Endurance horses dies at Euston Park

GreyMane

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Just been looking at the Gallery on the website.
Photos seem to split into
a) smiling women (on their own horses?)
b) poker faced young men who look like they could do with a good meal
What's with the dark glasses and tube scarves pulled up over riders' faces?
 

{97702}

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I've said before, the only FEI endurance ride I attended I reported a ME team (it might have been Qatar or UAE, I honestly can't remember) as one of the team could not ride, he could barely rise to the trot and they were in the longest ride of the day. I was togging so well away from anyone else and they twice passed me on that loop and his team mates were holding him on while he thumped around on this poor wee arab's back and hauled it in the mouth at every step. He wasn't just a poor rider, he was obviously scarcely a rider at all. I was told I must be mistaken!

Genuine question, why does someone who cannot ride want to compete in this sort of event? It is a status thing for them? I really don’t get it, as it must be hugely uncomfortable for the rider let alone the pain and discomfort they are inflicting on the horse ☹️
 

palo1

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Genuine question, why does someone who cannot ride want to compete in this sort of event? It is a status thing for them? I really don’t get it, as it must be hugely uncomfortable for the rider let alone the pain and discomfort they are inflicting on the horse ☹️

Well, they kind of have to I think - there is considerable status attached to riding for various teams and in certain places if a jockey is needed then just about anyone will do. :( Some of the people riding, as employees, don't have a huge amount of choice in what jobs they do. Some of those jockeys probably really want to get in to the riding element of the endurance circus for various reasons even if they are useless, others have money so can do what they like but are useless riders anyway.

As for the full face coverings, well - it isn't always helpful to have an identifiable face on show you see...
 

MotherOfChickens

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Genuine question, why does someone who cannot ride want to compete in this sort of event? It is a status thing for them? I really don’t get it, as it must be hugely uncomfortable for the rider let alone the pain and discomfort they are inflicting on the horse ☹️


he didn't look like he was having any fun-when they were propping him up I thought maybe he had been taken ill but I think he ws just extremely knackered and hurt a fair bit. I guess its for the prestige.
 

MyBoyChe

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I know nothing of the rules of endurance riding but the following come to mind...do they not have officials who red flag riders who either look as if they are hindering rather than assisting the horse or where a horse looks to be struggling, and secondly, is there an optimum time to complete a course, could penalties not be given for finishing too far off the optimum as well as over. If it is simply about the fastest finisher assuming that horse then recovers within the permitted time, could they not hand out mandatory bans for anyone whose horse finishes distressed or doesnt recover quickly enough, anyone whose horse dies as a result of the way it has been ridden gets an automatic lifetime ban. Am I being over simplistic?
 
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splashgirl45

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you would think that they could have an optimum time like we have in eventing, but it is all about the fastest finisher and it doesnt seem to matter if the horse dies, let alone if they are distressed. the fei need to put their house in order as it is disgusting behaviour that should be punished with lifetime bans or prosecuting for animal cruelty...if one of us galloped a horse till it collapsed, we would be prosecuted so why not them, i know why because money talks!!!!
 

MotherOfChickens

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I know nothing of the rules of endurance riding but the following come to mind...do they not have officials who red flag riders who either look as if they are hindering rather than assisting the horse or where a horse looks to be struggling, and secondly, is there an optimum time to complete a course, could penalties not be given for finishing too far off the optimum as well as over. If it is simply about the fastest finisher assuming that horse then recovers within the permitted time, could they not hand out mandatory bans for anyone whose horse finishes distressed or doesnt recover quickly enough, anyone whose horse dies as a result of the way it has been ridden gets an automatic lifetime ban. Am I being over simplistic?

the rules are different between national (i.e. EnduranceGB) competitions and FEI although I don't know the ins and outs. I thought you could be penalised for going too fast tbh going up the grades (talking SERC rules here which I think must be the same as GB) but could be wrong. But in FEI rides they don't need to qualify on the horse they ride which I think is completely wrong and against the ethos of the sport. I also didn't realise that if a rider withdraws they are supposed to present their horse to the vet but if they don't, they are simply disqualified. To me that should mean a ban, the horse should be checked by a vet.

