April 23, 2008–The tragic news that two more riders have died on cross-country courses, Franz Graf in Austria on April 6 and Karen Rodgers on April 20 in Ireland, has prompted Captain Mark Phillips, who heads the U.S. Three-Day Eventing Team, to plead with riders to “forget the clock and ride fences with the safety of their horses and themselves in mind.” Phillips expressed his concern over all the recent accidents and, while acknowledging the complexity of the issues facing the sport, begged riders at all levels of the sport to slow down where necessary, treat cross-country fences with respect, and think safety first. Click here to read his full comments on the USEA website.
Yes,slowing down can most DEFINATELY drop the death rate in these riders..Going Fast…and then falling is going to give you greater injuries then if you go Slow…the impact…it all makes a difference!SLOWWWWWWWWWWWW DOWN!
Wow, I totally agree with Philips. Though I’m not too knowledgable about the sport that totally makes sense! I think people should really listent to this, and if you don’t, well sit down and think about if you love your sport!
lets face it the only way that can happen is to take the ” time” part out of it..to tell them to slow down and still have it that the best time wins is ..well full of it…never going to happen…they need to “really ” make a stand…not just what they think people want to hear…when if you go, or show in these events ..you know what it is..fastest clear round wins…duh!
lets face it the only way that can happen is to take the ” time” part out of it..to tell them to slow down and still have it that the best time wins is ..well full of it…never going to happen…they need to “really ” make a stand…not just what they think people want to hear…when if you go, or show in these events ..you know what it is..fastest clear round wins…duh!
about time!
its about time! i hate this sport. horses are always getting hurt because their humans want to win win win. I hope someday its banned.
They should slow down!!!!
I agree 100%. SLOW THE HORSES AND RIDERS DOWN!!!!!!!!! I think should instead of making the course, lets say, 2 minutes, make it 2 minutes and 50 seconds, and etc. So, that people won’t feel rushed.
How high does the death tally need to go before someone actually says stop, and does something about it???? It’s one thing to make a statement, it’s a whole nother ballgame to actually fix the problem.
This is really sad news. I sure hope they improve safety quickly.