blackhor2e
Well-Known Member
If you can imagine, the run up to Bramham (our first three star) could be slightly stressful, then you would be right!
There I was last week, unwittingly keeping to a seemingly perfect prep timetable with a distinctly calm feeling. Then the wheels fall off, and I get an email from the BE office.
'Do you know your horse hasn't got an FEI passport?'
Yes, I fully well know this fact I said, he doesn't need one unless we compete abroad (could I not of been more mistaken)!
Well. Said the BE office. You need one to compete 3* and above. What!!?? How come my 4* trainer didn't tell me (he assumed I knew) How could I know? I've never been at this level before! Ok, I don't read ALL the rules in the rule book, but I like to think I'm fairly knowledgable in regards to the rules and eccentricities of BE and the FEI by now.
Don't worry said the BE office, if it makes you feel any better we had to do two emergency passports for competitors at Badminton this year (this slightly softened the blow) but I don't know how they didn't have an FEI passport to get past 3* unless they expired?
So I duly sent the passport special delivery on Wednesday, and (stalked)tracked its delivery to BE on Thursday morning. I took Uno to the gallops that day for his last piece of interval training, so contacted BE in the afternoon to check everything was ok.
This is how the conversation went -
BE :You sent it? Me: Yes
BE: When? Me: yesterday, like I said I would
BE:We received it? Me: Yes, you have...I put FAO, the address on the front and back and 'so and so' signed for it.
BE: We will go and look, no not here....Me: (list an amount of expletives as you wish)
Needless to say I had a sleepless night....would I go to Bramham? could I? Is this a sign I shouldn't go? Thinking about HottoTrot's monkey here!
This saga continued until today when finally the passport was found, luckily I have a scanned copy of it on my computer from when I bought him, but no up to date vaccinations so that wouldn't of been much use.
Another lesson today was that my horses BE name is not the exact name on his passport. So unless I want to part with £900 I have to use the 'plain' name on his passport. Since I would rather or need to spend £900 on training, livery or a holiday (there's a thought) I decided the plain name would do just fine.
So we aren't at Bramham yet, and we aren't finished with issues with the passport (microchip no. Not stamped) but the stress has obviously just hit. This was rather a vent than a post but I would just like to say the BE office have been at their finest in the last few days, despite loosing the passport, they have been fantastic in communication and they even gave me a discount for the inconvenience caused, although maybe they didn't need to as I saved money by not eating enough through the stress.
So just in case you were thinking of doing a 3* or even eventing - you need an FEI passport for 3* and above, the competing name has to be the same as the horse's passport name (unless you want to spend £900) and always, always make a copy of a horse passport!
Here's a pic of the little one himself after our gallop at Kelsall, love that face.
There I was last week, unwittingly keeping to a seemingly perfect prep timetable with a distinctly calm feeling. Then the wheels fall off, and I get an email from the BE office.
'Do you know your horse hasn't got an FEI passport?'
Yes, I fully well know this fact I said, he doesn't need one unless we compete abroad (could I not of been more mistaken)!
Well. Said the BE office. You need one to compete 3* and above. What!!?? How come my 4* trainer didn't tell me (he assumed I knew) How could I know? I've never been at this level before! Ok, I don't read ALL the rules in the rule book, but I like to think I'm fairly knowledgable in regards to the rules and eccentricities of BE and the FEI by now.
Don't worry said the BE office, if it makes you feel any better we had to do two emergency passports for competitors at Badminton this year (this slightly softened the blow) but I don't know how they didn't have an FEI passport to get past 3* unless they expired?
So I duly sent the passport special delivery on Wednesday, and (stalked)tracked its delivery to BE on Thursday morning. I took Uno to the gallops that day for his last piece of interval training, so contacted BE in the afternoon to check everything was ok.
This is how the conversation went -
BE :You sent it? Me: Yes
BE: When? Me: yesterday, like I said I would
BE:We received it? Me: Yes, you have...I put FAO, the address on the front and back and 'so and so' signed for it.
BE: We will go and look, no not here....Me: (list an amount of expletives as you wish)
Needless to say I had a sleepless night....would I go to Bramham? could I? Is this a sign I shouldn't go? Thinking about HottoTrot's monkey here!
This saga continued until today when finally the passport was found, luckily I have a scanned copy of it on my computer from when I bought him, but no up to date vaccinations so that wouldn't of been much use.
Another lesson today was that my horses BE name is not the exact name on his passport. So unless I want to part with £900 I have to use the 'plain' name on his passport. Since I would rather or need to spend £900 on training, livery or a holiday (there's a thought) I decided the plain name would do just fine.
So we aren't at Bramham yet, and we aren't finished with issues with the passport (microchip no. Not stamped) but the stress has obviously just hit. This was rather a vent than a post but I would just like to say the BE office have been at their finest in the last few days, despite loosing the passport, they have been fantastic in communication and they even gave me a discount for the inconvenience caused, although maybe they didn't need to as I saved money by not eating enough through the stress.
So just in case you were thinking of doing a 3* or even eventing - you need an FEI passport for 3* and above, the competing name has to be the same as the horse's passport name (unless you want to spend £900) and always, always make a copy of a horse passport!
Here's a pic of the little one himself after our gallop at Kelsall, love that face.
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