Countdown to WEG 2010

A Great Ride

2010-10-11T20:10:00Z

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have come to a close. As with any major event -- a wedding, a huge project, even the holiday season -- its conclusion brings a mixture of sadness and relief.

Sadness, for the special time never seems to last long enough to savor, after the months or years of planning and hard work. Relief, at seeing the event come off successfully and knowing that the burden is finally off one's shoulders.

We've been hearing about the WEG for so long that it's almost hard to believe it's over. Like any massive undertaking, the Lexington, Kentucky, event had its share of bumps along the way. Foremost among them had to be the economic downturn that led to budget cuts and lower-than-anticipated ticket sales (although WEG organizers yesterday announced that the total attendance figure for the sixteen days topped half a million). A change in organization management midstream led to challenges. There were complaints about price-gouging on everything from tickets and lodging to concessions and souvenirs. Some vendors at the Kentucky Horse Park site, who had paid princely sums for booth space, felt stung by the change in the economic winds.

Even so, I think that the 2010 WEG will be regarded as a success. In its role as US ambassador to the world, Kentucky impressed with its friendliness and helpfulness. Visitors both foreign and domestic thrilled to see the Bluegrass, the Thoroughbred farms, and the all-American breeds on display. Reining enthusiasts watched the jumping. Jumpers took in endurance. Endurance riders enjoyed dressage. And everyone embraced the newcomer sport, para-equestrian dressage, the sight of able-bodied athletes schooling alongside those with physical disabilties making for an atmosphere of true inclusiveness.

That feeling of commonality -- the sense that physical limitations, ethnicity, accents, language barriers, and countries of origin fell away, leaving a global community of horse lovers -- is my strongest WEG memory.

My last night at the WEG, I attended a social event for media representatives at the magnificent Walnut Hall, next door to the Kentucky Horse Park. On the way over, our golf-cart shuttle passed a four-in-hand out for twilight exercise, brass gleaming in the headlights and the whip and groom waving a cheery greeting. After a few pleasant hours spent chatting with tablemates from all over the Americas, I caught a ride back to the press center, gathered my belongings for the last time, and squeezed aboard the rear-facing seats of yet another golf cart, next to two giggling Japanese journalists who squealed happily every time our driver hugged a turn. We sped past a floodlighted schooling ring, where the jumpers were out in force for a nighttime session. As we left the scene behind, I watched the colorful, beautiful horses and riders, brilliant and winking like fireflies in the light, until they disappeared from view.

On the shuttle back to my hotel, my melancholy quickly evaporated as I found myself in a lively discussion with three journalists from Germany, New Zealand, and Canada. We talked of the party and the horses and the WEG and the 2012 London Olympics, and the conversation was so interesting that the commute time melted away and it was soon time to leave my newfound friends.

That's what the WEG was to me: a magical moment, filled with a sense of camaraderie and a renewed love and respect for the horse and all he does for us. I feel privileged to have attended and to have had the opportunity to share the experience with you. I hope you have enjoyed this year-long blog, which now comes to a close as well. If you were lucky enough to have experienced the WEG in person, I hope that it was as special for you as it was for me.

Did you miss any of the WEG competition? Watch it on the US Equestrian Federation's online on-demand network.

How Cool Is This?

2010-10-10T15:06:00Z

We begin today's post, on the final day of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, with a photograph:

Now, if that doesn't say it all about sportsmanship, excellence, and the power of the human spirit to overcome the obstacles life throws at you, I don't know what does.

As I've mentioned previously, this WEG is the first time that able-bodied equestrians and those with physical disabilities have competed at the same international championships. Para-equestrians, including America's own Rebecca Hart (who finished fourteenth in yesterday's Grade II Freestyle), have commented on the excitement of riding alongside the likes of jumping individual gold medalist Phillipe Le Jeune of Belgium or dressage individual gold medalist Edward Gal. The experience must be one of empowerment and validation.

