Et mesterskab som naturligvis huskes for medaljerne - den flotte individuelle guldmedalje i CHILDREN til Sofia Valentina Hegstrup med Santa, den individuelle bronzemedalje til Victoria Vallentin med Atnon i JUNIOR, og sidst men ikke mindst hold bronze til de danske JUNIORER, Nana Gajhede med Zoom in Firfod, Kristine Koch Bejtrup med Cavaler, Sille Engermann med Darius og Victoria Vallentin med Atnon.
Vejret - og forholdene som ikke blev tilpasset
Vejret til de Europæiske mesterskaber 2015 vil nok bliver både husket og debateret i den kommende tid.
Den danske landsholdsdyrlæge Jonas Rasmussen fortæller: "De forhold hestene skulle præsterer under var ikke ok. Staldene var ikke gode nok, der var dårlig ventilation, de første dage måtte vi ikke bruge ventilatorer, hvilket udelukkende skyldes dårlig forberedelse. Ridningen foregik henover de varmeste timer på dagen, hvilket også kunne være undgået. Jeg er lige nu ved at skrive et brev til FEI, da jeg håber vi kan undgå samme dumme fejl næste år. Endvidere var det hård kost for de børn som red."
En opdatering på junioryoungrider.dk på Facebook igår gav et tydeligt indtryk af forholdene i Frankrig for ekvipagerne: "Endnu en dag er gået i Vidauban, og hvilken varm dag! Hedebølgen har også ramt Frankrig, hvor rytterne i dag red i over 40 graders varme. Dette resulterede i at flere ryttere besvimede på vej ud af banen (dog ingen af de danske ryttere), og rytterne efter frokost i youngriderklassen blev beordret af hesten så snart de forlod banen, hvor is, vandspande og læge stod klar til at tjekke rytterne."
På Facebooksiden for International Dressage Riders Club er lige nu en tråd som Lone Jørgensen fra "Down Under" har startet:
"What´s wrong with FEI Wayne ? All you read on social medias or in the daily press, is that during the European Champs YR and Juniors, they fall of their horses, has to be looked after from a Doc after their ride, some of them getting unconscious and all that because of the extreme temperatures more than 40+ !!!!!!! How can they continue a show under those temps with the horses ? Where has the code of conduct gone ????" (Wayne er Wayne Channon som er sekretær i IDRC)
Lone skriver videre: "I think that none of us would go riding our horses at home around 1pm if it's 40+ . So in my opinion it should be questioned why not FEI nor the Equipe chefs from all the countries has come up with some suggestions or possibilities to ride to other times or even cancelling/postpone the show as the weather report said those temperatures a week beforehand?"
Anne van Olst skriver:
"I just came back from EC in Vidauban. What happened there was absolutely unacceptable. Ok it's hot, the organizers cannot do anything about that and the place is absolutely fantastic with superb footing !!, -but why is the championship there in the first week of July ! It is always hot there at that time!! In the stables there was no air and in the boxes it was 45 - 48 degrees. Never seen that many horses on a drip !!!! Not enough electric power to hang up enough ventilators!! No ice(cube) machines when they needed to cool horses down. People were told to go to the local supermarket to get ice, but of course soon sold out!!!
The horses could only be walked outside on the parking place in the sun !!!! NO shade or breeze anywhere. At the warm up arenas NO where to get shadow for horses or riders!!!! Why not putting a tent with the mist ventilators like they've had in Aachen, Hong Kong, Atlanta etc. I saw more of these talented, determined, hard working young people dropping from there horse after finishing the test. They gave everything they could and reach the finish dropping unconscious and throwing up. First days no training between 11 and 15 hours due to the heat, but the competitions are going on the whole day!!!!!!! FEI code of conduct?"
Det er helt sikkert at FEI ovenpå sådanne vejr forhold må have et regelsæt, eller i det mindste give groundjury i samråd med team dyrlæger mulighed for at ændre / udsætte konkurrencerne.