the last word
Some people just can’t accept life ‘as it is’ and when it comes to competing, that means using fair means and foul to try and achieve success. Thing is though, there isn’t anything in the cheating game that hasn’t been tried before and identifying the ‘foul’ players is something about which John Collier BHSI is more than well qualified enough to have ...
... the last word
Play fair, play the game, or how to be a successful cheat!
I was taught early on in my short lived career as an accountant that stealing or defrauding the first three pence was the hardest thing to do, as after the first time you have established a principle and the rest is just an amount, which is the same as cheating really.
I seem to make more comebacks to eventing that Rod Stewart does final tours, and each time I am disappointed and stop again for a while. At an Aske Hall British Eventing fixture last year, apart from the rampant outside assistance in the showjumping, one competitor was openly rapping her horse with a schooling whip in the collecting ring, The steward said it wasn’t his fault, the judge and course builder couldn’t be contacted for comment, and the BE Technical Advisor (TA) was happy to let the combination be placed. No, he couldn’t see it as giving any advantage - and what rules had been broken? Well where do you want to start? Fast forward to Cumwhinton
British Eventing fixture and the same TA; competitor comes into the ring with both a schooling whip and a length of alkathene pipe. I said to the steward on that occasion - you seem a have a recurring theme here - but he couldn’t see a problem either, so I again have a break from eventing due to depression and disillusionment. The video camera is a wonderful ‘weapon’ when you don’t agree with the judge’s decision. At a recent jumping show a mother came to loudly query why her daughter had been given faults for a resistance; I watched the video and then explained that if she wanted me to accept the video evidence, I would gladly do but it did mean her daughter would be eliminated for outside assistance! It’s also strange the evidence is not presented when a competitor has missed a fence that wasn’t noticed by the judges. However I do believe there is a God and that he has a sense of humour just like mine. Over the winter, we had a parent insisting
that she rode her daughter’s pony for her in the collecting ring I went to ‘educate’ and say that she couldn’t do that, as it was unfair on the rest of the competitors. Well she agreed with me and whilst I walked back upstairs to the judges box, she went through to do a clear round, having told the lady on the gate that I had said it was fine. Well guess what, she parted company with the pony, her husband kindly took her to casualty and she returned later with a broken hand. The pony went much better for her daughter and I said see, there is a God. Very often , like with our winter points showjumping, we come up with a system that taken from a sporting viewpoint works well, yet someone will always come up with a ‘scheme’ to work within the rules, but not in the way that I intended. The worst ones buy into the system all winter and then at the final show fixture, question how the points are calculated – well they’re calculated in an open
and fair manner, but there can only be one winner and sadly it is not your child. I do enjoy the summer break! I see an unwelcome trend on the increase, that some riders want to win at all costs and if it doesn’t go the way they want, then they look for someone to blame, arguing to get the faults removed. I have to say that event officials take the easy route, as they clearly don’t like upsetting the ones that throw their toys out of the pram. My argument is always - what about the other competitors who have been placed lower down the results because a competitor cheats? Are the ‘sporting’ competitors less important? Well not in my book. The low point of this season so far is the competitor phoning the official scorer at home to have the results sheet altered as her horse always jumps a clear round, and it wasn’t fair. Well if I had my way you wouldn’t be taking part ever again. I don’t think it’s an age thing but you never know!
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Equine Page 47
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