At the endurance rides I've been to (and it was a little while ago) you have stewards directing people at junctions etc when necessary and of course vet gates, but its endurance, there's a fair distance involved even with loops so they can't be seen all the time. Vet gates will vet out horses if there is any sign of saddle issues, bridle/bit issues as well as lameness and heart rate. The sort of speeds seen here should be flagged up, even if the horse is recovering but the ME teams seemingly just want to go as fast as possible over flat land-its not endurance riding but racing. imo EnduranceGB shouldn't be having anything to do with this endurance festival.



Endurance at this level is ridiculously crooked, certain teams falsify results, races, qualifying rides, cover up horse deaths, dope, cheat and have hundreds of horses going through at their disposal. just look at the furore at WEG last time, the French team were so frustrated with the UAE carry on, they got into a punch up! Noone dare do anything about it.Its a world apart from the rest of endurance and its very sad that the entire discipline gets tarred with the same brush as those that ride their horses into the ground.
 

MyBoyChe

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Thanks MoC, it sounds like its time to stand up and be counted, surely if its that crooked at the top its time for everyone else to bale out and set up a separate level for those with some morals and welfare standards!!
 

MotherOfChickens

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Thanks MoC, it sounds like its time to stand up and be counted, surely if its that crooked at the top its time for everyone else to bale out and set up a separate level for those with some morals and welfare standards!!

well some are-I think EnduranceGB lost quite a few members after the last rift and there are those holding different types of ride off their own bat.
 

MyBoyChe

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Well thats a start then and good to hear. I know its difficult, sadly money talks. Endurance isnt the only horse sport where those with the most money reign supreme
 

ihatework

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I know a vet (stud vet) who spent time in the Middle East doing stud work, but had colleagues doing sport, including endurance. What they saw gave them nightmares and they left before they were in a position they couldn’t get out of. The stranglehold these rich owners have over their staff (including vets) is shocking. It was reported for severely broken down horses to be denerved from the knee down so they could continue to race.

Something has to be done to stop this corruption and cruelty.
 

hopscotch bandit

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Something has to be done to stop this corruption and cruelty.
I agree. But we can't stop what I class as 'cultural cruelty' in this country (halal meat for one) so we stand little chance of stopping this type of cruelty in other countries although I support the charities that try. THey say they don't pts animals over there due to cultural reasons yet they are happy to let them suffer cooped up in stables 24/7. No doubt the poor hobbling creatures in the videos are unable to be turned out.
 

ihatework

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I agree. But we can't stop what I class as 'cultural cruelty' in this country (halal meat for one) so we stand little chance of stopping this type of cruelty in other countries although I support the charities that try. THey say they don't pts animals over there due to cultural reasons yet they are happy to let them suffer cooped up in stables 24/7. No doubt the poor hobbling creatures in the videos are unable to be turned out.

No we can’t stop their cultural ethics about putting animals down but ‘we’ as in the international sporting community / FEI can have significant impact on various aspects of cruelty and corruption.
Tightening of endurance rules
Increased checks that the rules are adhered to
And strict sanctions for those not adhering to rules

The problem is that the FEI, for what I suspect is very complex reasons, are currently woefully inefficient in applying the above. The more pressure we put in the FEI, the more we expose the horrid reality, the more likely we are to help Middle Eastern horses born into the unfortunate sport of endurance.

My only fear is - that the region is expelled and goes it alone with desert racing, not under FEI. That would be tragic as they then set their own rules
 

MotherOfChickens

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My only fear is - that the region is expelled and goes it alone with desert racing, not under FEI. That would be tragic as they then set their own rules

this happened before I think? when Sheikh Mohammed was banned from endurance riding (by the FEI) for doping-he simply held his own races from what I remember. the only hope really is that these people really like being the best in the world and if they arent allowed to compete with the best in the world then maybe they might eventually rethink.
 
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Clodagh

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Alex Tennant has resigned. I think all this would make a great news article for H&H they could do with looking into it.

