Endurance GB Votes to Accept Funding form Sheik Mohammads Meyden

Not necessarily I work for a charity and we have had lots of companies and individuals wanting to provide sponsorship, including one company who wanted to give us 2 million but we have had to turn down all offers as we have yet to find any company or person without any skeletons in the closet.

There were people who felt that the 2 million pounds could do a lot to help others but in the end the trustees voted against it. We actually had a bit debate about sponsorship and that even if the research shows an business or person to be clear of unethical activities it does not mean that they will be so in the future so it is very tricky.

I have always thought the endurance had good welfare because it was not just about winning but about the achievement of doing a long demanding ride in partnership with a horse. I guess the more it becomes a race with winning being so very important the more likely people are to do things that compromise horse welfare in their desperation to win.

Alec Swan said:
With the odd half-mill donation dropped in to the laps of the average charity/welfare, there wouldn't be a word said, trust me! :D

Alec.
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Let me make one very clear point, this 'sport' is not endurance. These people race to win at any cost (examples are injecting snake venom, using banned substances, switching horses during a ride, ice in anus, twitching a horses ear into vet gate, crew hitting the horse as it competes, crew vehicles following right beside horse making as much noise as possible to scare horse into going faster, using extra long reins so they can be 'whipped' either side of neck as whips are banned on final loop) to gain 'honour'. Endurance is being split in two, 'classical' where to complete is to win and 'sport' where to win at any cost. Unfortunately increasing numbers of gb riders with fei aspirations are falling into the latter camp, and happily accept handouts from group vii countries.

However, before other horse sports get holier than thou regarding money from group vii countries, how many would refuse to enter a prestigeous show because it was sponsored by a group vii country, or stop going racing, or not aim to compete at WEG because one of their companies pay for it? I don't see BEF refusing to enter top competitions because they don't like the morals of where the money has come from. BTW, did you know Royal Windsor horse show has been paid for the past 3 years by Bahrain? How many showing people would refuse to enter on account of this? It should be the entire equestrian community taking a stand, because all are tainted by this filthy lucre.

I personally have asked for all egb rides 'sponsored' by these countries to be declared, as they weren't last year. This would give riders who don't want to be associated with their money to choose not to enter. The board have been very devious regarding their money even before this deal. Transparency should be absolute, enabling each person to make their own choice, to take away the chance to make an informed choice is reprehensible given the depth of feeling they know exists in the organisation.

It is gutting BEF & EGB aren't making a statement and taking a stand on these practices, but Alec is right, money talks very loudly. If your charity is more moral, then that is great to hear. Sadly many organisations and people are cheaply bought.

It is getting to the point where the 'sport' form should be split off and taken under the flat racing banner. It is not endurance. Maybe they'd make a better job of cleaning up the sport. 'Classical' does not have the issues of numbers of horses on drips at the end, broken limbs (only ever heard of couple in uk, they were accidents), broken horses, basically any cheating or horse abuse. True endurance enthusiasts adore their horses first and foremost. The pleasure of the ride is to spend time with your horse on challenging terrain and beating the course, not another rider. No they would never enter GHS, wrong terrain, technically very tough, not fast and not a race. I strongly encourage riders to try the pleasure ride at GHS whilst you have the chance, it is a wonderful ride where despite the challenge you wont find broken horses!
 
I've left EGB for the time being until Meydan pull their sponsorship, which let's face it, they will! As soon as things don't go their own way or there is another scandal in this country, they will leave EGB high and dry like they did a few years ago. Once they are no longer sponsoring EGB then I will consider going back. It's a shame as I have a 9 y.o who has been competing for 3 years and an 18 y.o and she has been competing since she was 5 and absolutely loves it. Now I've become a happy hacker instead which is sad for me as I'm a very competitive person :-(
 
Mitchyden said:
I've left EGB for the time being until Meydan pull their sponsorship, which let's face it, they will! As soon as things don't go their own way or there is another scandal in this country, they will leave EGB high and dry like they did a few years ago. Once they are no longer sponsoring EGB then I will consider going back. It's a shame as I have a 9 y.o who has been competing for 3 years and an 18 y.o and she has been competing since she was 5 and absolutely loves it. Now I've become a happy hacker instead which is sad for me as I'm a very competitive person :-(
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That is very sad, I am surprised no one has called for change in the rules to stop the practices which we are discussing, I would assume any member has the right to put an amendment to rules on the agenda at the AGM, and even to call an EGM asking for the committee to resign due to their actions, citing loss of confidence in their integrity, and I assume there is some sort of Statement in their constitution.
PS there's TREC , which is International, and also adult games, but you might need a pony!
 
