FEI Championships at Boudheib

[stangs]

The HHO article (‘Horses will die’ warning after UAE awarded world championship) makes for curious reading.

I couldn't fully understand Clean Endurance's criticism. I appreciate there have been big welfare problems in the UAE before, but surely the fact that the championships will be under FEI rules should prevent such issues from happening at the championships. Plus, their concern that it's not a venue that “more closely resembles the terrain and conditions the horses have been prepared for" - do people really train only on terrains that they’ll expect at championships? Besides, it doesn’t seem particularly inclusive to only host championships in landscapes not all riders have access to train on.

Am I missing something, or are these criticisms about the decision just politics?

(Also, ‘social license’ must be the new ’unprecedented’; absolutely everywhere with increasingly little meaning.)

 

[Steerpike]

I think a lot of it is politics Boudheib has thrown lots of money at it, paying for horses/team flights, accommodation and massive prize money, the other countries who put in for the championships couldn't match that.
People do train for the type of course, ie do hill work for a hill/mountain courses, they would train in sand for a sand course.
Boudheib had not held a 160km ride until yesterday and the results didn't look great with a high number of failures.

 

[stangs]

Boudheib had not held a 160km ride until yesterday and the results didn't look great with a high number of failures.

Excuse my ignorance, but isn't that the point of good competition - separating the 'men from the boys', so to speak?

 

[teapot]

FEI rules mean nothing when it comes to Endurance as a sport