Where did EE go wrong in your opinion? if you thought it did!

EE is probably the worst thing that has happened to eventing!
Eventing should be kept as it was, not any of this indoor xc and silly crud! its just not necesarry!
Just another example of fixing something that didnt need to be fixed!
To be honest after this tragedy i dont think they should ever run another express eventing trial again!
There is just no need for this to hapen.
It just shows evn the best can get a kcik in the guts when they least expect it.

R.I.P Cavvy. And many condolences to mary and anyone connected to Cavvy
 
I don't think eventing itself needs to be slagged off here, yes, accidents happen, we lose horses everywhere though but I do believe that EE was a bad idea, as I have said in the post in News.

I still love eventing, everyone knows the danger element, those that don't want to take the risk don't do it, those that understand the risks do do it, so lets not start the "eventing is getting too dangerous" debate.

Today was totally different in my eyes

(Not aimed at you Applechaff, just my reply in general)
 
and for anyone critisising the way cavvy was put down. his leg was hanging and was obviously in so much pain, so why leave a horse in so much pain for an ambulance journey and just put him out of his misory asap!
would you want your horse to be in so much pain for longer thatn he/she had to??
 
[ QUOTE ]
EE is probably the worst thing that has happened to eventing!
Eventing should be kept as it was, not any of this indoor xc and silly crud! its just not necesarry!
Just another example of fixing something that didnt need to be fixed!
To be honest after this tragedy i dont think they should ever run another express eventing trial again!
There is just no need for this to hapen.
It just shows evn the best can get a kcik in the guts when they least expect it.


[/ QUOTE ]

I wholeheartedly agree with this.
 
thank you for agreeing Mrs_Xmas_Wizoz. its true that eventing in its self is so much safer than ee! my cousin is on the young rider team, and even she said she wouldnt have done it. but for mary to have the courage bless her!!
smile.gif
 
I agree with you, I expect most people read the letter in H&H a few weeks ago saying that techinical fences with difficult striding should be kept in the showjumping arena, but only at knock-down fences and not with solid xc jumps. I feel so sad, I was at Burghley when Caroline Pratt died
crazy.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
and for anyone critisising the way cavvy was put down. his leg was hanging and was obviously in so much pain, so why leave a horse in so much pain for an ambulance journey and just put him out of his misory asap!
would you want your horse to be in so much pain for longer thatn he/she had to??

[/ QUOTE ]
Umm, i wasn't there, but having seen the pics of him after the accident he seems to be standing calmly. i have held a horse with a badly broken back leg for the vet (took 20 mins to get there) and he calmly munched hay, i looked really carefully at his expression and into his eyes and he wasn't showing any signs of pain at all. adrenalin is a wonderful thing.
it is easy to anthropomorphise horses too much, especially in a scenario such as this. he didn't know what he'd done and what it meant.
the competition wasn't finished and, with such a prize at stake (awful as it is to say it) i can see why they took him out in an ambulance, not only for the competition to resume, but to see if there was any chance of saving him.
if it is true that there were problems getting the laden horse ambulance out, due to lack of preparation, that is inexcusable, however.
 
kerilli.
i agree with you. but im not sure what happened completely, but thats what i have been told by my aunty and cousin who know the owners.
i was just acting pn what they said. sorry. but he might have not showed the pain he was in. but with a broken leg to that extent who wouldnt be i pain?
 
I got asked this morning why I wasnt going to watch

"because eventing is a sport that needs to be outdoors, and run in the sun/wind/rain, i hate the concept, its utter crap"

and now i come back to find that one of our countries top horses, who was prepared so wonderfully by Vicky and then ridden by Mary in such a stunning way is gone!

I think after the last few weeks press, and now this, BE need to all sit down and think really hard about where this sport is going. Short format may be giving horses longer careers but imo is taking the lives of some sooner than it should be. Rotational falls increasing - what next?

Express Eventing found more prize money for this event than most of ours in the UK put together, why not use that money more wisely and spend it on sorting out the mess BE is in, and sort out things which are important to the sport and riders - like entry fees, prize money, balloting, and the cancellation of some of our top events due to sponsorship issues - Thirlestane, Lulworth etc

This madness has got to stop, I hope I never see EE run again and I hope they sit back and think long and hard about recent decisions made before someone else's day ends so tragically
 
what pissed me off, was that they hadnt rehearsed getting the trailer off the pitch, so they didnt know that it took 3 ramps not 2, so had to reverse back onto te pitch and it took alot longer than it should have in my opinion.
 
