Eventing: one fall and you’re out
A new BE ruling means that any rider having a fall will be eliminated
A RULE change under which a fall during any phase of a British Eventing (BE) competition means elimination has sparked mixed reaction from competitors.
From this season, any rider who falls during the dressage or having passed through the showjumping or cross-country starts may not continue.
BE said the new rule takes into account feedback from stakeholders, is in line with FEI rules and on the advice of its chief medical officer Judith Johnson, and is “essential” for rider safety.
Top eventer and H&H columnist Harry Meade felt it is a “shame to have a blanket rule”.
“Automatic elimination for being unseated goes somewhat against the nature of the sport; the concept we all learnt as children of hopping straight back on is central to the mindset needed for eventing,” he said.
The original rule change for 2018 stated that if a rider falls during the showjumping, the clock will be stopped while they remount, while cross-country fallers must be checked by medics before they may continue.
But Ms Johnson said: “Post-fall [checks] may require a thorough physical, mental competence and neurological assessment.
“This is time-consuming and may need to be repeated after a period of time to make a clinical decision whether that rider is fit to compete that day. We have a duty of care to our members which, in the light of recent guidelines on concussion management, has led to this rule change.”
Harry agreed that it is “difficult” for officials to assess riders before they remount, which could mean some cases of concussion may be missed.
“Anyone who steps off and lands on their feet will feel frustrated by the new rule, but it will benefit those who have banged their heads,” he said.
“If it isn’t possible to do oncourse checks, there is probably no other option.”
Fellow professional Kitty King said it could be “a shame” not to be able to continue after a minor fall on a youngster, but “from a safety point of view, this isn’t a bad idea”.
“You’re not competitive after a fall anyway,” she said. “I wouldn’t continue after a fall from an older horse as it doesn’t need the miles.”
FRUSTRATING FOR SOME
SOME grassroots riders cited cost, saying it would be frustrating to lose the money, especially for those who only compete every few weeks, for a “slip off ”.
Rider Harriet Graham, who “restarted” eventing aged 58 two years ago, said: “Last season I was unseated three times in the showjumping. Each time I landed on my backside and was straight back on, then went cross-country. Rightly, I was unplaced but left happy and feeling I’d achieved something. If I’d been eliminated, I’d have had severe doubts about carrying on eventing.
“Lower levels need to be encouraged — if you are training or hunting and fall off you always get straight back on.”
But Sophie McCormack, who had extensive rehabilitation after she suffered a severe head injury in a fall, is glad of the change.
“This is an incredible step forward in the safety of our sport,” she told H&H. “Especially because concussion is so ambiguous; you can have it and not know it.
“The chances of hurting yourself are slim, but if this rule means the one person who does is helped, it’s beneficial, even if the 99 others are a bit annoyed.”
Sophie pointed out that riders often do not take their own safety as seriously as their horses’, so
‘This is an incredible step forward in the safety of our
sport’
SOPHIE MCCORMACK
she feels it is “up to the governing body to be a bit unpopular and have our safety in mind”.
“Getting back on with concussion could do the horse a lot more harm anyway,” she added
Sport horse vet Christopher Elliott agreed, adding: “Good news not only for rider welfare but horse welfare — I have seen many horses at BE events forced to run much further than needed because of riders’ insistence to get back on after a fall.”
BE national safety officer Jonathan Clissold said: “While every effort has been made to enable a rider to continue after a fall in a safe manner, BE and event organisers have worked incredibly hard to provide standards of safety and medical provision for all BE events that are as high as possible, and this rule is essential to ensure rider safety is maintained."
MOVING too fast on the first loop of an endurance ride can seriously affect a horse’s chances of finishing and increases risk of injury, a study has found.
Independent scientist Dr
David Marlin and Hartpury’s
Jane Williams looked at data for 389 horses competing in electronically-timed FEI 120km CEI2* endurance races.
These single-day, four-phase races took place in Europe and the Middle East in 2016 and 2017.
They found finishers recorded speeds on average 7% slower than those who did not complete.
Loop speed decreased throughout the rides for both finishers and non-completers, but the rate of decrease was greater in those who did not complete.
Horses withdrawn at the first vet check due to problems with their gait recorded a 36% faster average speed than those withdrawn at the final inspection.
“The take-home message from this piece of research is that speed is an issue,” Dr Marlin told H&H.
“What we can say is that going too fast, particularly on the first loop, reduces chances of finishing and increases risk of injury.”
He added that races are usually “won or lost on the first loop”, and that the correct speed for a horse is the pace he can maintain or increase from loop two onwards.
“This is an opportunity for education,” he said, adding that the findings are “totally in line” with the FEI’s own research.
Harry Ingram of Endurance GB told H&H the findings mark a “significant step forward” and hoped riders, organisers and officials look at them closely.
“It has long been said among those in top level endurance that to complete well, with a good placing, involves riding a tactical race, but the stats have not been there to back it up until now,” he said. “Dr Marlin’s study proves considered, intelligent riding pays dividends and that endurance is a highly tactical sport.”
FEI veterinary director Göran Akerström added: “This supports the findings of extensive research conducted by the universities of Glasgow and Melbourne, which has provided evidence that excessive speed is a key factor, in injuries and failure to complete.
“The extension of the FEI’s partnership with the University of Glasgow plays an ongoing and crucial role in steering any changes to FEI endurance rules, and all evidence-based data complements the process.”
British endurance rider Annie Joppe told H&H the results of the study make “perfect sense”.
“I think deep down many riders know to keep the first loop steady, with horses working with pulses below 150bpm,” said Annie.
“But it’s easy to get carried away, especially for those less experienced and/or if you have a ‘hot’ horse who finds starting in a pack very exciting.”
She added that while many riders want to keep the horse’s pulse below 150bpm, it can be difficult, so training and planning is needed to achieve this.