Unsound horses show-jumping - when do the officials step in?

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Flicker

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Just wondered. Was watching some show jumping the other evening at one of the big competition yards near us. There was one horse who was clearly unsound (I know the horse and have seen it very short behind on a number of occasions, hacking out, schooling etc). Horse was clearly short in trot and cantered disunited through the majority of the round. Admittedly, the classes weren't huge, but big enough.
The people organising the event didn't seem to notice, the people there with the rider certainly didn't say anything, although I did overhear a couple of spectators saying they thought horse was not quite right.
So at what point would a steward or official step in with something like this? I would like to hope that it was ignorance on the part of the rider and they were not jumping the horse knowing it was unsound. But is it part of the duty of the steward etc to step in at some point?
And if you were me, would you have said something? I felt a bit intimidated on the evening in question because it was just me there and rider was there with all their mates. Not a great excuse I know, but I didn't want to make a scene if there was nothing actually wrong with it and I was wrong.
 
Hmm, I think officials should step in to be honest but then I saw a lame horse at an event i was at a few weeks ago. When we arrived we saw the woman had brought th hrose back to the box, got off and a friend trotted it up for her - it was very obviously lame behind. We thought poor horse (and rider) it must have lamed itself. However, it was put back in the wagon still tacked up (I thought that was odd).

Turns out it was dragged out again for a bigger class later on! We watched it being warmed up but the friend at walk and it was very evidebtly lame behind - stifle I would have said.

However, about 30 mins later we saw it trotting about and it was sound. Now I can only assumed the horse had a locking stifle or something but it was not pleasant to watch and whether it warmed up and came sound later or not it still begs the question - is it right?

That could have been similar in the case you mention, the horse may have been 'mechanically lame' as opposed to lame and in pain but i am never quite sure how anyone determines whether the horse is in pain.

Personaly I don't think it's right to compete a lame horse at all, whatever the cause and i think more people should question those riding them, certainly competing.
 
I thought about the 'mechanically lame' thing, too. Some horses don't feel pain and just go like that and actually enjoy it...

Also, I have seen a few horses who weren't lame anymore after warming up and having a bit of a stretch... so don't know.
 
I watched a professional showjumper jumping her horse at the NEC a few months ago and have watched her compete since at various venues both whilst attending to spectate myself or whilst watching on TV. Her horse is very obviously lame behind, it is very evident in walk and yet her horse jumps its heart out each and every time. I expect that if the horse was in pain it wouldn't jump but then it depends how honest a horse is. My horse used to be 'bridle lame' and appeared lame in front on a certain rein if he is was not going forwards into the contact properly and this dissapeared after a few seconds. It can be quite alarming. Now he is short for the first few strides of a session with spavin and again after a few seconds of working in trot it dissapears and I have learnt to recognise that this is just him. He jumps and does everything else ok, just that he is stiff to start with. Its really hard to know what's best. It does make my stomach turn when I see how lame this professionals horse is in walk but what can you do?
 
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