Memorable moments

As we prepare for the closing ceremonies, it's time to start looking back at these past sixteen days and recounting what made the WEG special -- or funny or frustrating. Here are a few of my own mental snapshots:

Journalists may be impartial when they report, but behind the scenes they're rooting for their favorites just like everyone else. Taking a break from trekking the eventing cross-country course last Saturday, I was watching the action on the TV monitors in the press tent surrounded by a trio of Italian TV reporters, who clutched their unlit cigarettes like St. Christopher's medals and shouted "Bellissima!" whenever one of the Italian riders was clear over an obstacle.
Le Jeune, after dismounting Canadian jumping bronze medalist Eric Lamaze's horse, Hickstead (the final four in the jumping each had to ride a round on one another's horses), rushed over to his own mount, Vigo d'Arsouilles, and hugged the 17.2-hand chestnut stallion's neck fiercely. The spontaneous gesture proved that, in the end, there's not much difference between an international gold medalist and every little kid who hugs a pony.
The jumper riders shared with one another tips on handling their horses. I'm sure part of it was for their own sakes, but in how many sports do you see competitors giving one another advice?
The WEG volunteers were unfailingly helpful and cheerful. I don't know if I could have been so friendly and welcoming, standing out in the cold or the rain or late at night, my only job to shepherd a straggly crew of weary journalists onto a shuttle bus.
The bus drivers themselves were a friendly bunch, although I could have done without the movies blaring at full volume over the mini-screens at all hours.
I will not miss the dearth of fresh fruit and vegetables in the on-site and local cuisine. I will also not miss being housed in a town whose idea of good food is a Cracker Barrel and a Waffle House.
Marring the generally welcoming atmosphere was the British reporter who, confronted with eventing gold medalist Michael Jung of Germany's decision to use an interpreter at the press conferences, sniffed that these were English-speaking events. I thought that attitude was found only in the good old "This is America; speak English" USA. Guess not. It almost makes me sorry that the 2012 Olympics will be in London. Let Mr. Superior try that attitude in Normandy at the 2014 WEG. I guarantee it won't get him very far.
Golf carts, golf carts, and more golf carts, shuttling competitors and officials up and down the lanes at an alarming pace. WEG chief veterinary advisor Dr. Kent Allen quipped during the competition that the major health crisis of these Games was more likely to be a golf cart-spectator collision than an equine incident. Having narrowly avoided several golf carts and a free-range bicycle myself, I quite agree with him.
US dressage rider and individual bronze medalist Steffen Peters wore a helmet for the awards ceremony after the Grand Prix Freestyle. He said afterward that it was in honor of 2008 Olympic teammate Courtney King-Dye, who suffered a severe head injury after a helmetless fall in March. No dressage competitor shed the traditional top hat in favor of a helmet in the ring, but Peters' gesture did not go unnoticed.

Photo credit: Kit Houghton/FEI

US Event Horse Courageous Comet, Injured on WEG Cross-Country, Should Recover Fully

2010-10-06T15:28:00Z

The silver lining to American event horse Courageous Comet's untimely withdrawal from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games eventing competition is that he stands to recover fully, says Brendan Furlong, MVB, MRCVS, US eventing-team veterinarian and a team vet for the US driving team at the WEG.

"He pulled his left front shoe on course and pulled up lame," Furlong said of the fourteen-year-old gray Thoroughbred gelding, ridden by Becky Holder, 41, of Palmetto, Georgia, and owned by Holder and her husband, Tom.

"There was filling in the right front leg," which indicated some degree of overstress to the compensating opposite foreleg, Furlong said. But "there was no pain on palpation, and he was ultrasounded by Dr. [Jean-Marie] Denoix, who is the world's foremost ultrasound specialist. He could find no damage to any structure -- tendons or ligaments," he said.

The edema was determined to be superficial, and Courageous Comet "should make a complete and full recovery," said Furlong. The gelding is receiving "standard treatment" for this type of minor soft-tissue injury: a course of anti-inflammatory medication plus those old horsemen's standbys of cold-hosing, hand-walking, and limited turnout, Furlong said. The objective is to keep the horse somewhat quiet to allow healing to take place while avoiding further stress to the compromised area.

The timing of the injury was especially wretched: Holder and Courageous Comet were in third place individually after cross-country -- the highest-ranked Americans in the eventing competition -- and stood to contend for an individual medal at the WEG. Alas, it was not to be.

The other case of unfortunate timing was the withdrawal of US rider Kim Severson's horse, Tipperary Liadhnan, from the WEG eventing competition just prior to the first eventing horse inspection. The thirteen-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, owned by Friends of Kim Severson Syndicate, developed a case of cellulitis in his leg before the Games, while "Paddy" was still in Georgia for the 2010 American Eventing Championships in Fairburn, which served as the "mandatory outing" for the WEG short-listed competitors. Veterinarians treated the infection aggressively, with therapies including antibiotics and time in a hyperbaric chamber, according to Furlong. The condition improved steadily but took a turn for the worse at the eleventh hour, forcing Paddy's withdrawal from the US team.

