FEI hosts new Grooms Working Group; will support their role in sport horse welfare

Grooms are gaining recognition for the role they play in equine welfare within equestrian sport. The FEI's new Grooms Working Group is expanding into a more formal registration program for international sport horse grooms. (Fran Jurga photo/©Hoof Blog)

The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) hosted the inaugural meeting of its new Grooms Working Group at the Federation's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland this week.

It was the first meeting of its kind. 

The working group was created following a recent survey among national equestrian federations to determine the best way to improve communications and interaction with grooms and what the FEI can do to help them.

As part of a day of very positive discussion, it was agreed by the working group that there was a need to establish a more formal relationship, with grooms being officially welcomed into the FEI family through being registered with the FEI. Registration would facilitate further development of education systems, and create a more structured framework for cooperation between the FEI and grooms.

In addition, the FEI is taking significant steps towards producing applications and other tools which will best serve the grooms, allowing them to streamline preparation for upcoming events.

“Grooms play an absolutely vital role in our sport, especially in preserving the welfare of our horses, but often they go unnoticed and unrecognized, so this new working group has been set up to change that and establish an official relationship with these very important members of our community,” FEI President Ingmar De Vos said after the meeting.

The new Grooms Working Group had its first meeting at FEI Headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland this week. (L-R): Nanna-Riikka Nieminen (Finland) and Brent Kuylen (Belgium) representing Jumping; Jackie Potts (Great Britain) representing Eventing; FEI President Ingmar De Vos; and Alan Davies (Great Britain) representing Dressage. (FEI photo)

“It is vital for the sport and for the development of our global equestrian community to have a solid support network, and for the FEI to offer assistance and education where necessary. Grooms are truly worth their weight in gold, and we want to provide the finest resources and tools that will help increase knowledge of best practices and standards. Forging better relationships with our grooms is only the beginning. We want to help them share their knowledge with the wider community for the benefit of the sport globally.”

“I felt very honored to be invited by the FEI to talk about the future of the grooms,” said dressage groom Alan Davies, who works with British Olympic stars Carl Hester and Charlotte Dujardin.

“I am super excited about the fact that the FEI want to do things to help the grooms and improve everything, which at the end of the day is for the welfare of the horse as well. It was a great meeting, we talked a lot about amazing new features and things which can be developed. It won’t be easy and it is going to take some time to put in place but it will be a fantastic project.”

Belgium's Brent Kuylen, who has worked with Dutch Jumping world champion Jeroen Dubbeldam, and Finland's Nanna-Riikka Nieminen, who previously groomed for two-time Olympian Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden, both agreed that the day had been a “great experience” and were looking forward to future initiatives.

“I think this is a real step forward,” said British Eventing legend William Fox-Pitt’s groom Jackie Potts. “It’s good to try and keep the standards up, and use the experience and the knowledge that some of us have gained over the years, in keeping welfare a priority and keeping grooms in the industry as well.”

Following this initial meeting, the FEI will now focus on the key components of integration, registration, education and communication. Membership in the Grooms Working Group will be expanded to include grooms from other disciplines, with the next meeting planned for 2018, ahead of the FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Tryon, North Carolina (USA).

Information for this article was provided by the FEI. 

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is the news service for Hoofcare and Lameness Publishing. Please, no re-use of text or images on other sites or social media without permission--please link instead. (Please ask if you need help.) The Hoof Blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a headlines-link email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). Use the little envelope symbol below to email this article to others. The "translator" tool in the right sidebar will convert this article (roughly) to the language of your choice. To share this article on Facebook and other social media, click on the small symbols below the labels. Be sure to "like" the Hoofcare and Lameness Facebook page and click on "get notifications" under the page's "like" button to keep up with the hoof news on Facebook.
  

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Book Announcement: Jean-Marie Denoix's Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse Published December 2013

Stop the world, Jean-Marie Denoix's new book is out. The first advance copies of Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse by Professor Jean-Marie Denoix are hitting US shores. The official publication date was December 30, 2013.

