A little update from Belgium ;-).

T

tigers_eye

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I've done an update on my news page, not so much because I've been doing much, but mainly so nobody started fearing me MIA!

http://madsen-equestrian.weebly.com/news.html

There's some positive spin on William's opinion of that dressage test, I must admit we felt very small warming up with some serious dressage horses at that place, and the GP was warming up at the same time :eek:.

On a recommendation I used a lady who is a vet, chiro, and acupuncturist, and she was very gentle with him, found a lot wrong, but the strangest bit was W's reaction after 5 mins of enjoying the acupuncture he started throwing himself about rather violently and trying to bite the needles out!!!

Meanwhile Missy is back in work and has been putting my stickability to every test she can think of. I can confirm she's probably the most athletic horse I've ever sat on :rolleyes:.

The nationality change is dead in the water as far as London 2012 is concerned, and frankly the way the whole system has been like treacle, so I will probably carry on ploughing my sometimes lonely furrow as a Brit abroad ;). No pics, sorry, our big camera is dead and the little one is not up to much.
 
Glad everything is ticking along nicely :) Shame about the nationality change.. A friend was going through the same and had a very similar experience :(
 
Oh bum - I rather fancied showing off about my HHO/FB friend who's at the Olympics. Flamin' bureaucracy :rolleyes:. I hope you have a new camera on your Christmas list - we need pics :mad:.

How strange about the acupuncture. I've never had it but maybe it felt uncomfortable when it started to work - had the lady seen such a thing happen before?
 
I know, it's unbelievable isn't it?! William and I will probably be on walking sticks by the time it's sorted :rolleyes:.

Re RF - She said yes, she's seen it in horses with low tolerance levels - think that sums up W nicely!
 
That's unreal! How can it possibly take so long? Without meaning to play down your obvious ability, I find it hard to believe that if you were knocking on the door of a medal the Belgian olympic federation would allow it to take so long!
 
That's so dissapointing and frustrating about the nationality change! :-( but maybe you could get to some euro champs ?
Good to hear that William and Missy are well!
 
to be fair, the fact you suddenly decide to change nationality because its easier to get on the belgium team is a bit rich, so I can see why they don't fast track it. The olympics is for the best riders.
 
SusieT once again I'm left flabagasted at one of your posts!!!!!

TE sorry to hear about the change and how strange about W never thought about accupuncture before on a horse either
 
SusieT said:
to be fair, the fact you suddenly decide to change nationality because its easier to get on the belgium team is a bit rich, so I can see why they don't fast track it. The olympics is for the best riders.
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Err, subtle as a brick, Susie T.:mad: Call me old fashioned but really, there's no need to be downright rude, particularly as T_E has always been more than respectful, thoughtful and helpful in her dealings with anyone else on HHO. Regardless of that, it is hardly as if it's that simple to get on the Belgian team as merely applying for citizenship, or any Olympic team for that matter, as I'm sure T_E is well aware? :eek::confused: And T_E would hardly be the first person to have ever considered the opportunities that changing/joint nationality would offer - I'm thinking Matt Ryan, Lucinda Fredericks, Lucy Thompson et al.
 
I would just ignore suzieT.. Totally unnecessary comment and pretty damned unjust. If only it was as easy as International Velvet (and SuzieT) would have you believe... ;)
 
SusieT said:
to be fair, the fact you suddenly decide to change nationality because its easier to get on the belgium team is a bit rich, so I can see why they don't fast track it. The olympics is for the best riders.
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There is a LOT of precedent in all sorts of sports and equestrianism is no exception. There have even been some high profile cases where people have changed and then changed back. I know someone who "discovered" a grandparent of another nationality and went to the Olympics on the back of that as she would not likely have made the team in her nation of birth.

Questions of nationality/citizenship are very capricious and the rules seem to change all the time. Even in the UK - only very lately one of the last nations to grant citizenship only through the father rather than the mother or both parents - the rules have changed considerably and there are definitely people who have it easier for various reasons.

The only point people are trying to make is that t_e is dotting the i's and crossing the t's and to not have a hearing for as much as two years seems an insane and unnecessary delay, especially as she's already resident. I agree, there shouldn't be favouritism but I doubt sport is the most obvious source of that.

