Posted on 05/01/2007 7:28:28 AM PDT by Help!
See video here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqUPoQj5hV8
Tryon Under FEI Investigation Following Rolex Kentucky Le Samurai’s injury before the last fence at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event left spectators at the event and around the globe, who were watching on the Internet, shocked and upset. He jumped the last fence almost on three legs, and Amy Tryon, who had been in the lead after dressage, dismounted immediately upon crossing the finish line.
Members of the ground jury met later on April 28 to investigate the incident for alleged abuse. They reviewed written statements from the fence judges, watched the videotape and interviewed FEI Veterinary Delegate Dr. Catherine Kohn. They could not reach Tryon, because she had left the show grounds to be with Le Samurai.
Ground jury officials then referred the matter to the FEI Appeal Committee because the matter falls under their duties, according to article 164.4.5 of the FEI General Regulations, “In serious cases, immediate disqualification with one or more horses from a competition or from the whole event with referral to the Secretary General (for referral to the Judicial Committee.)”
Tryon was disqualified from the competition. She released a statement on April 29: “Le Samurai is resting comfortably at the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute [Ky.] and has the best care that could be provided anywhere in the world. I wish to express that I am totally devastated about the injury he sustained yesterday but cannot comment further pending a review by the FEI. I’d give anything if this had not happened. I love this horse. Le Samurai is very special to me, and we share a deep bond that is beyond competition. Although we will no longer be competing together, we will always be partners. I thank everyone who has generously assisted with Le Samurai’s care and been so supportive.”
The FEI Judicial Committee (Ken Lalo of Israel, Erik Elstad of Norway, Jens Adolphsen of Germany, Patrick Boelens of Belgium, Leonidas C. Georgopoulos of Greece, Helen Huggett of Great Britain and Philip O'Connor of Ireland) may take any action, ranging from a warning, to a fine, to a suspension for any period of time or for life, if she is found to have violated the rules.
It sounds to me that the horse was injured before the jump?, but the rider kept going...was the injury bad enough that she knew he was injured?
Becky
I wonder how many horses were lost training in calvery.
OK - I’ve seen the video... The horse was off before the last jump, and after, certainly... Was it edited or were they just seconds from the finish?
It’s debatable to me whether the rider could clearly tell what was happening well enough to make a decision in real time that is as easy as in hindsight, they can’t see like we can.
See my above.... meant to reply to you :~)
Yes, that’s the debate, whether she just thought he “stung” himself or could plainly tell he was already injured. Some say he tried to break to a trot, but she kicked him on.
They were just moments from the finish, although this is 3-day eventing, so they still had the stadium phase to go. So finishing with a lame horse would get her nothing.
Bunny;Pancake;Head You know the drill.
He stumbled, seemed to recover, then went very gimpy on the foreleg. But then it seemed to get better, or the horse compensated for it.
Yeah, that woman’s leg needs to be broke and then force her to run around a jump...
Becky
I let the video load and watched...she had to know something was wrong...look how much that horses head was bobbing after that trip he took...She knew, and if she didn’t, she doesn’t need to be competing.
Becky
I never saw anything that indicated the horse seemed to get better, I saw him trying to slow down, then was urged on by the rider.
Becky
Prior to the jump he looks like he slips and crossfires a bit... Those kinds of things can be hard to interpret.
I’d hate to dump on a rider without cause... it can be pretty hard to tell definitively what’s going on in just seconds. I’m going to give her the benefit of the doubt, in terms of accusations of abuse or negligence, and hope that the horse can go on to recover.
What is the extent of the injury? She speaks of his career in past tense at the end.
- USEA Lady Rider of the Year
- Chronicle of the Horse, Eventing Horseman of the Year
- Chronicle of the Horse, Eventing Horse of the Year
Amy Tryon’s 2006 successes included performances at every star level, around the world and with a variety of horses.
- Poggio II, individual Bronze Medal at the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany
- Woodstock, 5th place at the Rolex Kentucky CCI****
- Le Samurai, 5th place at the Blenheim CCI*** in England
- Leyland, 1st place at the Galway Downs CCI**
- Coal Creek, 2nd place at the Galway Downs CCI*
But she is no spoiled brat; she worked as a firefighter while starting her eventing career.
Spotlight on U.S. Equestrian eventing star Amy Tryon
By Nikki Dee Corum // USOC Media Services // April 14, 2004
When Amy Tryon, U.S. Equestrian eventing rider, says that she got where she is today through hard work, don’t take her lightly. Tryon and her older sister got their first pony when Amy was only one year old. Raised by a single parent, Tryon was well aware of the financial strain that becoming an equestrian would put on her mother. So, she became content with watching her passion from a distance.