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Bonkers2 said:
That is very sad, I am surprised no one has called for change in the rules to stop the practices which we are discussing, I would assume any member has the right to put an amendment to rules on the agenda at the AGM, and even to call an EGM asking for the committee to resign due to their actions, citing loss of confidence in their integrity, and I assume there is some sort of Statement in their constitution.
PS there's TREC , which is International, and also adult games, but you might need a pony!
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I did think about TREC but I love riding the long distances ie 40-50 miles and TREC has a maximum of 25 I think and that's at the higher levels.
I'm getting married this year so I'm being kept busy with other things but I think next year it will really hit me hard. I've also got a 3y.o. rescue pony that was meant to be having a career in endurance. Hopefully another society will expand into my area or Meydan will be long gone by the time she's ready to compete.

Unfortunately, it's the FEI that are not enforcing the rules but we are all trying our hardest to get it sorted. Sadly though, money talks :-(
 
It gets to a point where you can't predict the stupidity of what they will try in order to get e rule down. Unless there is a rule specifically against it they will try anything (and happily break rules that exist as well). The current one is to put a pair of racing blinkers on, then cover the eye holes until all but a tiny hole one the bottom remains, then plug the ears with cotton wool so they are deaf as well as blind. They claim it is to keep the sand out the eyes of the crew vehicles that run alongside the horses the whole way. The rest of us see it as another devious ploy designed to quieten a horse so a novice rider can manage it, hide face markings to make switching horses less obvious. It's incredible, I mean would you compete a deaf/blind horse at any speed, let alone 25kph+ they usually go at? Even at one ride where a letter was sent out banning these blinkers, a horse was still photographed in them and no officials stopped them. They 'get away with it' because these are national, not fei rides, so the fei doesn't even say anything, it is mute on the subject. Yet another example where for horse welfare they should be taking an active stance. Bef & egb have also not issued a statement regarding their use. There is no rule about it in egb handbook (if a gb rider tried this they would be lynched before the start), so are they going to pull this trick at the euston rides or any other gb rides they ordain to enter?
 
Well that would be interesting. Perhaps a pre-emptive rule amendment or statement might be needed. I think if these blinders were used at a UK venue (and the Emirates Equestrian Fed have banned altered/amended blinkers them in their rides, though it hasn't made any difference to them being used) there would be such an outcry that it might help to force EGB to actually make a stand about things though it would be interesting to know on what grounds. Its crazy that some countries have thought of practices that are so clearly wrong that no-one has thought it necessary to 'ban' them. It just helps to show the difference in approach between traditional endurance and the desert style abomination. I don't think the Meydan deal has gone through yet though EGB also haven't announced the additional safeguarding measures promised in the wake of poor Bundy's death during the Al Reef race. It certainly is a can of worms.
 
Alec Swan said:
Excellent, and now all that we need is for the BHA to acquire a spine.

Alec.
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Good luck!

Hopefully this shameful business will be put to an end now that Haya is only an "honorary" president of the FEI..

I am not holding my breath however, as UAE money is always present and "talking" loudly.
 
EGB have withdrawn from the deal. Sense at last.

Now lets see other GB horse sports refuse to take their cash!
 
Result of recent events, including FEI actions and following discussion with BEF. Don't feel it's fair to quote the email to members, as I just don't quote personal emails without direct permission from author.
 
Oh no, wouldn't expect you to, I just wondered if they had said anything about pressure from members/recent events or just said change of plan.
 
There have been calls on the forum that it would be an appropriate time to back out of the deal, preferably before they threw (another) hissy fit and withdrew themselves. You wont be surprised at how disgusted many members are over recent events, but sadly not surprised.
 
pip6 EGB have not totally with drawn. It is all on hold at the moment. Any member of the public can read the email that was sent to the members to see what was said.

Although I did vote Yes, the resent events has put doubt into my mind. I thought that some of the deal would be an advantage to our members. I was also discussed at what I have read and seen in the recent weeks. I hoped that the Fei would do their job and yes by withdrawing the Fei rides from the calendar ios a step forward.
 
I will be renewing my membership again this year providing there is absolutely no chance of this deal going through in 2015. If there is any chance of it going through, I will not renew. I can't see as it will though as I should imagine Meydan have thrown all their toys out of their pram already!!
 
Hopefully they will have lost enough face at this rejection to kill the deal. It's dirty money tainted by horse abuse and cheating, not just in their own country by wherever they compete. Let's not forget the Marmoog (who has no been conveniently renamed on the FEI register) horse swapping scandal was in the uk. Then there was the Italien case as well (Pang). We cannot provide people to be everywhere to stop cheating, they can buy enough people to cheat.
 
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