McLain Ward disqualified

They did, a representative of the wc riders about 6 of them came and watched the video and could see no reason for the disqualification who then considered boycotting. They also brought the mare out to the. world press, jogged her up and welcomed the press to prod and poke her as much as they like. Also mclain requested that each individual vet at the examination state that she was unfit to compete and not one of them would.d not one of. t
 
I read through all the replies in this thread, and I don't believe anyone has mentioned the reason the FEI might have been suspicious of Ward to begin with (and not because of his father):

Ten years ago, Ward was suspended and fined because ring stewards at the Aachen International Horse Show found plastic pins inside his horse's splint boot. The pins make it painful for the horse to hit a rail. Ward denied putting the pins inside the boot, but I haven't found a single report about what Ward says DID happen (did he accuse someone else of sabotaging the boot?)

Here is an article about the incident from The Independent: http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/equestrianism-ward-leaves-in-disgrace-1100674.html

There are many other articles about this incident, as well as articles about Ward's return to show jumping.
 
Last edited:
Yes, but if its true the horse raised its leg 7 times out of 50 (which is widely reported now) then regardless of previous convictions or suspicions then i don't think that justifies the mare being labelled as hyper sensitive in her front legs. These 'suscpicions' aren't enough, in my opinion, and if McLain is proved innocent then i hope he gets plenty of compensation from the FEI. Who knows how much cash he could have won in the next round?
 
But then we do get back to the point that just because he may have done something wrong in the past (I don't think there was ever proof, per se, as the plastic chips were seen to have fallen from the boot not found embedded and no injury was discerned to the horse) and paid for it doesn't mean he's done something wrong now.

It was also complicated because Barney had just come out of jail and there was a great deal of fuss over whether he and Paul Vallier should be allowed to attend horse shows in any capacity again. It got even messier when Eric failed his drug test and was banned from some venues in excess of his FEI ban so there was the feeling that McLain's ban was in retribution, as it were. None of this was stated or even necessarily true, but it made for an emotional mix. I don't think McLain will ever escape the shadow of his father's problem but the general feeling seems to be that this is not really a fair assessment of his own practices and beliefs.
 
For the guys into 'same brush tarring' perhaps take a read of this? It's a very interesting article

http://www.dressage-news.com/?p=6026

The Facebook group supporting McLain and Sapphire already had over 1400 members . I'm not actually promoting any view other than fairness, and I don't this elimination was fair, nor do I think it is fair to set about McLain Ward because of his father.
 
yup thats a very good article, it states the facts bald and lets the corruption speak for itself. What I found interesting was how they eliminated sapphire. they only did it after the placings were pretty clear as to who would win. Its almost as if they were looking for a reason to disqualify Sapphire, found one and then bided their time until they could use it. Which they did and look what reared its big ugly head! God the bureaucracy in the FEI is really showing itself. George Morris said "I feel a long way from home here and I'm very sad about that" and honestly I dont blame him. The whole thing is a shambles.
 
Whether there is guilt or no guilt, the Americans are doing themselves no favours by pushing it as some kind of anti-US propaganda..........
 
Errr...no favours? To whom? The FEI? The rest of the world? Well, the first, let's forget that for a sec as it is doing itself no favours and the secnd, I think there is a groundswell of support against such an arbitrary decision. If the US is just p****d that it happened, why not ? I respect the support of federations behind their riders, it's one of their purposes.
 
According to the full account, the vet wanted the Ground Jury called in after the 1st test, but they could not leave their station, hence the mare was allowed to jump in the second leg, and it was their decision to disqualify her when she had been inspected after the competition. I know that McLain was under suspicion at an earlier WC Final with a different horse because of the exaggerated leg action as he jumped. That horse soon disappeared from international competition. I stress that I have absolutely no idea whether there was any justification for the suspicion. I do think that his protest that his disqualification is the unfairest thing to happen in the history of the sport is over the top though I can appreciate how disappointed he may be. I really do not "buy" the anti-him theory. It's another sad time for the sport whatever the outcome of the appeal.
 
Watching the video of his press conference he IMO looks like a rat caught in a trap!!
Maybe it is a sad time but maybe good could come of it - if the scrutiny of horses is going to improve and it proves harder to pass things by the officials maybe showjumping could almost become a clean sport .......
 
Last edited:
I heard the story from someone who is there, as it was told by MsD. If that version of events is true then I am behind McLain Ward.

I was also told that 3 on site vets disagreed with the way the "hypersensitivity" test was conducted and that they would have passed the horse for competition; FEI then said no appeal would be allowed. If someone prodded my horse's leg (or mine for that matter) 57 times he'd probably do more than lift it seven times.

IF what I heard is true, this sounds like one heck of a witch hunt.
 
remember in 1999 when he was disqualified for the shards of plastic in horses boots at aachen...and goteberg when he wouldnt allow his horse to be examined.... shady character even if you ignore the dad stories
 
Jump2It said:
remember in 1999 when he was disqualified for the shards of plastic in horses boots at aachen...and goteberg when he wouldnt allow his horse to be examined.... shady character even if you ignore the dad stories
Click to expand...
That shouldn't really be relevant.
 
leg swabs were clean.

http://equisearch.com/equiwire_news/nancy_jaffer/sapphire_negative_052610/

Caledonia said:
Whether there is guilt or no guilt, the Americans are doing themselves no favours by pushing it as some kind of anti-US propaganda.........
Click to expand...
agreed especially since the person who did it is most definitely not anti-USA in fact the opposite and notoriously anti-Europe. no secret there.

SJFAN said:
According to the full account, the vet wanted the Ground Jury called in after the 1st test,
Click to expand...
but didn't that explanation come later? They were originally on record as saying she was ok to jump, it was quoted in the press somewhere, I can't remember where I saw it.
 
MistralS_shining said:
can someone please explain what hyper sensitivity is please.
Click to expand...
Many years ago, I was grooming ( I was 16 at the time) for a SJ rider at HOYS. Her 7 yr old Grade A was under performing, so I told to put a liquid on his front legs, and wrap wet bandages round them. I imagine that the liquid was surgical spirit. The result was to blister both front legs, upon which I was told to put boot polish over the bare skin to disguise it. The horse wasn't lame, but very sore when touched. He didn't jump any better for it, probably worse as he was so "fretty" about his legs. I would think that this is the same thing. Needless to say, after that experience, I didn't groom for them again.
 
Good point Chris J....but this has been going on for ages...do hope the FEI Presidential election brings about some changes, for the good of the sport.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top