It was another case of rotten luck but an optimistic outlook. Furlong said that Paddy, like Comet, should make a complete recovery and "has another big event left in him."

Comet will be sixteen in two years, when the 2012 London Olympic Games roll around. Paddy will be fifteen. Several horses in that age range competed at the 2010 WEG, including Belgian rider Karin Donckers' Gazelle de la Brasserie CH (16) and Canadian Selena O'Hanlon's Colombo (16). So it's no pipe dream to hope to see Paddy and Comet in London.

Photo credit: Peter Nixon/FEI

Midway Through the WEG, Veterinary Services Are in Good Health

2010-10-05T21:12:00Z

The on-site veterinary clinic may not be quite as lavish (thanks to budget constraints) as originally hoped for, but it's proving quite up to the task of taking care of the horses at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky, according to WEG chief veterinary advisor A. Kent Allen, DVM.

TheHorse.com caught up with Allen at the halfway point of the Games, the day after eventing competition wrapped and as jumping was commencing at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Things at the temporary clinic are going "very well," said Allen. The facility is staffed with two surgeons around the clock and features two ultrasound units and other high-tech equipment, all on standby to diagnose and treat nearly all manner of equine ailments, minor and major. (For a detailed rundown of the veterinary arsenal, click here to read my article, "Keeping the WEG Healthy.")

As expected with the rugged equine triathlon known as eventing, cross-country day produced a few injuries. The good news is that "none of the horses had a life-threatening injury," said Allen, who referred to the lot as "normal wear and tear" incurred when the fittest and keenest of equine athletes meets an ardous 28-fence course over varied terrain.

"The rest of it," said Allen, referring to the endurance, reining, and dressage competitions that are now in the history books, "has gone very well."

When this article went to press (which is to say, right this minute in the blogosphere), we were trying and failing to obtain an update on US event horse Courageous Comet, who stood third individually with rider Becky Holder after cross-country but who was withdrawn prior to show jumping October 3, the cited reason being a pulled shoe on course and an implied injury of some sort caused by overstress to the opposite foreleg. Allen said he was not yet authorized to release further details. We're as anxious as you to find out how the fourteen-year-old gray Thoroughbred gelding is doing, and we'll update you ASAP.

The story that Allen did want to get out was that Iman du Golfe, the Italian event horse who fell at fence 20 on cross-country and suffered a serious laceration and a small bone chip in the region of his left elbow, was nicely sewn up at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington and is doing well. Iman du Golfe's rider, Juan Carlos Garcia, also is doing well after being treated and released for minor injuries at a nearby hospital.

"The European press had the horse dead and buried," Allen said wryly. "The horse would be surprised to hear that, since he's happily munching hay."

New Faces on the Eventing Medal Podiums

2010-10-04T16:09:00Z

Luck wasn’t on the Americans’ side yesterday, on the final day of eventing competition at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

First, Becky Holder withdrew Courageous Comet after the third horse inspection, prior to the show-jumping phase. The fourteen-year-old Thoroughbred gelding, it turned out, had thrown a front shoe early on in his cross-country run on October 2 and had “overcompensated” with the other leg, according to the official statement. As I write this, officials haven’t gotten back to me, so I’m still waiting to find out about the extent of Courageous Comet’s injury. Diagnostic procedures were to have been carried out yesterday at the on-site clinic at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, site of the Games.

Given that Holder and Courageous Comet were in third place individually going into show jumping, their withdrawal was a real blow to the chances of a US medal. But they were competing as individuals, not as part of the four-member team; and so it looked to be up to Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos, Phillip Dutton on Woodburn, Karen O’Connor and Mandiba, and Bruce “Buck” Davidson Jr. on BallyNoe Castle RM to claim the precious metal.

Things looked promising at first: Martin finished on his dressage score of 49.50, putting in a blazing clear round on a chilly, overcast Sunday afternoon with spitting rain. Neville Bardos looked fresh and fit after cross-country, handily negotiating Richard Jeffery’s thirteen-fence, 560-meter course in 87:59, well under the 90-second time limit.

