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I have to go along with Steph here. If the shoe were on the other foot and the visitors abroad were the Emirati youngsters, I truly don't think that the Emirati parents would accept this sort of situation with equanimity. They definitely would expect their offspring to be well taken care of and to have their safety assured.  Kids are kids. Somebody seriously dropped the ball on this one. On one hand, the organisers are in my eyes highly responsible for turning a bunch of youngsters loose on high octane horses with bad brakes in a chaotic situation. If someone had been seriously injured, do you think everyone would have sat quietly and said nothing? Even in the more casual (regarding risks) Arab world, adults are expected to think ahead a bit to avoid dispatching the next generation.

The people that I keep coming back to who  don't even seem to know who has the bloody ball are the FEI officials and stewards. Isn't the Technical Delegate supposed to have some responsibility for the safety of the course?  Who is overseeing  who  enters with what qualifications? What happened to items 1.4 and 1.5 of the FEI rules regarding safety of horses at least? Since when is turning a bunch of high speed horses loose in the hands of teenagers good for horses?

Arab in spirit but still picky on the safety issues,
Maryanne

On Feb 13, 2008 6:26 PM, Steph Teeter <stephteeter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Kim - well said as usual, but regarding:

> Everyone who accepts an invitation to the UAE knows exactly what to
> expect at the party.

Not necessarily. The Ladies and Young Riders races are relatively new
(2nd yr for Ladies, 3rd year for YR).

This is where it's gotten out of control (imo). Some of the YR's are
competent riders and know exactly what to expect, but they are still
'young kids on race horses' w/o the maturity and sense of
responsibility that one should have when racing a horse for prize
money. They are handed a horse, and then race, and then hand it
back.  The locals know what to expect.

But I don't think the foreign guests had a clue. And I think this
situation was a major 'oops' on the part of those extending the
invitiations.

Steph



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