Legends of show jumping gather once a year to reminisce and induct new members into their ranks. This year, two course designers were added to the Hall during a dinner in Wellington. What they had to say was really interesting–remember, this is our heritage and the foundation on which today’s sport is built.
Click on this link to read the story.
Captain Canada has a new role, serving as chef d’equipe of his country’s show jumping team. He’s off to a great start, winning the $150,000 4-star Nations Cup at the Winter Equestrian Festival last weekend with a team eager to take the trophy for him.
I spent some time with him getting insights about the job and how he’ll handle it. Want to know more? Click on this link.
How do you know when someone has suffered a concussion in connection with their involvement with horses? That often is a tough question.
British Equestrian has released unified concussion guidelines for the equestrian industry. The six-page guidance document is geared to help participants not only recognize when a concussion has occurred, but also to know what actions to take in the immediate aftermath and during recovery.
The guidelines have been produced in response to the action plan published by the government of the United Kingdom in December 2021 to address concussion in sport to help reduce risks and potential long-term effects associated with head injuries.
The launch is the first initiative in a campaign that will run throughout 2023 to raise awareness of traumatic brain injury (concussion) and its severity, and education on how to spot the signs and general management. Further resources will be available in the coming months via a planned hub on the British Equestrian website and through the federation’s member bodies.
Sports across the United Kingdom pledged unified support of the plan and, as part of British Equestrian’s commitment to the welfare of participants at all levels, the federation has produced equestrian-specific advice, developed by its World Class Programme Human Sports Science and Medicine team.
Chief Executive Jim Eyre commented; “Concussion in sport has hit the headlines in recent times and we’re increasingly aware of the devastating, lasting impact it can have. As highlighted in the Government action plan, all who regulate and work in sport have a collective duty to come together to safeguard the health of our participants. As such, I’m delighted we’ve produced this guidance, which is as relevant to those in elite equestrian sport as it those interacting with horses for the first time.”
Aimed at participants at all levels of equestrian sport, including riders, vaulters and drivers; parents, coaches, officials, grooms, medical personnel and event organisers, the guidance document provides information to manage concussion. It is geared to help from the time of injury through to a safe return to equestrian sport. This includes the stages of recovery following concussion and a standardized ‘return to riding’ program, both of which should be carried out in conjunction with advice from a qualified medical practitioner or healthcare provider. Links to further help and resources are also listed.
The BE website can be reached at https://www.britishequestrian.org.uk
“Our member bodies have been really engaged in this work and are committed to the responsible management of concussions,” continued Jim. “Anyone in the equestrian industry is welcome to download the guidance from our website and adopt it as their own, so we all take a responsibility for our participants and their long-term wellbeing.“
Talk about closing the barn door after the horse is gone…
In the wake of a horse abuse scandal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, the International Modern Pentathlon Union is working toward a “successful” show jumping phase at next year’s Olympics in Paris before riding is replaced in that sport for the 2028 Games.
Union members promised, after setting up “a riding review panel,” that they have a “full commitment” to making sure horse selection, course design and athlete performances are done properly as riding makes its last appearance in the sport in 2024. Why wasn’t this done years ago? There were always some not-so-pretty pictures from the riding portion of pentathlon over the years.
But the sport had its profile raised in a negative way that made headlines around the world when a German coach at the Tokyo Olympics punched a horse that had refused a jump with a rider who was leading the competition to that point. The publicity reflected negatively on all horse sports, with many critics not understanding the difference between pentathlon and the Olympic disciplines of show jumping, eventing and dressage, where riders are highly skilled and have spent years (rather than minutes) with their horses.
The bad publicity is a big concern, as “social license” to operate takes on more importance while horse sport deals with the necessity of public approval for what it does.
Pentathlon riding camps geared to sharpening participants’ skills will be staged prior to the Paris Games. That is where the equestrian discipline will be held for the final time before being dropped in favor of having participants negotiate an obstacle course on foot in future compeittions.
Qualification for the Games will be closely monitored to insure capability of those who compete in the riding phase during the Olympics. In Paris, the pentathlon has been revised to run in 90 minutes with riding and its other components: shooting, running, swimming and fencing.
Although many athletes objected, the Union’s Congress in 2021 approved a proposal to remove riding. The Union’s leaders were criticized for lack of transparency.
While modern pentathlon has been a part of the Games since1912, it is not yet on the schedule of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, despite plans to drop riding from the format.
More attention always should have been paid to the riding aspect, where participants had to deal with the luck of the draw in the horses they rode in the segment. The fences also were too high for athletes who were not specialists in riding.
Last year’s inaugural Dressage at Devon Masterclass with Sabine Schut-Kery will have an encore this fall with the world’s number two-ranked rider, Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour of Denmark.
The session on Thursday evening Sept. 28 will include an assortment of riders with horses at various stages of training. Early bird pricing is available now, along with tickets for the rest o the show. Click this link to buy.
