Dogs at events: when should the bell be rung?
A rider who was chased while contesting the showjumping at Bramham asked why the judges did not ring the bell
THE consequences of loose dogs at events have come into the spotlight again after a second eventer was chased during his showjumping round this year.
Andrew Nicholson and Yacabo BK had a dog at their heels in the CCI3* showjumping at Bramham on 10 June, the same situation faced by Andrew Hoy at Gatcombe (24 March).
Andrew told H&H he became aware of the dog as he jumped the fourth fence.
“It must have been very close because he was trying to kick it,” he said. “It amazed me the judges didn’t ring the bell to stop me.”
Yacabo lowered one pole in the final line but the judges removed the penalties.
Andrew said he understands “dogs get away”; the fact he was not stopped concerns him more.
“It was downright dangerous,” he said. “What would have happened if my horse had got a pole between his legs and broken a leg going into the oxer?”
Andrew Hoy jumped clear in the advanced intermediate on Vassily De Lassos despite the dog’s interference.
But last week, he told H&H he also thought he might be stopped.
“I thought, ‘do I stop, and how’s that going to affect the result?’” he said. “I didn’t hear the bell but also, I didn’t really have time to process it as the fences were coming up so quickly.
“What if it had been a championship, what should be done in that situation? I feel this is a situation where the bell could be rung, as Andrew suggests, the dog
caught and the rider continue.
“It’s a very difficult one and I wouldn’t want to be on the ground jury in this situation.”
Former Badminton winner Jane Holderness-Roddam was on the Bramham ground jury.
“Until the rider turned to the last fence, it wasn’t considered dangerous,” she told H&H. “The dog was running around, which wasn’t ideal, but it was only when he turned to the treble, and the dog crossed in front, that it was dangerous, in our opinion. That’s why we took the penalties away, in the spirit of the sport.”
The president of the ground jury was Les Smith, whom H&H approached for comment.
Under FEI eventing rules, if a rider is unable to continue his round “for any reason or unforeseen circumstance”, the bell should be rung to stop him.
If the rider stops voluntarily to signal that “due to unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the athlete, he is prevented from continuing his round under normal circumstances, the clock must be stopped immediately”.
A British Eventing (BE) spokesman told H&H BE showjumping is run under British Showjumping rules, which state that the bell will be rung to stop a rider if necessary due to circumstances beyond his control.
“BE advises anyone attending an event to keep their dog on a lead and under control at all times, never to leave dogs in hot cars and to respect the organiser’s policy regarding dogs,” she added.
At Luhmühlen, anyone whose dog is not on a lead is fined €250 (£220), a move made after a rider was chased on the cross-country.