But Davidson had a rail for four faults, and Dutton had a rail and also finished over the time limit, incurring one time fault. The USA’s medal chances slipped away for good when Mandiba ran out at fence 7, the Kentucky Fence Line, an imposing but not overly scary-looking dark-brown gate created to look like those found on many farms in the Bluegrass State. O’Connor stayed on and Mandiba cleared the obstacle at the second presentation, but the damage was done, with the pair incurring four time faults and eight jumping faults.

With the US out of the running, the New Zealand team of Mark Todd on Grass Valley, Andrew Nicholson on Nereo, Caroline Powell on Mac MacDonald, and newcomer Clarke Johnstone on Orient Express stepped up to win the bronze medal with a final team total of 154.80 penalty points. The overjoyed Canadians – who had not won a world-championship eventing medal since 1978 – won the silver medal with 151.50. Team Canada comprised Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch on Port Authority, Selena O’Hanlon on Colombo, Hawley Bennett-Awad on Gin & Juice, and Kyle Carter on Madison Park.

The other team that returned to the podium after a lengthy drought was Great Britain. The eventers’ gold medal was Britain’s first since 1994. Riding for GBR were the veteran Mary King on Imperial Cavalier, the much-decorated William Fox-Pitt on Cool Mountain, Nicola Wilson on Opposition Buzz, and Kristina Cook on Miners Frolic.

It is no accident, said the Canadian team members, that they found themselves back on the WEG eventing podium after having been coached by 2000 Sydney Olympics individual gold medalist David O’Connor, who is also the current president of the United States Equestrian Federation.

“Our success has every bit to do with him,” said Carter. “Four years ago at the WEG, our performance was very disappointing. He is asking and expecting much better results.”

Continuing his domination of the individual portion of the competition, Germany’s Michael Jung on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW sewed up the gold with a clean stadium round as the last rider to go. He finished on his dressage score of 33.00, a full nine penalty points lower than the individual silver medalist, William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain on Cool Mountain. Kiwi Andrew Nicholson’s clean trip aboard Nereo clinched him the bronze medal on a final score of 43.50.

Dressage enthusiasts will be interested to know that US dressage Olympian Guenter Seidel bred Jung’s horse, a ten-year-old Baden-Wurttemberg gelding (Stan the Man xx x Heraldik).

Gracious in defeat, Fox-Pitt said of Jung: “Michael Jung won, the rest nowhere.”

Holder Withdraws

2010-10-03T15:57:00Z

US event rider Becky Holder has withdrawn Courageous Comet from the WEG competition before show jumping. He lost a front shoe on cross-country yesterday and "appears to have overcompensated in the opposite leg," according to a statement. Veterinarians are performing a full diagnosis at the on-site veterinary clinic.

Holder and Courageous Comet were in third place overall after cross-country.

Look, Ma, I Finished!

2010-10-03T01:17:00Z

Michael Etherington-Smith's eventing cross-country course at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games didn't produce any of those gut-wrenching, truly awful moments for which the sport of eventing is occasionally known; yet it still managed to prevent 19 of the 79 starters from finishing the 28-fence course.

We can't say Mike didn't warn us. In my previous blog post, I shared his warnings about the "tricky" fence 7ABC, the Walnut Hall Corner. The four-foot ditch at 7B claimed its share of victims who came over the rails at 7A too flat and fast to regroup before the ditch, resulting in runouts or, in at least one case, an unplanned slide to the lip of the ditch.

Many of the eliminations resulted from three refusals and (thankfully) not from injuries. I'd tell you exactly how many except that, when last I checked, officials were still puzzling out the exact tally of penalties and time faults and therefore had not yet released the official list of results. But I can tell you that, of the US team, Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos and Phillip Dutton on Woodburn went clean. Karen O'Connor on Mandiba had 0.8 time fault. Becky Holder on Courageous Comet (competing as an individual) had 3.2 time faults. And Buck Davidson on BallyNoe Castle RM had 20 jump faults and 26 time faults.

Great Britain's eventing powerhouse, William Fox-Pitt, was only in twelfth place after dressage, but the casualties of cross-country combined with his own clean trip aboard Cool Mountain moved him all the way up to second place in the standings. Michael Jung of Germany, who won the dressage phase with La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, handily maintained his lead with a clean round. And even with her time faults, Becky Holder moved up from fifth after dressage to third overall.

Even those riders who came out on top tipped their helmets to the challenging course. Even the veteran Fox-Pitt, whose time of 11:09 was the day's fifth-fastest, said that "no one anticipated the problems it [caused]." There was "enough trouble for me to have moved up from twelfth to second. I'm amazed." He added that "I didn't feel any more relaxed for having ridden around here in the spring" at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****.

