Team Monaco Finish Second in Monpazier Horse Race

Hellomonaco.com - Full Article

13 September , 2018 Sport & fitness

Recently, the International Monpazier horse races took place, an equestrian endurance race which yielded an incredible result for team EFG Monaco. The Monpazier race is all about distance and endurance and Team EFG Monaco shone during the competition. Brandon Guedj and Tonik de Gargassan finished in an incredible second place in the 140 km race.

38 competitors from around the world took their places at the starting line, to embark on a two-day test of endurance (140 km), to be done in two rounds of 70 km each. Athletes came from Belgium, Finland, Brazil, Germany, Qatar, Jordan, Portugal, Morocco, Italy, Spain, France and Monaco to compete in the event...

Read more here:
https://www.hellomonaco.com/news/sport-fitness/team-monaco-finish-second-in-monpazier-horse-race/

WEG Endurance 2018 from a front row view

September 13 2018
by Jessica Lemmons Harmon

WEG 2018 from a front row view:

I signed up as a volunteer vet scribe at WEG 2018. Lucky for me, I was the extra vet scribe which meant I was on ‘hot standby’ IN the vet gate. I was there to give breaks to any scribe that needed one, but 99% of the time I just watched everything up close and personal. As everyone knows, I attended this ride to see a WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻, and to open my eyes to any possible cheating taking place. I know there have been numerous rumors circulating about Rider #3. I saw EVERYTHING that happened at that vet check with that rider. Rider #3 did NOT go back out on course after the 25 mile (40km) ‘warm up’ loop. I am EXTREMELY PROUD of the FEI veterinarians for how they handled that particular situation, and the events of the entire day. Those FEI veterinarians are hands down the most professional, no BS group of people I’ve had the privilege of working with. This particular incident was the ONLY possible FEI rule violation ‘issue’ I saw all day long.

At approximately 5:30PM I was reassigned to the vet gate exit. The two FEI officials responsible for escorting horses to the Treatment Barn needed another person. In my brief 15 minute stay, I helped escort 5 horses to the Treatment Barn.

There are endurance riders and endurance jockeys in ALL countries. AERC/USEF/FEI cannot police *what type* of rider is allowed to attend a World Championship. Unfortunately, all FEI can do is be well prepared for more horses to enter the Treatment Barn when ride conditions are at extremes. I’m 50/50 on what happened yesterday. My heart literally BREAKS (I was crying physical tears) for the endurance horse/rider combinations still competing. The time, money, emotional energy, time off work, and countless other sacrifices made that were wasted is gut-wrenching. The decision to call off the ride punished the true endurance riders that were persevering. However, I 110% understand the decision to discontinue the ride. I helped escort 5 horses in 15 minutes to the Treatment Barn. Horses were being compromised at an exceptionally high rate. It is my belief that the Veterinary Committee was truly concerned about horse welfare, and the Treatment Barn having adequate care for the abundant amount of horses being received. The Tawqeet app shows 16 METABOLIC pulls, and 2 ‘in the clinic’ — that was before the ride was called off. Horses that came in off trail after the cancellation still had to be vetted. Some of those horses were not doing well, and more had to be sent to the Treatment Barn.

I‘m very disheartened by the fact that the ride had to be cancelled. My heart goes out to all those horses and riders that were still in it. I’m so proud of those riders and horses that evaluated the course, made the choice to slow down, take care of their partner, adapted to the HUGE obstacles thrown their way, and were STILL fit to continue. They are the real champions of Endurance, and deserved better.

Spanish Protest (Non) Results of WEG Endurance

September 13 2018

Real Federación Hípica Española have sent a protest letter to Sabrina Ibañez, Secretary General of FEI, regarding the cancellation of Saturday's World Equestrian Games Endurance ride and consequently the decision to award no medals.

With only 1 more loop to complete the re-started 120-km World Championship, ride officials deemed the extremely high heat/humidity conditions too risky for horses to continue the race. Spanish riders were in the lead at this point.

The letter, available for viewing on the RFHE website, list reasons why they request the FEI to reconsider not awarding medals according to placements at the moment of suspension, as this situation has a prior precedent (Euston Park 2012).

The entire letter can be seen here:
http://www.endurance.net/international/USA/2018WEG/Reclamacion-de-la-RFHE-ante-la-FEI.pdf

WEG Endurance: A Different Perspective

12 September, 2018- 9:05pm

World Equestrian Games Endurance

Tonight I will tell you a story; my story shared with images I took today on a very challenging course at the WEG endurance race in Tryon, NC. I could not leave this venue until I wrote this story. So I sit alone, in the media center and tell the equine world what I saw today.

Today I saw the heart of a sport that I love. I saw the soul of the horse in his effort to please man, and I saw the thrill of the victory in the effort that it took these horsemen and horsewomen to get to these Games.

I saw the defeat of a race not finished. But yet, the race was finished in what I saw through my lens today. I saw commaraderie, I saw a spirit perservere between rider and horse that can only be attained by attemptimg to ride 100 miles in a day.

I saw crews working together from over 44 countries to obtain the same goal...to take care of the horse. I saw volunteers by the hundreds working all day for no pay to support a sport they love- or know nothing about. I saw veterinarians and FEI officials from many countries working together in the best interest of our friend the horse. And in the end, they had to make the ultimate decision to protect our friend the horse. So if you think the race was not won in Tryon my friend, I tell you it was, in what I saw today...

