We have a big weekend of eventing ahead of us, but we still have a couple of posts today about Jersey. On Sunday morning, we wrote about the meeting Phillip, Buck, Will Faudree, and Boyd had with the Jersey Fresh Ground Jury regarding concerns about judging, footing issues not being addressed, and Jessie’s elimination. Today the Chronicle has published a good article that interviews the various parties and gives their different perspectives. Perhaps the most important point is that the meeting was positive and both sides say that they found the meeting constructive. We wrote about the issues of dressage judging and footing in depth at Jersey and I don’t have anything to add other than I am quite skeptical about Eric Smiley’s point that they covered all of the footing they possibly could with the aggravator. But, then again there was a layer of snow 4 feet under the ground keeping the footing hydrated.
One important issue from Jersey moving forward is likely Jessica Phoenix’s yellow card and subsequent suspension for getting two yellow cards within a year. In the article, the President of the Ground Jury, Eric Smiley, describes the process to stop Jessica and Pavarotti on course as one that developed from multiple opinions and I can definitely understand why they pulled Jessica up. The problem with the yellow card process, among others, is that there is a complete lack of flexibility in giving the yellow card in that situation and in the following suspension. The important point for Jessica’s suspension is that it stands for now and anything that might change it probably won’t happen in time. Jessica would therefore miss a chance to qualify for the Pan Ams at the Bromont 2*, but she will have other chances later this summer, including The Event Rebecca Farms, which, as an aside, is shaping up to be a really well attended event again this year.
Go permafrost.
