Equestrian 2023 Discussion Thread

[Josh 13,408]

https://www.gofundme.com/f/2023-pan-am-games-please-help-send-a-team

 

In December of 2023, a number of our talented Canadian riders declared their intention to attempt to qualify to represent Canada at the 2023 Pan Am Games. Each athlete will spend $50-80,000 minimum, of their own money to maintain their high performance horse for one year. This is before any actual expenses or lost income for a month away for the games. Contrary to popular opinion, Equestrian Canada provides no funding to riders wishing to represent Canada on an international team…with the exception of flights for athlete and horse, hotel and some food at the games themselves.

 

6 months after the athletes made this commitment and tens of thousands of dollars specifically to try to qualify for this team, our non-profit national federation, Equestrian Canada, informed us they had a shortfall of $60,000. We were told if they could not raise $60,000, there would be no team sent to the Pan Am games. With no team at these games, there would be no way to qualify a team for the Olympics next year. A very sad state of affairs.

 

This $60,000 is needed to pay for the athletes and their horses to fly to Santiago, Chile. It would also go towards hotel and food. This was all that Equestrian Canada had promised to provide in the way of financial help for the riders. But now that is not available either.

 

The athletes are working diligently to raise the funds through clinics, galas, etc. And we have some amazing ideas for the future so that our athletes have the support that most other sports take for granted. Equestrian Canada has hired a consultant to work on their fund raising capabilities. Hopefully we can work at ending this last ditch, desperate begging for money that seems to happen year after year. But time is of the essence. The games are in October 2023, so we have been put in a situation of frantically trying to raise the funds we need to make these games, as well as the 2024 Olympics, a reality for Canada.

 

If anyone can find it in their heart to donate, it would be much appreciated. 

Edited July 4, 2023 by Josh

[lea26 32]

Yesterday was held the eventing "test-event" in Versailles. The main goal was to test the quality of the ground and the stability of the bridge on the canal. Only 4 (unknown?) riders took part.

A few images here : 

 

[heywoodu 16,430]

@dcro Almost influenced a competition this morning during my bike ride, unsurprisingly in the Ermelo area (it really isn't that close to Ermelo in reality, it's the outskirts of the town of Uddel where things happen)  

 

I took a turn to go towards Staverden (smallest city in the Benelux, fun fact), saw a sign that traffic was being controlled a bit further up ahead and indeed, where the main road was crossed by a smaller road, and two guys with bright yellow bibs were keeping an eye on traffic there. Bike path was clear, so I had no reason to slow down, but suddenly saw a rider on a horse come up on the smaller road, with a bib (green bib, number 22), luckily I was just in time to stop (and receive a 'thank you' hand gesture from the guy)  

 

A little further up ahead, there was a sign pointing people towards the 'FEI Endurance EC 2023', which I have now learned - as I assumed - means the European Championships. On FEI's website I see competition starts tomorrow, but I absolutely did not imagine the horse crossing the road  Any idea what's going on today and, just out of curiousity, who the #22 guy might have been? 

 

Spoiler

Yeah I know this small moment would not have influenced an apparently 160km race, but how could I cross an official FEI competition on public roads and not think about posting it here for you  

 

Edited September 6, 2023 by heywoodu

[NearPup 4,120]

So, err, an update of sorts about Eric Lamaze's health:  https://horsesport.com/horse-news/lamaze-submits-forged-medical-documents-court/

Edited September 11, 2023 by NearPup

[Dragon 2,062]

https://www.eurodressage.com/2023/10/17/cathrine-laudrup-dufour-gets-mount-st-john-freestyle-2024-paris-olympic-hopeful

 

Horse trading

[rafalgorka 1,819]

Bad news: got some flu or sth and i am on a sick leave until next Friday.

Even worse news: i will have more free time so i will probably produce some more spam here in the coming days.

 

Here's a sample of this:

One very amateurish question on eventing. Why the start lists for cross-country part are not a reversed order after dressage (individual ranking). I don't watch equestrian often but i think such a start list would be much more interesting. During olympics i always want to watch cross-country live but i never can do it because it takes too long and all the most important riders are put all over the start list. This way i could watch only the last part or sth and i would see all the most important moments live. I just don't get it what's the purpose of it - such a strange start list in cross-country. Even figure skating changed their rules about starting order in free programmes eventually so i don't lose hope that the same happens to eventing.

 

The same could happen in ind apparatus finals in gymnastics (reversed order with the quali results - like it is in the last event of AA)

 

 

 

 

Edited December 29, 2023 by rafalgorka