Becky Pearman- Photographer

You will soon be able to see Becky's awesome photography of the ride on her smugmug page:
https://beckypearman.smugmug.com/

Ugly End to WEG Endurance Ride

NZEquestrian.org.nz - Full Story

September 13 2018

The reduced endurance ride at the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games dissolved into chaos this afternoon when it was cancelled with the leading riders having just come in from the third of four loops.

The very contentious call was a unanimous decision between the president of the ground jury, the technical delegate, the president of the veterinary commission and the organising committee, citing welfare of the horse as the key driver.

As the decision was announced, the crowd erupted, whistling and yelling their disgust, and running towards the fences surrounding the vet check areas. Calls for calm went largely ignored, with security and police quickly brought in.

New Zealand’s two riders – Jenny Champion aboard Barak Obama and Philip Graham on Rosewood Bashir – who were on their second loop withdrew their horses before the decision was made.

Chef de mission Sarah Dalziell-Clout said it was a real credit to their horsemanship, recognising the conditions were just too tough. Jenny said her priority was to look after her horse. “He was really feeling the heat,” she said. “We had already done 90km if you include the first loop this morning. It is a long way to come for this to happen.”

She said the marking on the ride had been very good, but the track got very stodgy after a particularly heavy downpour. “It made it quite treacherous for horses and then when the sun came out it was so hot. I am disappointed, but I know I did the right thing.”

Philip had not long passed Jenny when he too called the race. “We had a drink at a creek crossing and he just was not as responsive as usual. With heat and humidity like that, things were only going to go one way. I am just disappointed for the day and the event and the way it transpired. It is quite an historic day for endurance.”

Philip said the 40km loop was very demanding even without the humidity. “We did the best we could.”

The president of the Veterinary Commission Thomas Timmons said the cancellation of the ride had been done with horse and athlete welfare in mind. “The conditions this afternoon after the rain resulted in extremely high levels of humidity and, combined with the rising heat, it was deemed unsafe to continue the ride.”

The planned 160km championship ride had not got off to the best of starts – this morning some teams were misdirected at the beginning of the ride and the competition was stopped at the first vet gate. By that time most riders had covered around 40kms. Organisers then restarted the ride as a 120km championship nearly five hours later. The FEI has tasked the independent Equestrian Community Integrity Unit with doing a full investigation how it all went so wrong. The investigation will include interviews with officials, volunteers, the organising committee and any other relevant personnel to provide a full picture of just what happened.

Chef d’equipe for the New Zealand endurance team Sue Reid said it had been a challenging start to the day. When the 160km ride was cancelled a petition was circulated calling for people to support horses and riders being flown to Europe for another shot at the championships. Eighteen of the 40 countries in the ride agreed, with two later withdrawing their support. New Zealand did not sign the petition.

“We worked for two years to get here,” said Sue, “there were just too many variables involved. The petition was very controversial.”

By Diana Dobson – NZ Team Media Liaison

Cancellation of Endurance Competition at FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018

Tryon2018

By: WEG Admin
Sep 12, 2018 - 6:00 PM

Cancellation of Endurance Competition at FEI World Equestrian Games™ Tryon 2018

The remainder of today’s Endurance competition has been cancelled due to a potentially dangerously high combination of heat and humidity, and the conditions out on the trail following heavy rain this afternoon. The decision to cancel, which is in accordance with FEI General Regulations, Article 109.12 was unanimous between the President of the Ground Jury, Technical Delegate and President of the Veterinary Commission, and the Organising Committee.

The decision is also in line with the FEI Code of Conduct for the Welfare of the Horse, which states: c) Extreme weather: Competitions must not take place in extreme weather conditions that may compromise welfare or safety of the horse.

“This was a difficult decision to make, but it was done with horse and athlete welfare in mind as the conditions this afternoon after the rain resulted in extremely high levels of humidity and, combined with rising heat, it was deemed unsafe to continue the ride”, President of the Veterinary Commission Thomas Timmons said.

British scientist Dr David Marlin, who has been working on heat and humidity studies for the FEI since the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games, provided the Ground Jury with data from the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) index which showed a reading of 31. Anything over 25 is monitored very closely, and the officials agreed unanimously that 31 presented an unacceptable risk to horse welfare.

In addition, following this morning’s false start, the FEI has tasked the independent Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU), which is onsite here at Tryon, to do a full investigation into the circumstances that resulted in some horse/athlete combinations being misdirected. The investigation will include interviews with the officials, volunteers, Organising Committee and all other relevant personnel to provide a full picture of what happened.

The findings will be presented to the FEI Bureau and the conclusions will then be made public.

WEG Endurance off to worst possible start – a restart!

Horseandponymag.com - Full Article

The New Zealanders are safely through the first leg of the endurance competition but it counts for nought now, as the race will be restarted as a 120km competition.

By Jane Thompson - September 13, 2018

The Endurance competition has had the worst possible start at the 2018 World Equestrian Games when there was so much confusion at the start and during the first leg of the competition, that the race will be restarted later today (estimated to be between 11 and 11.15am here).

The official release states:

“As some teams were unfortunately misdirected at the start of today’s Endurance ride, the competition will be stopped at the first vet gate and re-started as a 120-kilometre championship. In order to ensure that all horses are fit to compete, they will all go through the vet check. Only horses who have passed the vet check will be allowed to compete. No substitution of horses will be allowed...

Read more here:
http://horseandponymag.com/2018/09/13/endurance-off-to-worst-possible-start-a-restart/