding is that she can see the jump (small logs, at her level) once she is close enough and just requires assistance to ensure that she reaches the correct obstacle.
I was mostly disappointed that someone locally complained about her āadvantageā when, for the most part, this sport and this area are super welcoming. I had my fingers crossed for her to compete hors concors, but in reviewing the EC rules it is clear that Juniors are not allowed to do so.
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I have no problems with anyone overcoming roadblocks to ride and compete. If they are doing it successfully, obviously theyāve found the solution.
Honestly, Iām not sure it is their success that is a problem, but rather answering the question if penalty points or an E are the same possibility as any other competitor. That is, if the extras that allow them to successfully navigate the course actually soften the challenge and make it less likely to go off course, or have a stop or run-out. I havenāt been close enough to a situation like this to have an opinion, so I just have the question for those who know more.
The guides may not be giving a lead but they do seem to be showing the way?
Is that enough to keep them out of the regular divisions? I donāt know the answer to that.
Maybe there is another aspect to their riding of the course that gives them the same risk of jumping the wrong jump, a stop, a run-out, or losing their way on cross-country as anyone else?
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I am not sure what I think of this ruling/decision. She seems capable, but at what height/level would people consider her no longer safe? Should there be different rules regarding compensatory aids for different competition divisions (rather than just by disability)? Itās unfortunate that there just isnāt a division that is set up specifically for riderās with her level if disability, but I donāt think that is possible in our small market. Then the competition could be designed specifically with the use of compensating aids in mind. That would likely be the best solution, but not very practical.
At Novice and under, there is little need to be accurate. A pretty average horse should be able to jump from anywhere to that height as long as the canter is good. I say let her compete. How high depends on whether she has enough sight to learn to be accurate Training and above. That is a medical determination.
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