She was pushed, wasn't she. I find the whole thing totally bizarre tbh! How any horse organisation can find these recurring situations even half way acceptable. And people get het up about the use of the whip in racing! I know that is because endurance doesn't get coverage but still.
How could anyone sell a horse to these people? Or even sell an endurance type arab full stop, in case it gets sold on.
 

honetpot

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She has made a statement. I got this off of Facebook so I have no idea of the original source so I hope it’s correct.

"Late yesterday evening I was informed by the Endurance GB Chair, Rebecca Kinnarney that I was suspended with immediate effect from the Endurance GB Board of Directors; pending an investigation. I have discussed this with my family and decided to tender my resignation with immediate effect. On Monday this week I circulated the following statement to the board and asked for it to be approved for publication. “Yesterday I learnt of the death of Ulla De Luc who had been competing in the CEIO 2*120km FEI team competition at Euston Park for the HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Festival organised by H Power. Large amounts of prize money were on offer with £5k going to the individual winner and £32k to the winning team. Ulla De Luc collapsed and died minutes after crossing the finish line having completed the last loop of the ride at 27.97kph and raced across the line for 1st position. Endurance as a sport has always prided itself on the horsemanship skill shown by our riders, our stringent veterinary checks and how welfare is the number one priority. To compete at these speeds does not show this consideration by a rider; rather the aim is to extoll the maximum exertion from the horse and shows little to no consideration for their welfare. As Welfare Director for Endurance GB I find it completely unacceptable that this horse legally could compete at these speeds on British soil – this is not the sport I joined nor one I want to be in anyway associated with. I will be writing to the FEI to display my revulsion and insist that the new FEI endurance rules proposed by the Temporary Endurance Committee for speed caps and rider competency should be supported and immediately adopted on grounds of horse welfare. I would support lifetime bans for riders and trainers who have been proven to significantly contribute to the demise of their loyal steed. I also encourage all riders / trainers / owners or those associated with endurance to write to their federations and offer their suggestions and lobby the FEI for change that is so desperately needed. We cannot sit back and watch these deaths continue – or FEI endurance and even endurance riding as a sport will cease to exist. We must support the faithful horses our sport should exist to protect”. **Obviously, I am no longer the Welfare Director for Endurance GB and this is my own personal view and not that of any other director or the organisation Endurance GB.** I would like to thank everyone who has supported me in anyway for my time on the board; especial thanks for the hard work and time given by my Development, Para, Young Rider and Welfare committees. You have all been brilliant and I’m proud of what we achieved together in a short time. I am very sad and disappointed that my representation for the membership has ended this way and I hope I haven’t let anyone down. When I stood for the board I was committed to serve the membership and be a voice for the horses of our sport. Alex Tennant.
 

MotherOfChickens

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If this situation is exactly what it looks like then its absolutely shocking that she's being dragged through the mud like this.


This is C&P'd from the Canadian site I linked to-it was written in 2016 but is damning, bold is mine - "Completion rates over 25 per cent are still a rarity. At DIEC on December 12th, just 13 horses finished out of 76 (17 per cent). The same day at the Al Wathba CEN 100Km, the top five all recorded final loop speeds over 30 kph.
 

Meowy Catkin

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How could anyone sell a horse to these people? Or even sell an endurance type arab full stop, in case it gets sold on.

I know of breeders of show bred Arab horses that won't sell to certain countries because of welfare concerns. They have turned down big prices too - far more than the horse's actual value. It's not just the endurance horses sadly.
 

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I read about that man before. It's pretty impressive. It shows what can be done when there's the will to do it.
As for Dubai, endurance there will never reform when their ruler is one of the biggest rule breakers in the sport. Sloppy standards tend to spread anyway.
 
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ester

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She is the original source for that quote
EGB have refuted and said they can't say why and it has nothing to do with horses
Others have suggested it's to do with the disciplinary hearing for misconduct for not obeying orders when she was a PC and the BEF and local authority (?) told them to suspend and investigate.
 
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