Ballindenisk- What on earth went on?

FigJam

FigJam

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Just spotted a story on the breaking news page of eventriders.com about this event, just wondering what on earth caused all this upset? Can't just have been ground conditions surely? Must've been pretty bad if it was just that.
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Eventing Ireland has today announced that is both concerned and disturbed at the high level of withdrawals from all classes before the cross country phase in the Irish Horse Board Ballindenisk International Horse Trials.
With only 9 combinations opting to complete the CIC***-W class from more than 30 dressage scores registered, there is an obvious need for appropriate follow-up and investigation in a timely manner. Furthermore, Eventing Ireland is sure that the Fell family, who have invested so much into the sport down the years will cooperate fully with whatever investigation might result into this unfortunate circumstance.
However, as the event is run under the auspices of the FEI rather than Eventing Ireland, the reports from the Technical Delegate and Ground Juries will be submitted to FEI headquarters, rather than to the National Governing Body for the sport in Ireland.
As an organisation, it is most upsetting that one of our international events has ended in such controversial circumstances. Eventing Ireland has come a long way in the past 2 years and the organisation is determined to make sure that any issues that arose over the weekend are dealt with appropriately and that any learnings from the experience are taken on board immediately. Eventing Ireland will be requesting the FEI (through the EFI) to provide us with copies of all relevant correspondence in as short a timescale as possible to enable us to conduct our own internal investigation.
Meanwhile, Ireland’s international eventing program moves north of the border next weekend to Ballygraffan, home of June & Jim Burgess, where the combination of rain forecast during the week and specialised ground conditioning equipment will guarantee good footing.
 
That's what I thought when I read just hjow many people withdrew from all classes, not just the big one/s. Puzzling.

Maybe there'll be someone on here with some inside info to satisfy our curiosity! Seems a shame for the competitors/spectators.
 
This was Grania Willis's article in yesterday's Irish Times:

Ireland’s only eventing World Cup qualifier is in serious jeopardy after massive withdrawals from the cross-country phase at Ballindenisk in Co Cork on Sunday [22nd April 2007]sparked calls for an investigation into the ground conditions.

Eventing Ireland, the national governing body for the sport, sent out a press statement yesterday morning [Monday 23rd April 2007] expressing concern at the level of withdrawals and promising an internal investigation into the circumstances that resulted in just nine of 32 starters in the World Cup class running across country. “It is most upsetting that one of our international events has ended in such controversial circumstances”, the statement declared. “There is an obvious need for an appropriate follow-up.”

Eventing Ireland are to request sighting of official reports that will be filed to the FEI within the next two weeks and will then hold their own internal investigation. Carin Norinder, director of the FEI’s eventing and Olympic department in Lausaane, said yesterday she was taking the matter very seriously. Norinder said: “We will have to review all the different elements and see where we go from there, but if there is a problem we would have to consider cancelling the World Cup qualifier at Ballindenisk. All the World Cup qualifiers have to be of a certain standard and we are going to take a much stronger standpoint on qulaifiers in the future”, she told the Irish Times yesterday [Monday 23rd April 2007].

The World Cup qualifier was not the only competition hit by withdrawals at Ballindenisk over the weekend [Saturday 21st and Sunday 22nd April 2007]. In total, 62 of 157 horses that started the four classes did not run cross country. Eddy Stibbe, due to ride for the Dutch Antilles but who pulled out because of injury, is expected to write a formal letter of complaint about the ground conditions to the FEI.

The Eventing Ireland statement itself has caused controversy, with some members of the society’s board of directors expressing their concern that it was issued without the approval of the full board. It is known that Eventing Ireland chairman Neil Morris contacted chief executive Brian Mangan to discuss the matter and Eventing Ireland president Lord Carew was also informed before the statement being sent to the media.

“We worked night and day trying to improve the ground”, event director Joyce Fell said yesterday, “but have we ever had five weeks of no rain in April? And a lot of the riders withdrew because they’re heading to Badminton.” Fell reported that world and European champion Zara Phillips, who finished fifth in the Balindenisk World Cup qualifier, had made no complaints about the footing. And Heidi Woodhead, who won the feature Irish Horse Board-sponsored class with her 12 year old horse, The Biz, was another rider didn’t feel there was a problem with the footing.

“Yes it was firm ground, but they worked through the night with aerovator”, Woodhead said after her €10,000 victory. “A lot of people pulled their horses out, but that was their own decision.” Stephanie von Schilcher, one of the ground jury judging at Ballindenisk was sympathetic to the organisers. “It’s a good idea to have an investigation, but let’s not forget that the Fells have a farming operation going as well”, she said. “For people like the Fells, there is life apart from eventing.”
 
Thanks for that. Glad it's nothing more sinister than the ground conditions by the sounds of it. It does sound like the organisers tried their best with the aerovator and we have had a ridiculously hot/dry March and April.

Combine that with a lot of the combinations in the bigger class saving their horses for Badminton or later events in the season, I guess it's just a bit of bad luck for the organisers.
 
Sounds really odd as am sure the ground in Ireland must be slightly better than over here.

But well Done to Heidi for winning, so pleased for her after having to be out all season with a broken leg. She is never going to live that one down! Win number 2 for her this year on the Biz.
 
I've been keeping an eye on the weather in Ireland ( lol how sad do I sound! ) as going over this weekend, they appeared to have a lot rain than us over the last few weeks !
 
I've just spotted the article on the H&H website - Oli Townend had a fall in the CIC** and ended up in hospital which explains why a lot of his horses were withdrawn !
 
POggiO - We've had no rain to speak of - well not by Irish standards at least. There was all sorts forecast for this week but it hasnt really happened as yet apart from the odd shower (at least not in Co. Dublin). Enjoy your weekend - Saturday is supposed to be sunny and nice!
 
ooo glad to hear it !!
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cant wait

according to the forecast it looked like you had a fair bit more than us, but we all know how reliable weather forecasts are !
 
I think they got heavier rain in the south than we did - too late for Ballindenisk but hopefully the rest of the season has better conditions - particularly with Punchestown coming up next month. The big race meeting in Punchestown is on this week and they've been watering the track all week to ensure ground conditions are safe.
 
well said and though i ear several riders whined like mad the ground was no better here. i think its because it ws a long way to o and most people went expecting good ground or softer because thats the norm and then whipped themselves into a frenzy over not much. i am told it was no worse than burnham market by someone who wwent to both.
 
It's good to hear that lucretia. I had wondered how the ground could possibly be as horrendous as all that when the Fells have their own aerovator, and were using it to the max on the XC courses.
Last June there was a lot of comment on the hard ground at Bramham (had they only aerovated part of the course or something like that), after the freakishly dry weather in May/June, but most of the competitors still ran.
Hope it's all sorted out soon (enquiries or whatever) and we don't loose our World Cup qualifier.
Fiona
 
My friend withdrew her horse because she said the ground was unbelievably hard, they should've done a lot more to help with the ground conditions, but obviously no one can change the dry weather we had for a few weeks. Hopefully Ballygraffan won't be as disappointing.
 
And the Gurteen Organisers for the April 29th event said -
" The organisers of Gurteen Event would like to advise everyone that if the present dry weather continues they will be rotovating the ground to prevent it from becoming too hard "
 
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