#horses - #Given the trend of rotational falls and equine casualties in upper level eventing, does the sport need a serious reset? (cross-post on r/equestrian)

Given the trend of rotational falls and equine casualties in upper level eventing, does the sport need a serious reset? (cross-post on r/equestrian)

First and foremost, I want to extend my deepest condolences to everyone associated with Crackerjack, the horse piloted by Boyd Martin that was euthanized this past weekend at the Pau CCI4* . Crackerjack's demise is undoubtedly tragic and has sparked a wider conversation which I think is long overdue in the eventing world, namely, is upper level eventing putting horses at too much risk of injury and/or death?

Sure, the subject has been raised before and some modest changes have been made (like investment in frangible pins, rules regarding rotational falls, etc.), but it seems like it took a social media war between Denny Emmerson and Boyd Martin/Matt Brown/ Dom Schramm/etc. to really get people talking. As for that, I think Denny could have addressed the issue with more sensitivity and tact, but that his fundamental argument has merit. We should not treat horses like pieces of sporting equipment, and we should not pander to spectators/sponsors by making upper level cross-country courses faster, higher, and more technical at the expense of our horses' well-being.

And while many upper level riders do take great care of their horses, I feel like they could be doing more to influence governing bodies, show organizers, course designers, etc. to invest more heavily in safety research and improvements. I also think there's a bit of cognitive dissonance involved. These people care about their horses and many make their living by competing in and teaching eventing. If Denny is right, it means they are contributing to the problem and putting their horses at risk, and that's a hard reality to face. When I was competing at the Advanced/CIC3* level, I often thought about whether what I was asking my horse to do was "fair." Especially after my horse would get hurt (and thankfully, he was never seriously injured), there was always a degree of shame on my end. Sure he loves his job, but he also wouldn't have banged his knee on that fence unless I asked him to jump it. Of course accidents happen, but we should try to minimize equine injuries and casualties as best we can.

I am focusing on the horses here because we, as riders, have a choice to accept the risks inherent in modern day eventing. When you set out on that cross-country course, you are making the decision as to whether the risks are acceptable to both you and your horse. Wet, slick footing? Excessive heat? Tricky combinations and fast optimum time? You're the one making the judgment call, but your horse (who will likely try his/her heart out for you no matter the situation) could be the one who suffers the consequences. People will say "but my horse loves to run cross-country" and that may be true, but it's naive to think your horse understands the true risks of what they're doing. We, as riders, have a better understanding of the risks and we should not take that burden lightly.

I realize this isn't a simple or straightforward question to answer, but I think it's critical that we have this conversation. Some will argue that things were always this bad, but that social media has just made the situation appear worse because we have more awareness of equine casualties. To that I say, so what? If we now know better then we should do better. People also argue that other equine sports (which have far less equine casualties than eventing) also have their own problems: masked lamenesses and harsh training techniques, etc. To that I say, so what? Just because other equine sports have problems doesn't mean we shouldn't address our own.

I'm not sure what the right answer is, to be honest. Is that we're making dressage so difficult that event horses are becoming more submissive and losing that sense of self-preservation that may help them stay safe on cross country? Is it that warmblood-type horses are becoming more common in eventing now that the long format is out, and these horses have trouble with the endurance aspects of cross country? Is it that course designers are trying to be more spectator-friendly by making shorter, faster, more technically challenging courses that require extreme precision on the rider's part? Maybe it's a combination of all these factors, or maybe it's none of them. I truly think we need more rigorous scientific research and investigation to determine the reason(s) why upper level eventing is so dangerous for our horses, and then we need to act fast to make it safer.

Anyway, I'd love to hear your opinions on this whole debate, especially regarding any ongoing safety improvements or research you know about!

Edit: Here are some safety ideas recently posed by Denny on his facebook page:

1. In the American Endurance Riding Conference, ANY horse death triggers a full inquiry, with potential penalties for abusive riding.

2. Other organizations have called in outside help, such as what did YOU car racers do to cut down on accidents, what did YOU ski racers do, that sort of thing.

3. Consider "penalizing" a rotational fall. Such as, the moment one happens, apparent rider injury or not, that rider gets instantly "set down" for a certain number of days. Two rotationals within a certain time fram, a longer set down period. Show the riders the sport is SERIOUS about rotationals. Make riders advocates for safer riding by hitting them where it hurts, their incomes.

4. After a fatality, horse or human, or possibly even after a rotational fall, have a hearing with the course designer. Have the course designers be held accountable if so deemed appropriate.

5. Consider that the speeds we use today are the same speeds we used 50--60 years ago, when courses were more natural and flowing, and XC time was more doable. Maybe, with all the technical questions of today, we should experiment with slower speeds. Or a return to more "galloping" courses.

6. Have a mandatory pre XC rider meeting, far enough before. Get their ideas. Change fences they seriously feel are bad fences.

7. Consider more mandatory use of ground lines.

Submitted October 30, 2017 at 11:47AM by Mustang_Gold
via reddit https://www.reddit.com/r/Horses/comments/79pdl7/given_the_trend_of_rotational_falls_and_equine/?utm_source=ifttt