Holder said of the course: "We were very much aware of the cumulative effect of little, tiny mistakes as the course went on."

Jung, the leader going into stadium jumping, said the WEG is his first championship at the four-star level. With the aid of a translator, he called the cross-country track a "difficult but very beautiful course. Every jump asked a very big effort from the horse."

Jung characterized his horse, La Bioesthique-Sam FBW, as "very careful. He does not have a lot of scope, but he wants to work with me with all of his heart."

"It's a very big course--the biggest thing I've ever jumped," said Boyd Martin. Of his go, he said, "It wasn't the prettiest round I've ever ridden. Neville was pretty wound up and excited. It was the biggest crowd we've both seen." The pair had a big bobble at the Land Between the Lakes (aka the Head of the Lake) water jump that nearly got Martin out of the tack.

A record crowd of 50,818 thronged the Kentucky Horse Park for cross-country day, jamming traffic on Iron Works Pike, the main artery to the park entrances, for miles in the morning and again at the end of the day.

Casualty report

There were a few injuries on cross-country, most thankfully minor. Italian pair Juan Carlos Garcia and Iman du Golfe fell at fence 20, the 3'10"-3'11" high corner called the Abraham Lincoln Birthplace. Both were taken to hospitals, with the horse being transported via ambulance to nearby Rood & Riddle. By late evening, WEG officials had released statements on both. Garcia was treated for "minor injuries" and released the same day. Iman du Golfe sustained "a deep laceration and a small bone chip near his left elbow." The laceration was sutured, and veterinarians are optimistic that he will make a full recovery.

Fernhill Clover Mist, ridden by Patricia Ryan of Ireland, sustained an unspecified injury to his left hock while galloping between fences on course. He was treated at the on-site WEG veterinary clinic and also has a positive prognosis.

Finally, Australian rider Paul Tapner's horse, Inonothing, was injured at fence 13B, a 3'11" high coop with brush. He too was examined at the on-site clinic, and radiographs revealed a fracture of Inonothing's left hind patella. He is reported to be resting comfortably in his stall at the Horse Park and should recover fully.

You probably already suspect this, but the finish line at a WEG cross-country course is a busy place. In Kentucky, grooms were hard at work cooling horses while sweaty riders dashed over to the media "mixed zone" (our sport's low-tech version of figure skating's "kiss and cry" area) to give the press a quick rundown on their trips. Here, filmed from the mixed zone (so forgive the noise) is a quick clip of the action.

Cross-Country Course Walk

2010-10-01T20:27:00Z

Eventing enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting tomorrow's cross-country phase of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games competition. Yesterday afternoon, a group of journalists and photographers perched on tractor-pulled hay wagons for an abbreviated tour of the course.

One of the challenges in creating the course, said course designer Michael Etherington-Smith, was working with the lines of travel created by the additional buildings and facilities erected for the WEG. And, of course, doing something different from the Kentucky Horse Park's flagship Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, held here each April.

"It certainly is a big course," said Etherington-Smith of his handiwork, which has an allotted time of eleven minutes and fourteen seconds. "They're going to have to make decisions. If things aren't going well, they're going to have to go to plan B," meaning the somewhat less challenging but more time-consuming alternate routes.

"It is a slightly longish track. Riders will need to be careful not to use their horses up early on," he said.

For safety's sake

Etherington-Smith and his crew, including assistant course designer Derek di Grazia, have done "a lot of work on the footing," Etherington-Smith said. That includes irrigation -- sprinklers were hard at work at the time of our course tour -- making for an easy way to mark the course track: It's the lanes of green grass, in contrast to the brownish, dried stuff everywhere else, testament to the hot, dry Kentucky summer and early fall.

The course designer has also made use of reverse pinning, in which rails are attached on the backs of uprights instead of in front, thereby making them more breakaway in the event of a crash.

Reverse pinning "has saved a couple of really nasty falls" at other competitions, including Burleigh in England, Etherington-Smith said.

Highlighted fences

Everyone loves to watch the water jump at an event. The famed Rolex obstacle, the Head of the Lake, has been redubbed the Land Between the Lakes for WEG, to keep both events' sponsors happy. The water has had tint added to aid in visibility to the horses, Etherington-Smith said.

