August 20, 2006

Equine Welfare Is Job 1
By Charlene Strickland Exclusively for Horsesdaily

Dressage Inspection, continued

For the next two and a half hours, officials tested the other 82 entries, ending with the horses from Denmark. Watching horses go were several U.S. dressage riders, including Karen Offield, George Williams, Jane Thomas, and Kathy Pavlich.

Horses that didn't show satisfactory trot had to take the track a second time, or be sent to the “hold box” for a re-presentation. The jury did require seven horses to re-present during this afternoon. Of those, they instructed five to return for re-inspection on 22 August, at 7 AM. The competition begins at 8 AM. Seven out of 90 may not seem like a large number, but that amount does cast doubt on the management practices governing those animals.

With equine welfare as Job 1, you wonder why a team would present a horse of questionable soundness? All the definite entries (names declared at WEG) in endurance passed inspection. The less positive track record in dressage seems to question conditions of training and showing. Isn't it odd that this WEG's endurance horses handle the extreme demands of their sport at 100 percent, compared to dressage at 92 percent? And horses also demonstrated their training. Yes, they're peaked for WEG, but wouldn't you think that a Grand Prix horse is obedient and supple in hand?

Many horses played on the line. That buck you can ride through is dangerous on the ground. A few horses were downright rank, endangering their riders and even the jury. One stallion broke loose—fortunately a very courageous gentleman snatched his reins before the horse could tear through the stables.