Biomechanics and Physical Training of the Horse is an expansion of Professor Denoix's landmark earlier and highly recommended earlier textbook, Physical Therapy and Massage for the Horse. The production has been upgraded to a full color format and the author's trademark illustrations are supplemented by copious photographs of leading French equestrians caught in sometimes less than graceful segments of strides, lateral movements, and jumps.

Aachen's Walk of Fame: What Does the Plaza Paved with Horseshoes Tell Us About Famous International Sport Horses?

CHIO Aachen Show Director Frank Kemperman stood in the show's new starwalk in 2011. It has continued to grow, with three new shoes added recently.

In 2011, The Hoof Blog was delighted to introduce a terrific new "Walk of Fame" at the showgrounds of CHIO Aachen in Germany. The horse show that stands tall above all others wanted to honor some of the famous horses who have competed there. Their way of remembering was to ask for a shoe from each to sink into the pavement, surrounded by a star.

Update on Hypersensitive Disqualification of Canadian Rider Tiffany Foster 's Horse from Olympics for Cut on Coronet

It's the story that has stayed on everyone's mind. Less than an hour before she was to mount up and ride in her first Olympic Games, Canadian team member Tiffany Foster found out that FEI officials had declared her horse unfit to compete.

The judgement was based on the FEI's carefully-crafted policy on what is called a horse's "hypersensitivity" to stimulus on the lower legs. A small cut on the coronet (hair line between hoof and pastern) had caused the horse to react to examination.

According to reports, a thermal imaging examination confirmed the clinical exam: an area of heat could also have been evident on the diagnostic images.

The test was designed to identify horses that had been deliberately hypersensitized. A horse with sore pasterns will protect the painful area as it goes over a jump and is less likely to rub or knock an obstacle.

Even though the FEI said that no wrongdoing had taken place, Tiffany was out and the Games went on. At a press conference, her mentor, 2008 Olympic Individual Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze, lashed out at the FEI hypersensitivity protocol. Later, he lashed out at his own national federation, even though Canada did appeal the ruling immediately.

US veterinarian Kent Allen of Virginia 
quaified the disqualification statement
at the Olympics press conference; 
he is the FEI's Foreign Vet Delegate.
(Erin GIlmore photo)

According to FEI policy, there is no appeal on veterinary cases.

FEI Foreign Veterinary Delegate Kent Allen was on hand to explain the FEI’s decision during the press conference. He confirmed that 86 Olympic horses were monitored on the first day of the competition, and 70 were monitored the second day. Victor was the only horse found to have abnormally excessive evidence of hypersensitivity.

“The equine Olympic athlete is the most closely monitored athlete at the Olympic Games, and the FEI’s mandate is for the welfare of the horse and the well being of the horse,” Allen stated. “It’s very regrettable in this circumstance, that the horse was simply too hypersensitive in that leg to continue on.”

Lamaze lashed out: "This is a complete miscarriage of justice,” he said. “We all know why they use the test and we all understand it. This has nothing to do with this rule."

On Tuesday, August 7, the Canadian federation issued a brief statement accepting the FEI judgment. Those were fighting words to the ears of Lamaze. He said he would simply not ride for Canada again unless the national authorities showed support for Tiffany Foster in this situation.

Unrest in the Canadian camp after Foster's disqualification (Erin Gilmore photo)

Eyebrows went up around the world this afternoon when Canada issued a new statement on the disqualification of Tiffany Foster and the system used to do it. Here are their new words:

Canada's Clarification Statement

August 8, 2012, London, England - Equine Canada has issued the following further statements regarding the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) hypersensitivity testing protocol.

"Equine Canada agrees that the FEI's hypersensitivity protocol is in place to protect the welfare of the horse and the fairness of our sport," states Mr. Gallagher.

"Victor sustained a superficial cut on the front of the left front coronary band," states Canadian Olympic Team Veterinarian for Jumping Dr. Sylvie Surprenant. "In our opinion the horse was fit to compete as he showed no signs of lameness.

"However the FEI hypersensitivity protocol is such that if the horse is sensitive to the touch, regardless of the cause, the horse is disqualified. While the FEI rules for the hypersensitivity protocol were followed, we believe that there should be a review of this protocol."