“I used to read books and watch video tapes of the people that I idolized, but I never thought that I would have the opportunity to compete at that level with those people and travel around the world,” says Tryon.
But Tryon’s mother was not about to let her daughter give up on that dream. Tryon began competitions in the local 4H when she was five years old, and rode in her first event at the age of eight. Since then, she has come a long way. Now, Tryon is a member of the U.S. Equestrian Team, competing at the highest level and riding among her role models. She can also boast of being an Olympic hopeful and a member of the World Champion Eventing Team, but even with her credentials, Tryon remains humble.
“I consider myself lucky,” she contends. “I’m happy to go out there every day and do it, because there are so many people who would love to be in my position. So, I’m enjoying it while I can.”
Tryon gets up about 6:30 a.m. and is in the barn by 8:00 a.m., riding between three and eight horses daily. In between rides, she takes care of the day-to-day responsibilities that come with owning a stable that boards 20 horses – keeping books, ordering hay, picking up rocks, repairing fences, cleaning stalls, and anything else that might come up. Not to mention feeding and grooming the horses. After a grueling day of work, Tryon gets in at around 9:00 p.m. with just enough time to eat dinner and go to bed.
“Every day I’m home, I ride. I probably take about two days off a year,” she says.
Tryon is also a full-time firefighter in Spokane, Wash., working 24-hour shifts every other day and getting four days off every five days. But her dream was not to become a firefighter. During college she began looking for a job with a schedule that would accommodate her riding. Immediately drawn to being a paramedic, Tryon began researching her field of choice. However, she soon discovered that the road to being a paramedic was long.
“You have to have experience as a firefighter before you can go to paramedic school. I started going to the fire academy and volunteering for the fire department. About a year and a half after I started testing, I got hired full time,” Tryon explains.
There are definitely sacrifices involved with being an Olympic hopeful. Tryon travels to the East Coast from her home in Washington for competitions and is often gone for months at a time, taking off time from work, leaving her husband to take care of the horses, and missing the support of her family and friends. But it will all be worth it for her to have the opportunity to compete in Athens this summer.
“My husband and I look at it as even though it’s a sacrifice for us financially, I don’t want to wake up when I’m 60 years old and say ‘I wish I had tried,’” says Tryon.
Not too long ago, Tryon’s Olympic career looked like it might be in jeopardy. Last May she had back surgery to correct problems that had progressed into painful pressure on her nerves. Taking a risk, Tryon decided to have surgery, and she says that it has made all the difference.
She couldn’t work or train for five months, but she began conditioning herself as soon as possible and feels like she is back in shape, though it has been an “uphill battle.”
The final step in Tryon’s path to the 2004 Olympic Games will be the Eventing Selection Trials, April 22-25, in Lexington, Ky. Though this competition will take her away from home once again, it has the prospect of bringing her closer to Athens.
Tryon has not only become a successful athlete, but also an inspiration. One thing that Tryon wants to communicate to young riders is that anyone can do what she has done, but the only way to get there is hard work.
“Work hard. Hard, hard, hard work. Anything is attainable if you work hard enough. You don’t have to have money or live in an area that has horses, but you have to work hard. You have to be willing to put yourself out there and be willing to learn,” Tryon advises.
***
Overnight leader Amy Tryon ended Saturday in second after adding 3.2 time penalties, but promptly withdrew the horse at the end of cross country. The horse sustained a serious injury at the last fence to his left front ankle and was moved from the finish to a veterinary clinic by horse ambulance.
“He has lost the ligamental support to the fetlock of the left front leg,” said FEI Veterinary Delegate Dr. Catherine Kohn. “He is resting comfortably this evening.”
***
Since I can’t bear to watch the footage I won’t speak in her defense but will say that it is very dangerous to pull up a galloping horse on XC in front of a fence. She may have thought he’d just stung himself or threw a shoe and figured she’d get let him go at the last jump and be done with it.
Then again, seeing as she was winning, I wouldn’t be surprised if she was more focused on coming in under the time and thus didn’t realize how hurt the horse was.
Very, very sad, no matter what.
I disagree, there is no doubt she knew something was wrong. Look at the video, at about the 16 second mark on the video, she obviously is looking down, in what looks like an attempt to see what is wrong. She shouldn’t be allowed to get on any horse again. To make a horse take a jump like that when you know or even suspect has a problem is the height of irresponsibility.
Becky
Hence the debate I guess. I won’t deny there was something wrong and that she was at the very least, in denial about that.
That's exactly what happened. You can see it. She even looked down obviously trying to see what he was doing, and the whole time his head was bobbing because of an obvious lameness.
Becky
And why she needs the book thrown at her.
I'm a bit surprised by your reaction to this.
Becky
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