Serious question about FEI/Eventing Rules

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skewbaldpony

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Please note, not a moan.
Someone (kerilli?) yesterday pointed out that Megan Jones (I think) broke a rule by striking her horse after the last fence.
I asked on another thread if there was a rule about keeping your hat on, at all?
Technicalities, technicalities.
But they count, don't they, and they must be consistently adhered to, otherwise how unfair would it be?
Megan Jones walked away with a team medal, and Bettina Hoy didn't, in Athens, because she broke a rule.
Can someone who actually knows, explain the process - if no one but the sharp eyed sleuths on HHO had noticed Bettina's mistake, would she even now be in possession of that medal?
Is it necessary for an objection to be made, or if some bloke from the FEI is browsing the vid while munching on his bratwurst next Wednesday, can he just change the result?!
 
There is a standard objection and appeal process, carried out by the Stewards and the Ground Jury. (I've known 3 people who Stewarded at Olympic level - they all said it was seriously fraught!) The Steward can deal with the infraction directly or another team/rider can lodge an objection if they see fit. I don't know how it works at the Olympics or in the UK but in Canada if you want to lodge an objection you have to pay a fee (refunded if your objection is upheld) and be prepared to stand behind your accusation. This is to stop people lodging a protest just to be obnoxious or because they are momentarily disappointed.

In Philip's case it's a pretty straightforward equipment infraction, caught through random checks by the Stewards. (They do "tack check" all horses by eye but then can ask to examine specific bits of equipment in the same way random horses can be drug tested.)

But the "penalty" can be anything from a stern talking to to a "yellow card" official warning to a suspension. The catch is it isn't a transparent process so unless it goes to an official tribunal and/or an official warning/penalty is issued there's not necessarily going to be any public knowledge. And, as we saw in Athens, it can go on and on, with greater levels of administration becoming involved. (There was an issue regarding the Canadian spot for the World Cup last time around that ended up at the highest level of arbitration for sport, well past the discipline level.)

So it's quite possible Megan received a warning and we wouldn't know a thing about it. In this case I could see it because she broke the letter of the law but did not intend to break the spirit of it i.e preventing riders from flogging an exhausted horse. I am slightly surprised, given the amount of attention paid to horse welfare now it was dealt with that way but I wouldn't necessarily read a conspiracy into it.

Helmets are to be worn while jumping so technically, the second their round is over it's not an issue anymore. Since it's traditional for men to remove their hats to salute they are expected to remove them in the dressage. (Although I believe you can't force people to remove them now.)

The problem is the rules are always in flux so often it really is a case of people just not keeping track. Ignorance is no defence but if the Ground Jury believes it was done in error I would think that is a mitigating factor.

The problem with Bettina's situation is it changed the result, depending on how it was interpreted. In Megan's case her action didn't materially change the results and in Phillips I think you'd be seeing a lot more outrage - and appeal - if the US had won a medal. Although not, perhaps, a different end result.
 
Slightly removed from the original question but I watched the footage a few times and saw Megan take the whip in one hand after the last and urge the horse on but I didn't actually see her use it on her horse.
 
Wishfulthinking, Megan hitting her horse was shown clearly in the slow motion reply during the live event, I was really sad to see that, the little horse had been a star helping her through several pilot errors.

Since then, it appears to have landed on the cutting room floor, I've watched the repeats and the bits that have shown Megan do not show the strikes.

She landed from the last fence and clearly struck him behind the saddle, whip was in her right hand, she then moved her hand forward, and the 2nd strike 'could' be confused with a big pat on the neck/shoulder, just with her whip in her hand - but in conjunction with the first strike, I feel it was a crack down the shoulder.
 
I'll have to look again too . One thing I did notice was that Megan Jones had a habit of carrying her whip in such a way that should her horse have stopped suddenly for some reason , she would have got a poke in the eye from the whip - something we were warned against years ago at the riding school I went to .

The FEI - well , sometimes I think they go out of the way to complicate matters ! I don't like ' secret ' words with a rider - many horsy children watch & they shouldn't be allowed to think it's ok to flaunt the rules or do something incorrect they've seen a rider on TV do . Not referring to any specific rider here , btw .
 
I recorded the original broadcast and I have watched it again. She may have used her whip behind the saddle before the last fence, but I really do not think that she hit the horse after the last fence. She certainly was lifting it (as she might to hit the horse down the shoulder) and waving it around while "riding a finish", but it didn't touch the horse either behind the saddle or down the shoulder.
 
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