A Sad Day For Equestrian Sports

Yesterday, March 15, 2008, was a very sad day in the world of 3 Day Eventing.

Two horses were killed and a prominent rider critically injured on the cross country course of the Red Hills Horse Trials in Tallahassee, Florida.

The rider, Darren Chiaccia, sustained a closed head injury, several broken ribs, and lung contusions when his horse, Baron Verdi, flipped over a fence and landed on him. There was no way that Darren could have escaped his injury.

The horses,Leprechaun's Rowdy Boy and Direct Merger, both suffered freak occurrences that left them dead where they stood. Direct Merger suffered a heart attack after the 8th fence on the course, while Leprechaun's Rowdy Boy appears to have hit his head on one of the elements of a 4 fence combination, leading to convulsions and his demise.

I want to extend my deepest condolences to the families affected by this tragedy...

I also want to pose some questions -- but before I do that, I want to stress that I do not, in any way, blame the riders, the course designer Capt. Mark Phillips, the event organizers or anyone associated with this event. I especially don't blame the horses. We can assume that they died doing what they loved to do, and neither suffered.

I think that several things need to be addressed and talked over and thought through. I know that eventing has become a hugely popular sport and that more and more people are competing, but these accidents are happening more and more often. Why did we switch to the short format CCI? Why, even though we have the short format, are riders not conditioning their horses for the long format events? I feel that at least a few of these accidents can be prevented by fitness. What happened yesterday was a complete freak occurrence, and nothing could have prevented it, but sometimes these things can be prevented, and I feel like they should be if they can be. Another thing that I thing we need to think about is the questions that these courses are asking. Cross country courses these days are not just long galloping efforts with some big fences thrown in for variety (not that they have ever been at the highest levels of the sport, but bear with me....). Today's cross country courses are TRAPPY....and they have to be RIDDEN, every single stride. I don't know that a lot of riders are aware of that. Darren certainly was, and our top top riders certainly are, but a lot of the up and coming riders seemt to be buying horses who know their jobs and then depending on them to answer the questions while they sit up there and look pretty. (or not) Event horses have to think on their feet, yes, but they depend on their riders to tell them when things are okay and when they're not. I rode at an event barn for a few years as a child, and those horses were SMART, and they had a HUGE instinct for self preservation, but you know what? They still depended on their riders for guidance, and I think one of the issues with eventing today is that many people at the lower levels simply can't RIDE. (Now, I'm not trying to say that nobody who events can ride, and I'm not trying to say that only people at the upper levels can ride. Everyone has to start somewhere, but I think that people who event have to have the presence of mind to Have A Trainer and Use Their Trainer. Lots and Lots of accidents can be prevented if people just listen to someone who has their best interests at heart.) Today's courses are so technical and ask so many tough questions of both horses and riders that I think we need to really think about what we're perpetrating here. Do people HAVE to do this? No. But those who do I think really need to ask themselves if they're ready to be jumping/showing at the level that they are. There is No harm in staying at a lower level until you're Ready to move up. That's why I think that people need to have trainers and Listen to Their Trainers.

I know that's not going to solve the problem. And I know that even if someone has a trainer, they won't necessarily listen to what that trainer has to say anyway... but we can hope.

Eventing is a dangerous sport. But it shouldn't have to be deadly.

Just my $.02

Fly free Rowdy and Direct Merger, may you run and jump pain free.