"We feel that further discussion of the hypersensitivity protocol needs to take place in order to ensure a balance is reached between the philosophical intent and the real-world application. Canada looks forward to playing a role in those discussions along with other nations within the FEI family," states Mr. Gallagher

"Equine Canada wants to make it clear that there is absolutely no accusation of any wrongdoing on the part of our athlete Tiffany Foster or any member of the Canadian Team. Equine Canada fully stands behind and supports our athlete Tiffany Foster, as well as our entire team.

Everyone at Equine Canada and the Canadian Olympic Team are disheartened and extremely disappointed over the premature ending of Tiffany Foster's Olympic dream, and remain fiercely proud of both her incredible sportsmanship and athletic achievements," states Mr. Gallagher.

(end of statement)

Tiffany Silver and Eric Lamaze, teammates for Canada's showjumping squad in London. Lamaze  went into London as the defending individual Olympic gold medalist. (Erin Gilmore photo)

Will the new Canadian statement appease Lamaze and bring him home happy or will he be out shopping for a new nation's flag? Will a new chapter open in the ongoing saga of the FEI's hypersensitization protocol?

The Olympics just aren't over yet.

To learn more:
FEI explanation of hypersensitivity testing

Thanks to Erin Gilmore of www.proequest.com for her photos from the press conference and quotes.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Olympic Hypersensitivity: Cut on Coronet Forces Canadian Jumper's Horse Out of Games

An FEI inspection of a jumper's pasterns. The clipped pasterns on showjumpers means that any cuts and scrapes, especially on light-colored hooves and coronets, are visible. When these horses compete, they wear jumping boots and may have studs screwed into their shoes. Their pasterns are exposed below the boots. Horses wearing studs commonly step on themselves when they scramble before or after a jump and it's not unusual to have a cut or scrape on the pastern. Many wear a stud girth to protect their bellies from the studs, but nothing protects the pastern area. (FEI web site photo)

A controversy has erupted in London over a subject that has often been covered on this blog and over at The Jurga Report: disqualification of an international rider for a positive test for hypersensitivity in a horse's lower leg under FEI regulations.

In this article, The Hoof Blog will give the official statement from the FEI, then pass along some quotes from Canadian connections and look at what hypersensitivity is. This is a collection of facts and quotes...the second-guessing will be left to others.

Sunday morning the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), world governing body for equestrian sport, issued the following statement:

"The Canadian horse Victor, ridden by Tiffany Foster, has been disqualified under the FEI’s hypersensitivity protocol due to an area of clear and obvious hypersensitivity on the front of the left forelimb.

"The Veterinary Commission stated that the horse had an area of inflammation and sensitivity on the left forelimb just above the hoof. There was no accusation of malpractice, but the horse was deemed unfit to compete by the Ground Jury and was disqualified from the Second Qualifier of the Jumping competition at the Olympic Games this morning.

"A protest lodged by the Canadian chef d’equipe was heard by the FEI Appeal Committee before the end of the competition in order to facilitate the athlete taking part in the competition if the protest was successful.

"However, the protest was denied based on Annex XI of the FEI Veterinary Regulations, which state: 'there is no appeal against the decision of the Ground Jury to disqualify a horse for abnormal sensitivity from an Event'.

"The FEI General Regulations also clearly state that there is no appeal against an elimination of a horse for veterinary reasons.

"The horse Victor, ridden by Tiffany Foster, will take no further part in the equestrian events at London 2012." (end of FEI statement)

The statement was issued after a press conference was convened at 5 p.m. (London GMT).

What happened? According to a Team Canada press release: "Less than one hour before the start of team competition, scheduled to commence at 11 a.m., FEI veterinarians entered the stall of Victor, the horse ridden by (Tiffany) Foster.

"Following a routine examination of the horse in its stall, Terrance Millar, chef d'équipe of the Canadian Olympic Team for Show Jumping, was informed that Foster was disqualified under the International Equestrian Federation's (FEI) hypersensitivity protocol."

