WEG eventers handed yellow cards
Two eventers have been yellow carded for their riding during the cross-county phase at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (29 August).
Canada’s Hawley Bennett-Awad (pictured top) and Sweden’s Anna Hilton were both handed yellow cards for “dangerous riding”.
Anna’s ride Matrix fell at the final water complex and she has been given her card for “causing a horse fall”.
Hawley was carded for continuing after three refusals.
New Zealand’s Tim Price and Ireland’s Aoife Clark both received verbal warnings by the FEI.
Tim, was rebuked for abuse of horse/riding a tired horse. He was pulled up, with his Luhmühlen-winning ride Wesko, by the ground jury before the finish.
Tim’s bad week continued when he was tipped off at the fourth fence at Burghley last weekend (6 September) when Ringwood Sky Boy left a leg at the Lord Burghley Hurdles in the main arena.
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Ireland’s Aoife Clark was told off for dangerous/irresponsible riding aboard Fenyas Elegance in Normandy. Aoife fell from her Burghley ride Vaguely North at the Stamford Station fence on Saturday.
None of the riders involved have been reprimanded by the FEI in the past six months so there will be no further repercussions.
The FEI yellow card system has been under scrutiny this year after Mary King served a three-month ban for receiving two yellow cards for the same offence within a six-month period. Mary’s fans set up an online petition to try and have the ban removed.
Last month it also emerged that a 7hh miniature pony had been at the centre of a yellow card dispute. America’s Katie Frei was given the card after her horse’s travelling companion “Spartacus” escaped at an event in Kalispell, Montana.
First published in Horse & Hound magazine on Thursday 11 September
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Sophia Heath joined Horse & Hound in July 2013 having previously worked for the Daily Telegraph's Olympics website, CNN International and Omnisport. A Durham graduate with a Masters in journalism from City University, Sophia has evented, showjumped and hunted. Sophia left Horse & Hound in early 2015 to join an international boating website.