EventingGaladriel, i broke my arm badly during a competition years ago and it didn't hurt at all until about 20 minutes later. seriously, i'm a right wimp but it really didn't hurt at all. that's what adrenalin does.
as i said, i have stood alone with a horse with a very bad injury, waiting for the vet, and he showed no signs of pain at all.
i very sincerely hope Cavvy was the same. as soon as they put him in the ambulance i'm sure they would have given him painkillers anyway.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I got asked this morning why I wasnt going to watch

"because eventing is a sport that needs to be outdoors, and run in the sun/wind/rain, i hate the concept, its utter crap"

and now i come back to find that one of our countries top horses, who was prepared so wonderfully by Vicky and then ridden by Mary in such a stunning way is gone!

I think after the last few weeks press, and now this, BE need to all sit down and think really hard about where this sport is going. Short format may be giving horses longer careers but imo is taking the lives of some sooner than it should be. Rotational falls increasing - what next?

Express Eventing found more prize money for this event than most of ours in the UK put together, why not use that money more wisely and spend it on sorting out the mess BE is in, and sort out things which are important to the sport and riders - like entry fees, prize money, balloting, and the cancellation of some of our top events due to sponsorship issues - Thirlestane, Lulworth etc

This madness has got to stop, I hope I never see EE run again and I hope they sit back and think long and hard about recent decisions made before someone else's day ends so tragically

[/ QUOTE ]

this is so true! i also think BE has got to sit down and have a long hard tink of what hey are doing to the sport!
 
[ QUOTE ]
I got asked this morning why I wasnt going to watch

"because eventing is a sport that needs to be outdoors, and run in the sun/wind/rain, i hate the concept, its utter crap"

and now i come back to find that one of our countries top horses, who was prepared so wonderfully by Vicky and then ridden by Mary in such a stunning way is gone!

I think after the last few weeks press, and now this, BE need to all sit down and think really hard about where this sport is going. Short format may be giving horses longer careers but imo is taking the lives of some sooner than it should be. Rotational falls increasing - what next?

Express Eventing found more prize money for this event than most of ours in the UK put together, why not use that money more wisely and spend it on sorting out the mess BE is in, and sort out things which are important to the sport and riders - like entry fees, prize money, balloting, and the cancellation of some of our top events due to sponsorship issues - Thirlestane, Lulworth etc

This madness has got to stop, I hope I never see EE run again and I hope they sit back and think long and hard about recent decisions made before someone else's day ends so tragically

[/ QUOTE ]

Again, I totally agree with this. I put something similar in the News lounge.
 
[ QUOTE ]
IExpress Eventing found more prize money for this event than most of ours in the UK put together, why not use that money more wisely and spend it on sorting out the mess BE is in, and sort out things which are important to the sport and riders - like entry fees, prize money, balloting, and the cancellation of some of our top events due to sponsorship issues - Thirlestane, Lulworth etc


[/ QUOTE ]

The prize money came from one man who is also a big owner in the sport and friends with Buntine. I'm not sure it would ever have been available to other events in this case.
 
[ QUOTE ]
what pissed me off, was that they hadnt rehearsed getting the trailer off the pitch, so they didnt know that it took 3 ramps not 2, so had to reverse back onto te pitch and it took alot longer than it should have in my opinion.

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed . We had no idea what they were doing and why it was taking so long .

confused.gif
 
kerilli,
i dont think you quite read my post thoroughly. i was refering to some before posts saying it is rediculous that he was shoved onto an ambulance, which isnt true at all. he was looked after i the highest of concerns.
im not having a go at all. just i dont think some people understand whats going on. andi have also broken my arm in a bad riding accident and i agree it doesnt hurt for a while, but there is no point waiting for the adrenaline to stop. bless poor cavvy.
thanks for posting.
 
the 4x4 could get out with 2 ramps, but they hadnt realised that the trailer needed 3.

Im not OTs biggest fan, but he was the most helpful person down there and the first person to go and get another ramp, and was opening the trailer door to talk to mary etc. was very very helpful and sportings not the right word, but i cant think of another!
 
[ QUOTE ]
the 4x4 could get out with 2 ramps, but they hadnt realised that the trailer needed 3.

Im not OTs biggest fan, but he was the most helpful person down there and the first person to go and get another ramp, and was opening the trailer door to talk to mary etc. was very very helpful and sportings not the right word, but i cant think of another!

[/ QUOTE ]

Agreed! But i bet he feels so guilty for winning the £100000 now
frown.gif
 
I used to Event and I used to love it. It just scares me now hence why I loath it! The courses have changed so much, it even filters down to RC level. Even my local course has a skinny mushroom fence!

I think they need to take Eventing back to basics with the XC test being a true XC test similar to the fences you would meet out hunting. This Express Eventing is just another step in the direction of Eventing turning from the Divine into the Ridiculous.

The concept of Eventing means it was a wondeful sport but its just too dangerous for me to take any pleasure in it anymore.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I used to Event and I used to love it. It just scares me now hence why I loath it! The courses have changed so much, it even filters down to RC level. Even my local course has a skinny mushroom fence!

