Welfare first as Olympic dressage rider eliminated after horse accidentally knocks itself

The USA’s Marcus Orlob and Jane have been eliminated from the grand prix in the Olympic dressage competition at the Paris Games under the blood rule.

The combination was approaching the end of their canter zig-zag when they were pulled up by the judge at C.

It was at first unclear why they had been eliminated, but Marcus later explained there was a small nick to the skin on the mare’s right hind fetlock.

“It was a very minor cut – almost like a mosquito bite – but because she has white legs you could see a little blood,” Marcus explained.

“Now we’ve showered her and washed her off, there’s nothing to see – she’s happy and healthy. It’s all good, it was just bad luck but unfortunately, that’s our sport.

“We were both excited to go down the centre line and I’d say it was an explosive entry. I believe she nicked herself there,” Marcus added. “In the beginning, she got nervous with the crowd, but once I got going she felt more and more relaxed and I said ‘Okay, I’ve got this now.’ So I was really sad to hear the bell.”

Olympic dressage elimination rules USA out of team contention

Unlike at other senior championships, there are no drop scores in Paris and each combination’s score counts. That means this elimination rules the USA out of the team competition.

With just two riders now contributing to their score, the USA won’t realistically be among the top-10 ranked teams in the grand prix, so won’t qualify for the special which determines the team medals.

“Jane, the horse ridden by Marcus Orlob, was eliminated when blood was seen on the leg,” read the official FEI statement about the incident.

“The FEI understands that one of the horse’s legs accidentally hit the right hind leg prior to entering the arena resulting in a minor cut that only became visible when the cut started to bleed during the test.

“The president of the ground jury eliminated the horse after seeing blood on the inside of the right hind leg during the test.

“Elimination under this rule does not imply that there was any intention to hurt or harm the horse, but the FEI discipline rules have been put in place to ensure that horse welfare is protected at all times.”

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