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[RC] [RC] WEC: It ain't over til it's Over! - Lucy Chaplin Trumbull

Truman:
> To test, find a positive and not DQ the rider
> and bend to the well of a "hostile politics"
> is nothing more than corruption. The FEI showed
> that they did their job on that day - nothing
> more nothing less.

Er, as I understand it, the FEI haven't DQed anyone.
That's the crux of the problem.

This week has been v. educational in terms of better
understanding the UAE and their involvement in distance
riding. And I've finally figured out how to read arabic
names and not automatically glaze over whenever I see one. :)

As I understand it, there are two main UAE camps in this -
UAE-Dubai (Al Maktoum) and UAE-Abu Dhabi (Hazza).

This WEC was held in Dubai because the Endurance Village
in Abu Dabi is still under construction.

(btw, I think it was the Abu Dhabi contingent who sponsored
both Tevis 2004 and (I think?) the Arabian Nights ride in ID.
And it was an Adu Dhabi rider, Ali Khalfan Abdulla Hamdan
Al Jahouri who came 5th at Tevis on that non-flat track).

The guy who won the WEC (Sh Hazza bin Sultan Al Nahyan) is
from Abu Dhabi.

The TV coverage mainly centered on Al Maktoum (crown prince,
local hero, etc) who is from Dubai and the host, and, presumably,
integral to the OC (organizing committee)?.

From the newspaper reports, it was the *OC* who drug tested
the winning horse, found the test positive, and announced
the horse DQed just before the awards - having not yet done
the second test... and having not followed the FEI rules.
So as the subject line mentions, "It ain't over til it's Over"

* * *

Of interest was the comment that Al Maktoum's horse (2nd
place [as the results stand right now] and BC) was "home
bred". If that's true, then so much for the "buying up all
the best horses" slant on things.

* * *

I think Steph's posts do the best in explaining what it's
like over there (on the ground, with the horses, v. the
parties and extravagance, that is) and why people would
want to try and participate. Congratulations to her friend
Mercedes and her horse Kasal, who from Steph's reports
teetered very close to things not working out as planned -
as happened to many to their detriment.

My condolences to the US riders who didn't have a good day,
mostly it seems because the endurance gods weren't smiling
on them that day.

And I think it was Wendi Merendeni who once pointed out that
in many cases the "international" riders are just like the rest
of us - with hopes and dreams and just one horse to play with.

Mostest congratulations must go to Becky and Honey for
having the best day and showing that 18 yr old horses
aren't automatically washed up. :)


* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Lucy Chaplin Trumbull
elsietee AT foothill DOT net
Repotted english person in the Sierra foothills, California
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *



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