According to the Horse-Canada.com web site, Millar stated that the FEI officials used thermography to evaluate the horse.

Canadian rider Tiffany Foster, from Schomberg, Ontario, is a protege of 2008 Individual Jumping Gold Medalist Eric Lamaze who is riding in her first Olympics. She was walking the course in the arena when veterinary officials examined her horse.

Foster's horse, Victor, is a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Artisan Farms and Torrey Pines Stable of Ontario.

Earlier this summer, a jumper ridden by Ireland's Denis Lynch was also disqualified for hypersensitivity.

A typical thermographic examination of a horse's leg usually involves the display of the resulting image on a monitor or laptop screen. (Image courtesy of vetmoves.com)

Definitions: Sensitivity, Hyposensitivity and Hypersensitivity

In the realm of horse sports governed by the FEI, limb sensitivity refers to the sensation perceived by horses in their legs.

If the sensation is increased beyond normal limits it is called hypersensitivity. Conversely, if the sensation is below normal limits it is called hyposensitivity.

Hypersensitivity can be produced by a range of normal occurrences, such as insect stings, accidental self-inflicted injuries, skin infections etc. Hyposensitivity could result from traumatic or surgical cutting of the nerves to that area of the limb (i.e. neurectomy.)

Hypersensitisation is the term used to define the artificial production of hypersensitivity. It is contrary to horse welfare and fair play as it could encourage horses to jump more carefully and higher.

Sample thermography image

Princess Haya, President of the FEI: "We've had an incredible Games so far. I hope to see Tiffany again in the future, it's very sad for Tiffany that she's unable to compete."

Thermographic evaluations of sport horse limbs has been controversial in the past; FEI protocol calls for both clinical examination and diagnostic imaging of an area of concern.

Veterinarian and former farrier Mike Pownall DVM of McKee-Pownell Equine Services in Ontario commented: "Thermography has too many false positives to be used as the deciding factor on whether a rider is disqualified. More research has to be done to determine a gold standard way to protect the horse. Until then, it is unfair to the horse, the rider and the nation."

Thermography is also used by the US Department of Agriculture in the examination of Tennessee walking horses for the practice of soring at horse shows.

"The rule was put in to protect the horses, but this is just a blind application of a rule without any commonsense at all," commented Canadian chef d'equipe Torchy Millar on Tiffany Foster's elimination.

The flag of the Canadian Equestrian Team

The London Games have been a nightmare for Canada so far. One rider, eventer Hawley Bennett-Awad was hospitalized after she was injured on cross-country. Dressage rider David Marcus was eliminated when his horse suffered a meltdown during the team dressage Grand Prix...after doing most of the test in a torrential downpour. He shied repeatedly and tried to bolt, as if he was being pinged by an electrical shock from the ground, but no other horses had similar problems.

The horse van bringing the Canadian jumpers into London's Greenwich Park facility broke down on the way. Eric Lamaze, defending Olympic gold medalist in the sport, is competing after the tragic death of his Beijing partner, Hickstead. Lamaze is riding a young, inexperienced mare at London.

And now, Canadian jumping has lost its young team member, forcing all team medal hopes on the three remaining riders: Lamaze, Henselwood and Millar.

If I've read the scoring correctly, Canada is in sixth place going into tomorrow's final round for the team medals, but since there are four nations tied for second, it is well within the realm of possibility that Canada can still score a medal.

That would be poetic justice, in the end, since Tiffany Foster would be entitled to stand on the podium with her teammates, and wear whatever medal they can win without her. Tomorrow's final round will be one to watch.

Git 'er done, Team Canada...here's your pep talk!



To learn more:

FEI page on hypersensitivity testing for show jumpers

Canada.com coverage of the disqualification

Canada fury as Foster's horse is disqualified

Photo of Tiffany Silver at press conference by Cealy Tetley, www.tetleyphoto.com

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© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

London 2012 Farriers: Tending the Other Olympic Flame

Once there was a peaceful park on the edge of London...

