Tim Price, who won the MARS Maryland 5-star at Fair Hill last weekend on Coup de Couer Dudevin, has received a recorded warning from the FEI (international equestrian federation) for “abuse of horse/misuse of whip”
Asked about the situation, Tim stated, “After the penultimate and before the last cross- country fence, I ‘brushed’ my horse with the whip. It was not deemed abuse of the horse by the officials. I was merely using the whip as an enthusiasm aid to encourage him to stay up and gallop.”
He added, “My round was a very smooth round, with my horse’s enjoyment and confidence kept as paramount at all times. Anyone who watches the round I’m sure will agree.”
The penalty for three recorded warnings in two years is a two-month suspension.
Tim Price and Coup de Couer Dudevin. (Photo © 2022 by Lawrence J. Nagy)
Other riders cited by the FEI in the Maryland 5-star include Woods Baughman, who finished twentieth on C’est la Vie 135, and Buck Davidson, twelfth on Carlevo.
Woods got a “yellow warning card/serious case of dangerous riding” and a recorded warning for “abuse of horse/misuse of whip.” He did not respond to a request for comment.
Buck got a yellow warning card for “abuse of horse/blood on the horse-severe bit rubs both sides of mouth.”
Buck said he accepted the decision and is “thankful my horse is healthy and happy in (his) paddock in Florida.”
Two yellow warning cards in a year bring a two-month suspension.