As you know if you've been following this blog (or pretty much any other equestrian media outlet, social or otherwise), the Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle competition at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018, scheduled for today, yesterday was canceled. In its statement announcing the cancellation, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) cited the forecasted heavy rain and high winds from Tropical Depression Florence, combined with scheduled departures of the dressage horses, as the main obstacles preventing the freestyle from being rescheduled for tomorrow, Monday, September 17.
Officials explored options including rescheduling the horses' departure dates and moving the competition to the indoor arena at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, but none proved feasible, according to the FEI's statement.
It's a major disappointment, but horse welfare comes first, so there was no alternative, most of us figured when we first read the announcement.
Except...over in eventing land, the show is going on. Today was also supposed to have been the show-jumping phase of the WEG eventing competition (cross-country went off yesterday as scheduled). The eventing jumping, however, was postponed, not canceled, and is rescheduled for tomorrow, which was to have been the "dark day" of no competition between the two weeks of the WEG.
According to the 2018 FEI WEG Veterinary Services Guide, the dressage horses and the event horses are on similar arrival and departure schedules, with a final horse departure date of Tuesday, September 18. So if the event horses can compete tomorrow and leave Tuesday, why couldn't the dressage horses? I don't know the answer. If I find out, I'll let you know.
Meanwhile, I feel bad for the disappointed spectators, and my heart goes out to the 15 riders -- including America's own Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass -- who qualified for the Grand Prix Freestyle and won't get to compete. World Equestrian Games and Olympic Games don't come around all the time, and with horses there is no guarantee of a next time.
The only thing we've seen happening in the indoor was the reining. 2 spins, 4 circles, 3 slides. And the dressage can't be scheduled for that facility? Don't think Tryon understands the impact these cancellations are making on horses and rider's. Not to mention the endurance fiadco. What a mess. I for one wouldn't utilize their new facility in the future.
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