The Opening Ceremonies of the London 2012 Olympic Games were pretty spectacular. I’m sure that the highlight for many was when the Queen parachuted out of a helicopter and into the stadium with James Bond at her side and her handbag in place.

But for me, the highlight came before that.

Director Danny Boyle’s timeline portrayal began with a bucolic rural England, complete with (real) giant Shire horses. It got even better when smokestacks rose among the meadows and the Industrial Revolution reshaped the land into mills, waterwheels and massive gears. Smoke filled the air. The pastoral farmers turned into millworkers with soot on their faces.

And then it happened.

The smiths leaned on their hammers and watched the rings they'd forged rise in the sky over the stadium

The center of the stadium glowed with fire and a single giant Olympic ring formed in the earth. And it kept forming because 100 or so hammer-wielding smith-types pounded it into shape. Ok, so their sledges were undoubtedly made of foam. But it was pretty realistic, an Olympic-sized exercise of traditional iron wheel-making in a forge.

The ring rose in the night sky and four others joined it, forming the iconic Olympic rings.

The peaceful park was transformed into an equestrian village, with a smithy, of course.

Across the river in London’s Greenwich Park, the equestrian events were set to begin 12 hours later and the Olympic forge was open for business. The flame burning there is encased in a gas forge, but it is being tended by a group of British farriers who are also sharing it with team farriers from around the world.

If there is a place at the Olympic equestrian venue where the world meets, it will be here. The Olympic forge amidst the sprawling stable area should be a re-creation of the village smithy on a town green.

During the Games, the Hoof Blog will do its best to connect you with the people who are sharing the Olympic Forge’s Flame.

You won’t hear gossip about horses or riders, but you might learn something about how the FEI and individual nations approach farriery and veterinary care as essential parts of equine welfare, how the forge came to be, who the farriers are, and which nations sent a farrier along with the horses to keep things straight.

We’ll end the beginning by saying thank you to all the farriers who have already generously provided interviews and sent over photos of their time in Greenwich Park. Keep it coming...and keep the Olympic forge flame burning for us all.

Call 978 281 3222 for US orders of this crucial reference book; supplies are limited!

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing; Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.  

Follow Hoofcare + Lameness on Twitter: @HoofcareJournal

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I have not received any direct compensation for writing this post. I have no material connection to the brands, products, or services that I have mentioned, other than Hoofcare Publishing. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.

Leg Boots for Sport Horses: Protection? Support? Do They Work?

How much do you know about protective and supportive leg boots for sport and performance horses? I don't mean just the difference between polo wraps and jumping boots, but how much do you really think they help prevent injuries to structures like the always-vulnerable suspensory ligament. Do you know the difference between protection and support?

British equine science consultant David Marlin PhD is about to teach you a lot more in this lecture kindly videotaped and provided for us by the US Eventing Association.

David's campaign to test horse gear the same way we test human gear makes a lot of sense and this video is a first step to understanding more about what some of the superficial leg injuries in eventing are like, where in the lower limb the horses tend to hit, how hard they tend to hit and whether a boot or wrap can make a difference.

Sit down, relax, and take this in, or make some time later to come back and watch this. Please Tweet or email this page to others so that this information can spread. It may sound basic, but we find over and over again that it is the most basic things that people often do not understand because they seem so...well... basic, that they don't bother to ask questions. This is written by someone who has put boots on upside down plenty of times and been publicly embarrassed for it!

I will certainly suggest to David that if there are to be rules about boots that marking "top" and "inside" should be mandatory.

Thanks again to US Eventing and to Dr. Marlin for providing this excellent lecture.

© Fran Jurga and Hoofcare Publishing Fran Jurga's Hoof Blog is a between-issues news service for subscribers to Hoofcare and Lameness Journal. Please, no use without permission. You only need to ask. This blog may be read online at the blog page, checked via RSS feed, or received via a digest-type email (requires signup in box at top right of blog page). To subscribe to Hoofcare and Lameness (the journal), please visit the main site, www.hoofcare.com, where many educational products and media related to equine lameness and hoof science can be found. Questions or problems with this blog? Send email to blog@hoofcare.com.

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