I think they need to take Eventing back to basics with the XC test being a true XC test similar to the fences you would meet out hunting. This Express Eventing is just another step in the direction of Eventing turning from the Divine into the Ridiculous.

The concept of Eventing means it was a wondeful sport but its just too dangerous for me to take any pleasure in it anymore.

[/ QUOTE ]

Im only 14 and i used to really want to event, but ever since there have been more rotational falls and a girl that i know died, you know the one who lived in petersfield hants, i just have no want to do it anymore. even Pony club has got rediculous!
 
I would have hated to be any of the riders there today. Hats off to Bettina for doing what she did (IMO 100% the right decision) and like I say, OT behaved amazingly well and was very dignified in the prizegiving from what I've heard
 
[ QUOTE ]
I wasnt there but have had two phone calls now. One from someone who is an official at BE events and organises them. One from a professional event rider watching.

Both said it was an absolute utter disaster. No atmosphere, 7 horses completing, dressage scores meaning nothing, course too big, too techncial for where it was. These are absolute world class horses they shouldn't be doing it easily not getting eliminated. The fences were too big for the the size of the arena.

They said as an event you couldnt see how big the fences were anyway and with hardly any of the stands full there was little atmosphere and even less as more and more didnt finish.

Seems a tragic waste of Cavvy's life. He was a true olympic top class horse, what an awful awful way to finish his career. RIP Cavvy and my heart goes out to mary.

I am told Oli absolutely 100% deserved his win. He rode the fences like they were built to be rode at (as in if they were in a XC course) which meant the lack of space made it look scary but at least he got to each fence going.

I think it needs a line drawing through and never repeating. Makes me go all shivery thinking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I completely agree with every word you said - though Oli was bloody lucky his horse was so honest as by his own admission he asked it to take off from some pretty awful strides and it came up trumps for him - he was pedal to the metal all the way round and I had to close my eyes at points. It came off for him, but if it hadn't then he would have had a serious accident IMO.

As for poor poor cavvy - they had to ambulance him off because the screens were a complete waste of time since everyone was sat so high up you could see everything anyway - I presume they had thought of that, hence the gazebo which they erected but somewhat bizarrely held to one side rather than putting it over the horse.

It was without a doubt the worst advert for our sport I have ever seen and I will be amazed if it ever runs again, it was awful, truly awful. Until Cavvy's accident it was actually quite entertaining in a car crash TV kind of way, then it became horrific. I applaud Bettina, she did totally the right thing retiring after the SJing and putting her horse and the audience before the money she would have got for completing (if she had managed to complete which I very much doubt).

My feeling was that the problems were mainly:
1. The corner had the same surface as the bank which encouraged horses to bank it. The bank itself wasn't as much of an issue IMO - a few didn't understand the question but that didn't cause any major issues really. If they were going to do that then they should have made the corner strong enough to take the weight - which they clearly could do since the bank was fine in terms of weight bearing.

2. They made it a really technical course with big fences and the horses did not have time to process one question before another was asked.

3. The riders did not have long enough to walk/learn/assess the course - those going later had a distinct advantage because they could watch people before them go.
 
Well good for Ollie, I'd already said before I realised what had happened that I was glad he had won as I saw a nice side to him recently.
 
completely agree with you T, you just put it into words better than me!

I just cant get over, when adrenalin takes blood away from the brain that someone decided it would be a good idea to put them in a situation with more adrenalin and less time to think... but thats hindsight for you i guess!
 
[ QUOTE ]
completely agree with you T, you just put it into words better than me!

I just cant get over, when adrenalin takes blood away from the brain that someone decided it would be a good idea to put them in a situation with more adrenalin and less time to think... but thats hindsight for you i guess!

[/ QUOTE ]

twice agreed! a tragic loss that didnt need to have occured if some stupid people IMO haddent been such idiots thinkning it owuld have been fun to ask that many questions (the officials and whoever made the silly bugger up, NOT THE RIDERS, may i make that clear)
its just another reason for BE to have a lond hard think of what has happend!!
shocked.gif
 
sorry, EventingGaladriel, i obviously misread your post.
good to hear that OT was so helpful and did everything he could.
very very bad course design to make a bank and a following corner look so similar and trick the horses.
all i can think of is poor Mary and her girls, driving such a long way home with an empty lorry.
frown.gif
frown.gif
frown.gif
 
ditto you with the not the riders.

Firstly I thought when Tara PT was fussing about the slippy ground that she was just not used to riding on anything other than a surface, but then i watched that grey horse slip a bit and realised that maybe it was!
Honestly, when that french horse fell over the bank (tbh, that bank is making my blood boil more than anything), and the next few failed to complete I wish I would have listened to my instinct and gotten up and walked out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top