Lorien Stable & Services ([info]lorienstable) wrote,
@ 2008-04-27 01:44:00
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Okay, that's it. Unless something *huge* changes, I won't risk my horses in eventing.
http://www.rk3de.org/
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Press Statement #2

Frodo Baggins and Laine Ashker fell at fence 5. Ashker sustained injuries but was conscious, talking and able to move all extremities when she was transported to the University of Kentucky Hospital. She is currently under the care of the emergency and trauma services staff.

Frodo Baggins was immediately attended by a team of veterinarians. He was given intravenous fluids and supportive medications for shock and pain. After he was stabilized, he was sedated and transported by horse ambulance to nearby Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, where he was immediately attended by emergency personnel.

Further tests showed that Frodo Baggins had sustained a fracture at the base of his skull, as well as severe lung injury. As the prognosis was very poor, a representative of the family concurred that euthanasia was the most humane option for the horse. A complete necropsy examination will be performed. Everyone at the event is saddened by the loss of this brave horse.

Equestrian Events, Inc.

Laine Ashker and Frodo Baggins were short listed for the next Olympics. Laine Ashker herself had multiple fractures and punctured and collapsed lungs, was airlifted out.

Last weekend, Karen Rodgers in Ireland died at a one day event.

First weekend of April, Franz Graf in Austria had a rotational fall at a table and died.

At Red Hills (FL) last month, Darren Chiacchia was badly injured (head injury, broken ribs, punctured lung, fractured hand) and two horses died (pulmonary hemorrhage). Darren Chiacchia has competed internationally for the US multiple times, including Olympics, is highly respected and very experienced.

At the Florida Horse Park last November, a rider and her horse died as a result of a fall (Eleanor Brennan and Mister Barnabus).

At Jersey Fresh in June 2007, Laine Ashker's horse Eight St. James Street dropped dead after completing the cross country course (apparently quite well). That's the same rider who was injured and lost a horse today.

Last year at Rolex (April 2007), a horse died (euthanized after injury); a week later at Badminton (UK), two horses died: one heart, one injury.

March 2007 at Poplar Place (GA), Ralph Hill (very, very experienced and respected rider) had a fall with a head injury and a compound fracture, still (April 2008) not able to work as a pro rider/trainer.

At the Florida Horse Park Feb 2007, Amanda Bader suffered a head injury, died without regaining consciousness.

In all 9 riders died in 2007, in the US, UK, France, and Germany, one in Sweden and one at the Asian Games.

Something is very, very wrong.

I took Katherine and Duchess from raw OTTB's and got each to her first horse trial in 2002. Then my back started giving me trouble, but I kept hoping they and I would get back to competition. While I was unable to compete, I did a lot of volunteering at events; for a while it was energizing and inspiring to attend and see horses perform. Lately, it has been frightful; I still see horses perform and am inspired to go ride mine, but I don't want to do THAT. I was fortunately not at the Florida Horse Park on the days that the two riders died, and I am glad I didn't see the falls, but I have seen so many near misses there.

When I had back surgery in 2005, I bred the girls; they might be getting too old to make it as high as I hoped in competition, but they're excellent horses and I wanted to take their babies to competition. I had big, big hopes for Firefly. She's amazing.

I'm not subjecting her to this level of danger.

Something is terribly wrong. *Good* riders and *good* horses are dying. Too many of them. If it could be argued that these are people. horses, pairs who were unprepared for the level of competition, not up to the challenge, then it would be less terrifying. But these, these are not inexperienced competitors. The great majority of them had competed previously at the same or higher levels; many of these are professionals.

Tried to add this last night right after I posted, but it didn't go through:
Oh, hell. Edit to add:
Jean Teulère (set to ride Espoir de la Mare in the 2008 Olympics) lost his 2012 Olympic prospect today. "Lupin of Tanues was euthanized after falling Saturday at the Cross-country. "

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[info]fenrah
2008-04-27 05:55 am UTC (link)
Wow. Is it something that's on the rise? Or a problem that you've just noticed? Are the events being badly run? I know little of horses and nothing of horse events, but the veterinarian I worked for in college was a young woman recovering (over several years) from a near-fatal head injury sustained by a fall from a horse. She was not an inexperienced rider. She'd hoped to be a horse vet, but changed her emphasis in vet school to small animals, because she saw that none of the horse vets had any time for their own horses.

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[info]lorienstable
2008-04-27 01:21 pm UTC (link)
This is something that is getting worse.

Eventing takes place over three days. The endurance day used to be composed of four phases: "roads and tracks," (a timed distance, trotting/cantering speed), a short run over a steeplechase track, another roads and tracks at walking/trotting speed, then a 10-minute hold and a vet check, before a run over a 4-ish mile course where the horse was expected to gallop a reasonable speed and take a bunch of jumps "out of stride" (without having to slow down and collect himself unduly).