Anyway, it has nothing to do with keeping it for the "best" riders. To be blunt, there have been and will be many riders at the Olympics who would NEVER get there if they were trying for one of the leading teams - it's a numbers game, not necessarily relevant to relative ability.
 
Baydale said:
Err, subtle as a brick, Susie T.:mad: Call me old fashioned but really, there's no need to be downright rude, particularly as T_E has always been more than respectful, thoughtful and helpful in her dealings with anyone else on HHO. Regardless of that, it is hardly as if it's that simple to get on the Belgian team as merely applying for citizenship, or any Olympic team for that matter, as I'm sure T_E is well aware? :eek::confused: And T_E would hardly be the first person to have ever considered the opportunities that changing/joint nationality would offer - I'm thinking Matt Ryan, Lucinda Fredericks, Lucy Thompson et al.
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Just what I was thinking!!
 
A snide, unpleasant, rude comment from SusieT, surely not? It seems so unlike her...she has no track record of being unnecessarily vile does she?? :confused:
 
Interesting, we chose to apply for Belgian nationality seeing as I've spent more than half my life here, speak both languages fluently, and have been a tax-payer (as have my parents) here longer than in the UK! My request for Belgian nationality has been based on this, and was turned down due to not having 7 unbroken years of residency up to the present date, and we are assured that on appeal it will go straight through due to the 11 years unbroken residency I have earlier in life ;). Box tickers eh?! It felt more "right" than applying for Danish nationality, to which the only connection I have is my husband's passport.

As for it being for the best riders, surely my qualifying results are as valid as anybody else's, I don't see how that is relevant.
 
Missed this post earlier :o

I think Williams reaction to acupuncture is perfectly normal and sensible! He is obviously absolutely petrified of needles, like me, and when into shock breifly at the onslaught you were inflicitng on him before the bravery that makes him great XC came to the fore and he fought the evil evil things off! ;)

Very sorry to hear that Beauracrcy means that your wont be flying the flag for HHO sorry Belgium in London 2012. Do you think a 'please hurry up' letter from all of us would help? Or maybe we could form a country with you as its main citizen? :) ....hmm wonder what the legal precedent on that one is....

Missy is just being helpful - keeping you in practice for any sticky moments you might have XC next season! Glad her leg is better and staying better!

SusieT - wow you out did your self this time :mad:
 
On a slight tangent.....i see Azerbaijan has a few new members of its' showjumping team.....Patrick McEntee, Franceso Franco......and isn't Ukraine made up of several Germans and an Italian ???
 
tigers_eye said:
Interesting, we chose to apply for Belgian nationality seeing as I've spent more than half my life here, speak both languages fluently, and have been a tax-payer (as have my parents) here longer than in the UK! My request for Belgian nationality has been based on this, and was turned down due to not having 7 unbroken years of residency up to the present date, and we are assured that on appeal it will go straight through due to the 11 years unbroken residency I have earlier in life ;). Box tickers eh?! It felt more "right" than applying for Danish nationality, to which the only connection I have is my husband's passport.

As for it being for the best riders, surely my qualifying results are as valid as anybody else's, I don't see how that is relevant.
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I had missed SusieT's comment until now but yes your situation is majorly different to those that are known for country swapping for teams. The only reason your residency was broken in the first place was to come to uni wasn't it?
 
Patrick McEntee (who is, I believe, of Irish extraction) rode for Belgium until they had a rather major disagreement over the programme of competitions for his best horse, and he decided to ride for Azerbaijan. Why he picked that country I'm not quite sure!

The Ukranian show-jumping team consisting of two Belgians (Stanny Van Paeshaen (sp), and Gregory Wathelet) and two Germans (one of which is Katherina Offel, ) that won team bronze at WEG 2006 was the reason the FEI started being a lot stricter about nationality hopping.

The Dutch eventing team acquired Raf Kooremans a couple of years ago after he married his Dutch girlfriend, although they still live in Belgium, and they've now had their YR ranks bolstered by Althea Bleekman taking her dad's nationality.
 
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