P H
ublisher’s Welcome
Riding Out the Storms in North Carolina
urricane Florence wasn’t the only storm brewing at this year’s World Equestrian Games held in North Carolina in a small town called Mill Spring—or is it really Tryon? Tat was the first of many challenges visitors and competitors at this year’s event would face. Te WEG, held at the Tryon International Equestrian Center, is actually located about 15 miles away from Tryon. I eventually took a
drive through Tryon, population 1,600, and it turned out to be a lovely, hilly town with some nice restaurants. I never did get the chance to drive through Mill Spring which is close to TIEC and said to be even quainter. We arrived to a lot of construction still going at TIEC. Roads were being built and sod laid. New landscaping would magically appear
overnight. Crews were doing their best to alleviate the standing water and deal with the Carolina red mud. More flooding and potential landslides were predicted as Florence was expected to dump up to eight more inches of rain on the already wet Tryon area. Buses to transport spectators to and from the parking lots were getting stuck. I also heard complaints that the wait for the buses was up to two hours at the end of the day. Fewer buses were available than planned, I
was told, because they were needed for evacuations in coastal communities. Te media center wasn’t completed to allow journalists, photographers and TV crews to get equipment set up ahead of time. I understand
work crews installed ceilings and the air conditioning overnight so the media had a building to move into on day one of the WEG. Te WEG’s attendance was down, which was to be expected given Florence’s dicey forecast. But that didn’t stop the competitors, or the
diehard spectators who came anyway. Perhaps the biggest tempest the first week hit the endurance riders. With a few groups misguided and sent in the wrong direction at the
start, chaos ensued as officials regathered the riders at the first checkpoint. Tey decided to restart the competition from that point on, but then a huge rainstorm followed by bright sunshine brought extreme heat and humidity. Tese conditions led to dangerous metabolic issues for the horses. For their safety, officials halted and cancelled the endurance competition altogether. In fact, later an Anglo-Arab had to be euthanized. To say many of the endurance teams were upset is an understatement. Te Spanish team in particular appealed to the FEI to issue medals,
but to no avail. A local store owner in Tryon told me endurance competitors had entered his store ranting about wanting to “shoot someone” over the whole debacle. Another disappointment was the cancellation of all the ongoing demonstrations which many visitors, including me, were so looking
forward to. I understand these demo trainers had put in a lot of time and expense beforehand, all for nothing. And cancelling the dressage freestyles was an even bigger disappointment, but avoiding the heavy rains predicted was logistically impossible. Despite all the WEG’s tumultuous circumstances, it didn’t seem to affect the horses and riders. Te competitors were top notch: all
amazing athletes, clearly the best of the best. It was an honor to watch them compete and thrilling to see the U.S. rack up medals in dressage, jumping, para dressage and driving. All in all, the competitions that were not cancelled ran smoothly, the food was good, the volunteers were friendly, the vendors offered
great products and fortunately Florence held off her mighty rain until aſter the cross-country that first Saturday. It is a tribute to the hard work of many that all this happened despite the tremendous challenges they faced. In this issue of WT, from the WEG we bring you coverage of interesting horses, competitor stories and breeding trends. We also welcome
our breed sponsor the Holsteiner Verband as they present the changes the registry has made to work in sync with North American breeders and owners. Te eighth World Equestrian Games is now a part of equestrian history. Florence made her mark and she won’t be forgotten anytime
soon. Horses, riders and spectators rode out the storms and still managed to have fun. I wonder if the FEI will think twice about scheduling a future WEG during hurricane season in a hurricane zone. Enjoy the issue,
Liz Cornell
editor@warmbloodstoday.com
12 November/December 2018
Our Mission: Warmbloods Today is the leading magazine in North America focused on the entire spectrum of Warmblood breeds. It’s a place where people from all aspects of the sport horse community can come together: amateurs, owners, trainers and breeders. Each issue contains interesting, informative and often heart-warming stories of peoples’ experiences with their horses, along with thought-provoking opinions from various professionals and amateurs. We cover all horses from European descent bred for the sports of jumping, dres- sage, eventing and driving including the Iberian breeds and American Warmbloods.
Ed Haas
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