After China won the Olympics, they said, "Oh, by the way, we don't have room for Roads and Tracks. We're not going to have Eventing at our Olympics." In order to stay in the Olympics, they developed a "Short Format," where there is no roads and tracks, the cross country jumping phase is shorter overall, and the jumps are much more technical. There are the same number of jumps, but the distance is shorter, and each jump is much, much more of an effort than it used to be. The horses now have to slow way down, get a very tight/balanced canter, and just put a huge amount of energy and concentration into making it safely over each jump. So instead of a long, flowing course, there is now a "run like hell"--"pull up"--"jump jump jump"--run like hell" course.

Because this is the new standard for the Olympics--and because it uses much less space--almost all of the major competitions went over to the short format as soon as it was developed. "It'll be easier on the horses" (research says they are just as hard). "We'll be able to compete our horses more often ,since each competition is easier on the horses" (since each competition is not easier on the horse, this shouldn't be the case--but they are competing the horses more often, not giving them time to rest between competitions, and I think it's contributing).

In addition to the rough time the horses have running like hell and then getting yanked up constantly (changing speed is more exhausting than running at a set speed), that amount of focus it takes to get over these jumps is *exhausting*. We can build physical stamina, but I don't think the sport has any built-in way to develop stronger mental stamina. The horse who died at Rolex last year died partly as a result of a misjudgment on the part of both horse and rider late in the course; I think riders and horses are just too mentally fatigued to make rational judgments after that much strain.

The new standards for upper level competition, with this "easier" way to compete, are killing our riders and our horses. This is insane.

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[info]fenrah
2008-04-27 04:48 pm UTC (link)
A very cogent explanation. Goodness. Have you considered sending it into an equestrian magazine? (Or are people already saying stuff like this, but nothing changes?)

I'm having mental imagines of people playing games with horses to build their mental stamina. :-s

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[info]ladygzb
2008-04-27 06:12 pm UTC (link)
People are saying it. The US Eventing Association and the US Equestrian Federation (oversees all the individual sport associations) are denying it. They're trying to tell us that there are increased accidents as a result of an increase in number of starters--but their math isn't right, and their ratio of serious injury/death to number of starters would get just about any other sport run off the planet.

Part of the current problem is that Big Name Trainers are *benefiting* from competing more horses more often, as the Short Format "allows" them to do (snort). Part of the current problem is that most of the people in charge are the ones who pushed heavily for adoption of the Short Format, and either aren't willing to admit they were wrong, or honestly don't believe they were wrong. Part of the current problem is that there's just no feasible way to return to the long format now, since all the venues have adapted to the short format and lost their roads and tracks/steeplechase land.

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[info]ldy_shadow
2008-04-27 02:37 pm UTC (link)
I have to say, I'm relieved to hear you vow not to compete. When I met you, I decided eventing was something I should learn about and began following it with the same interest I follow other equestrian sports.

When they changed the format so drastically (and so quickly! No transitioning, just BOOM! and it was done,) I worried to myself for your safety and the safety of the girls. Good to know that I worried for nothing.

Wow, just re-read this, and it sounds kinda demeaning. I don't in any way think you'd put your horses in harm knowingly.

Do you know what I mean? Sorry. Not nearly enough sleep.

Glad you're going to stay safe.

Shutting up now.

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[info]ladygzb
2008-04-28 06:36 pm UTC (link)
I do know what you mean. I have been worried, been hopeful, been worried, been hopeful, been worried. I was holding out for some reform back to a format that might actually be possible to run, instead of one that punishes the horses and has become less safe. I'm done hoping, now; unless major reforms happen, I am not going back.

There are schooling horse trials at lower levels; we can do that. But we're not going to recognized events, I won't be a member of the USEA, I won't support eventing to anyone who claims it's abusive to horses. I think I will no longer volunteer. I don't want to be one of the witnesses when the next fatality happens at the Florida Horse Park. I definitely don't want to be in a position of responsibility in any way, and the jump judge at a fence when there is a fall has a lot of immediate responsibility, before the EMT personnel arrive.

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[info]mare_in_flames
2008-04-27 05:59 pm UTC (link)
There isn't enough money, hay or dick in the world to get me to take up eventing.

I would consider CT though. It depends where they had the jumps set up, and if they were solid. Many CTs around here, the jumps are basically a course, sometimes on a grassy slope but a regular jump course. I would do one or two of those for fun and exercise.

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[info]ladygzb
2008-04-27 10:35 pm UTC (link)
Running cross country is one of the most exhilarating, most free and beautiful feelings in the world. At least, when it's technically POSSIBLE to run the course, and the whole course isn't designed as a punishment for the horse. It seems they're not making them doable anymore.

We may have to take up foxhunting.

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