Etherington-Smith called fence 7ABC, the Walnut Hall Corner, "a tricky fence." The bank-tiger trap-drop combo didn't look overly scary (as four-star eventing obtacles go), but "good riders will make it look easier than it is," he said. I'll be watching this one carefully tomorrow to find out what he meant.

Fence 5ABCD, the Salato Wildlife Center, is sure to be much-photographed because it incorporates an elaborately carved and painted frog, trout, and kingfisher made by a local Kentucky carver, the designer said.

Fence 27AB, the third obstacle from home, is the Scalloped Brush, whose long route includes a quick trip around a fence-enclosed Land Rover.

"It's a challenge to create fences near the end of the course," said Etherington-Smith. "You need to have enough gas in the tank."

He commented that "Thoroughbred horses, horses with sufficient fitness," should be able to handle the demands of the course with no problems. Those that are not supremely fit may find their fuel reserves wanting.

Cross-country kicks off tomorrow, October 2, at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

Fun, Fun, Fun

2010-09-30T20:55:00Z

It's a beautiful sunny day here in Lexington, Kentucky. I had a relatively light duty day today, so I decided to walk around and take some photos, and then to attend the individual reining medal finals.

Maybe this is old hat for Europeans, but I get a kick out of hearing the different accents and languages on the grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park. Spectators and competitors alike have a patriotic yet welcoming vibe. Flag-decorated golf carts, patriotic getup, and cheerfully outlandish and spirited accessories are the name of the game. They announce one's loyalties in a lighthearted way. And of course the best way to break the ice on the shuttle bus, in line for food, or elsewhere is to ask, "Where are you from?"

It's also fun to see the television cameras everywhere. I'm sure a number of them are for the BBC and other foreign media outlets -- you know, the ones that actually care about horse sports -- but still it was exciting to see an NBC Sports banner at a "horse show."

I'm switching to reining!

If you want to ride and compete and have a blast doing it, reining is the way to go. Some of you may know that I'm a dressage enthusiast at heart, but reining's got it all over dressage in terms of audience participation and a celebratory atmosphere. Uptempo music plays during each rider's go -- today I heard everything from the Ghostbusters theme and AC/DC to Michael Jackson and Lady Gaga -- which pumps up the horses. Audience members cheer loudly and let out wolf whistles during the rides to signal their approval. And amidst the din, the horses halt and stand quietly. Amazing!

It didn't hurt crowd morale that American rider Tom McCutcheon and Gunners Special Nite won the individual reining gold medal, with a score of 228.00. His USA teammate Craig Schmersal on Mister Montana Nic took silver with 223.00, and Duane Latimer of Canada rode Dun Playin Tag to bronze with a score of 222.50.

Fun all around! Now I'd better bring this blog entry to a close: A cross-country course walk awaits.

Three Event Horses Are Out

2010-09-29T18:28:00Z

The past two days brought disappointment to the French, American, and Mexican eventing teams at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.

Yesterday, the French eventer Metisse de Lalou, a ten-year-old Selle Francais mare ridden by Lionel Guyon, suffered an "acute episode of colic" at the Horse Park, according to WEG chief veterinary advisor A. Kent Allen, DVM.

"We treated the horse at the on-site clinic," Allen said today. "When she continued to be painful, she was transferred to Rood & Riddle [Equine Hospital in Lexington], where she underwent surgery for a displaced bowel. She was treated successfully and today is doing well."

Rood & Riddle's Dr. Scott Hopper peformed the surgery, Allen said.

Metisse de Lalou is expected to return home to France "on the last flight home" from the WEG, Allen said.

Then this morning, the United States Equestrian Federation released a statement that Kim Severson's 13-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Tipperary Liadhnan, was withdrawn from the WEG eventing competition as a result of a cellulitis infection that had been steadily improving but then "took a dramatic turn for the worse" yesterday morning, according to US eventing chef d'equipe Capt. Mark Phillips.

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba now will ride as part of the four-member US eventing team, joining Phillip Dutton on Woodburn, Buck Davidson on BallyNoe Castle RM, and Boyd Martin on Neville Bardos. Becky Holder and Courageous Comet will compete as individuals.

Finally, in this morning's eventing horse inspection, it was all clear until the very end. The last horse to jog, Mexico's Azteca, ridden by Escipion Mindivil Minjares, was "spun" (failed the inspection). Azteca would have been the lone eventing entry from Mexico.