I'm fielding emails, phone calls, and trying to get to the bottom of this, so please stay tuned. Craig Schmersal has denied that he got a verbal warning in the warm-up/training session (part of which was videotaped by Epona TV), and he has denied threatening to sue.
I am in the process of talking with Epona to see what their response is.
And I am appreciative that both Purina and Spalding are paying attention and looking into this situation.
As a friend just wrote on my Facebook wall: Take a deep breath and remember that you're only one person! One thing at the time and you'll get through it! I have confidence that you can tackle it all!!
Wise words. I will stay on top of this, collate the info, and write it up as soon as I can. Meanwhile I have horses to feed, trims to supervise, teenagers to chauffeur, and book sales to celebrate! But I will follow up on this AND on the BLM issue very soon.
billie hinton’s camera-obscura:
life and lessons on November Hill Farm
Sounds like you're very busy. Keep us informed.
ReplyDeleteYes! And will do.
ReplyDeleteAs far as I know, the FEI has not said who got a verbal warning during that session. I would think that they would not say since they did not take any formal action.
ReplyDeleteRight - which means Schmersal can deny it to his sponsors which is apparently what he is doing.
ReplyDeleteI have corresponded with someone who said if he didn't get one they don't know how anyone else could have, at least in that particular session.
billie - stay strong. We are with you.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Sheaffer. If I could take you and Redford and Jack and Rafer Johnson on a field trip we could get to the bottom of this fiasco FAST.
ReplyDeleteIt's obvious there were never any verbal warnings, since they would have come from the Chief Steward and his 1st account said there were no rule violations. Only after it started blowing up did the same person come up with the 2nd account of verbal warnings. So now the FEI is in a pickle. Per the rules (art 169) a verbal warning is a defined action for the most minor rule violations. But they said there were no rule violations. Can't have it both ways, probably why they keep changing their story. They have no credibility on this.
ReplyDeleteAlso curious as to what is the source of Schmersal denying the warning? I haven't seen any statements he's made, so just wondering. But he's ironically the more credible one on whether a warning occurred, not the FEI!
Craig denied the warning to one of his sponsors, who I have spoken with personally.
ReplyDeleteLots of shady stuff I'm reading about these days. It's a full time job just trying to keep up with it all. I admire your perseverence in making horse welfare your number one priority, and taking the time to inform your readers about what you find. You have become an invaluable resource to a number of us on many topics! Thanks, Billie!
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I'm happy to share/inform - I do it because it feels better to me to try to effect change than to do nothing. I know it seems Pollyanna'ish, but I do genuinely believe that every tiny little ripple helps. Not just the action, but I also believe it helps shift the energy in a bigger way than we even understand.
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