Calvin Böckmann and The Phantom of the Opera. Photo by Tilly Berendt.
Two riders competing in the CCI5* at the Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by MARS Equestrian, have been given sanctions from the FEI. Both sanctions are related to cross country day.
German rider Calvin Böckmann was given a Recorded Warning for a Series of dangerous jumps with his horse, The Phantom of the Opera. The incidents include a jump at Pete’s Hollow, where the pair stood off from a triple bar arrowhead and subsequently nearly fell. The horse was able to get back up and continue on, but later on had another similar jump at the Cosequin Cove; the pair stayed upright at this question.
Earlier in the day on Sunday, Calvin and The Phantom of the Opera were held by the ground jury (Christian Steiner (AUT), Anne-Mette Binder (GER), and Peter Gray (CAN)) and official veterinarians at the Final Horse Inspection, but were subsequently accepted on to show jumping after re-inspection. Calvin told EN the following after he completed show jumping on Sunday, finishing 11th overall:
“It was definitely not the most ideal line I chose to go down there,” he said. “That’s a situation I think not one of us would ever want to be in. But once he got up, I didn’t even have to do anything. He just straight away started cantering again. We’ve been together for so many years, and I straight away felt that he was absolutely fine. Otherwise, I would have never, ever kept going. And then the next jumps, I felt like he jumped even better, so knowing that, for me, that was the thing that told me he also wants to keep going.”
A Recorded Warning is, by standard, given for cases of Dangerous Riding.
“Before issuing an Eventing Recorded Warning, the Ground Jury has the duty to hear the Athlete, if available,” the instructions on the FEI’s Recorded Warning card read. “At any time, the Athlete has the right to seek out the Ground Jury for any explanation related to an Eventing Recorded Warning. After the decision of the Ground Jury, a notice stating the name of the Athlete and the reason of the warning must be posted on the Official notice board. If after reasonable efforts the Athlete cannot be notified during the Period of the Event that s/he has received an Eventing Recorded Warning, the Athlete must be notified in writing within fourteen (14) days of the Event.”
Athletes can also receive Recorded Warning for offenses such as failing to see a doctor after a fall, continuing on after three refusals on cross country, cases of minor blood, and other reasons. You can see the Recorded Warning card here. The receipt of three of more Recorded Warnings in a 24-month/2-year period will result in a two-month suspension.
Ema Klugman and Bronte Beach Z (pictured here at Carolina International). Photo by Sally Spickard.
U.S.-based Australian rider Ema Klugman was given a Yellow Card with Bronte Beach for Abuse of Horse – Continued pressing of a Tired horse. Ema posted on social media on Sunday morning after cross country that her mare had sustained a heel grab that would result in her withdrawal from competition. Ema had not replied to a request for comment at the time of publication.
Cases of Abuse of Horse systematically carry a sanction of an FEI Yellow Card, including cases of excessive use of whip and/or pressing of a tired horse. An athlete who receives one or more additional Yellow Card warnings from the FEI within one year of their first instance also results in a two-month suspension.
The breakdown of the application of a Yellow Card is worded as below:
164.3 Yellow Warning Card
(a) A Yellow Warning Card may be issued to a Person Responsible by the President of the Ground Jury, the Chief Steward or the Technical Delegate during the Period of Jurisdiction for the following offences: Abuse of Horse Incorrect Behaviour by the Person Responsible and/or Incorrect Behaviour by a member of their entourage. For the purpose of this article, the term “entourage” shall mean the Person Responsible’s parent, spouse or partner, family member, coach, trainer, groom, crew or other person directly connected with the Person Responsible and includes the owner(s) of the Person Responsible’s Horse. Non-compliance with applicable Sport Rules Non-compliance with Protective Headgear Rules (b) The Yellow Warning Card may be delivered either by hand or by any other suitable means. If after reasonable efforts the Person Responsible cannot be notified during the Period of Jurisdiction that the Person Responsible has received a Yellow Warning Card, the Person Responsible must be notified in writing within fourteen (14) days of the Event. (c) A Yellow Warning Card may be issued in addition to any other Sanction(s) that may be issued in accordance with these GRs and/or the relevant Sport Rules. (d) If the same Person Responsible receives one (1) or more Yellow Warning Card(s) at the same or any other International Event within one year of the delivery of the first Yellow Warning Card, the Person Responsible shall be automatically suspended for a period of two (2) months after official notification from, or on behalf of, the FEI Secretary General.
Yellow Warning Card will be systematically awarded for the following offence: a) All cases of excessive use of whip, as defined above, or by stronger sanction(s) (as provided for under Art.526.2). b) Any other cases of Abuse of Horse c) Excessive pressing of a tired horse d) Riding an Exhausted horse coupled in addition to Disqualification.
The Yellow Card can be viewed here for additional information on how it is applied and what its consequences are. You can also view the full FEI Rules for Eventing here. To view the current list of FEI sanctions for eventing, click here.
To view more of EN’s coverage of Defender Kentucky, click here.
