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Jump-Off 63
Wednesday, September 12th, 2007
When I bestride him, I soar, I am a hawk: he trots the air; the earth sings when he touches it; the basest horn of his hoof is more musical than the pipe of Hermes. ~ William Shakespeare, Henry V.
Position Vacant
President of the Equestrian Association of Malaysia. Suitable candidates should be able to read the constitution, organise Annual General Meetings annually, produce yearly accounts yearly. Applicants should show at least a passing interest in equestrian sports, though no riding ability is necessary. Personal trainer provided. Executive staff occasionally available. Must be able to say “Equestarian”. Polo players preferred. Ministers need not apply.
Lost in Translation
You wouldn’t know the South East Asian World Cup League is celebrating its 10th Anniversary by looking at its official website at http://www.seawcjumping.com which carries a single paragraph about the anniversary. Then again, the official website doesn’t even seem to know if the league has 7 or 8 World Cup qualifiers this year. The last line of its calendar says 7 Qualifiers, 4 best results to count, while above it, it lists 8 qualifiers.
Confusing enough. So is it 7 or 8? Neither. The South East Asian League has 10 qualifiers in its 10th anniversary year, all recognised by the FEI in its World Cup Calendar.
Just Jim Dandy
The Hong Kong stable in the traveling SEA League circus is really quiet compared to last season. Perhaps they are traveling one dandy short of a grooming kit?
South East Asia catches Australian Equine ‘Flu
“Now its not just racing that is reeling from the horse flu outbreak. It’s pony clubs, endurance rides, local shows, dressage, polo cross, camp drafts … the list just goes on. ~ NSW Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald
If you think it affects only Australians, consider the Malaysian Pony Club trip to Queensland that had to be cancelled, the Malaysian Eventing Team that has to relocate to New Zealand or the Indonesian Eventing Team which had just sent their horses to Australia to compete and are possibly stuck there. Will the Indonesians still be able to get their team to the SEA Games this December?
Kiwi-bound
With NSW locked down till December, the Malaysian Eventing Team (Johari Lee, Amir Zulkefle, Edric Lee, Lingesparan and yes, Tunku Nazroff) has headed to Trudy Boyce in New Zealand.
Expert Definition
Retired Pacific League World Cup Coordinator Ted Dwyer was commenting on EI experts who have come out of the woodwork in Australia. “Do you know what an expert is? An X is an unknown quantity and a Spurt is a drip under pressure.”
Vicki Qualified
Jump-Off sends our best wishes to Vicky Roycroft as she comes to terms with losing an eye to cancer. Vicki is one resilient lady, and we are sure she will bounce back. If, on the other hand, she decides to take a back seat, an Australian Jumping Team Selector remarked wryly, “She’s now qualified to become one of us.”
Select Unselected
Pete and the dinosaur polo team from Singapore were unselected as the S’pore National Olympic Council did not select the polo team for December’s SEA Games. It’s being appealed on the basis that old is gold.
Stunned into Silence
For once she had no comment when budding dressage judge Sherry Thomas found herself on the next table to Mel Gibson at a restaurant in Bangsar Shopping Centre. Perhaps Mel didn’t score that well with Sherry: anything more or less than 5 needs a comment, judge.
For Whom The Bell Tolls
A volunteer who was scribing for a prominent dressage judge in Malaysia was chided for not informing the judge when a rider missed a movement. Do scribes have to know the test while the judge doesn’t? Some of them have even been asked to give marks by one obvious blind judge. Jump-Off thinks in that case you may as well give the scribes the bell.
Unpublished
Blog-in-the-garden’s Wind of Heaven went unpublished in the Pahang Classic souvenir programme, for which it was written. It must have smelled funny to them.
World’s Worst Trainer
Meet the worst racehorse trainer in the world, having gone zero-for-385 and hasn't had a winner since 1996. “He’s becoming the Eddie ‘The Eagle’ Edwards of racing," notes colleague.
Jump-Off notes that since Ah Beng has chased almost everyone out of Penang, maybe Eddie the Eagle can win a race there.
Ice Cold Water
A rider at a recent 3-star endurance ride berated the organisers for not having cold drinking water … for his horse. He insisted his horse needed ice cold water. He used the logic, “If you run a marathon you want to drink ice water at the end.” He has obviously never heard of the phrase “You can lead a horse to water…”
TOOTSIE the hermaphrodite pony's nightmare is finally over - after undergoing a sex change, finding a new home and settling down with a donkey called Derek.
Canuck Driving
A man is facing a charge of careless driving after a wild buggy ride in southwestern Ontario.
It’s Texas Big It's big, it's bronze, and it's beautiful. The Texas town of El Paso, a bustling city with a colourful history, is now home to the world's largest equestrian bronze figure. The massive statue, which stands nearly 12m tall, is made up of 400 pieces. It consumed nearly 10 tonnes of bronze and requires more than 4.5 tonnes of supporting steel.
The art work, called The Equestrian, portrays Mexican conquistador Don Juan de Onate riding a rearing Andalusian stallion.
Transitions:
8th Anniversary: Equestrian.Com.My turned 8 years old on 18 August 2007
10th Anniversary: The South East Asian World Cup League celebrated its 10th Anniversary with a presentation to its founders at the Equine Nite.
Elected: Singaporean judge, steward and Chief Steward of the HK Equestrian Olympic Games Ho Nai Yue has been elected one of three Vice-Presidents of the Asian Equestrian Federation.
Elected: Former SEA and Asian Games Technical Delegate Jennifer Millar has been elected President of NZ Equestrian Sports.
Resigned: Following a directive from the Prime Minister’s office, all Ministers have resigned from leading sports associations in Malaysia. Dato’ Seri Dr Jamaluddin Jarjis has therefore resigned the EAM Presidency.
R.I.P. Diane Hamzah. A mainstay at the Royal Selangor Polo Club for many years. You will be missed.
Thanks
to everyone who has contributed to this (and previous) Jump-Offs. If
you have an interesting story that you think should be in Jump-Off,
please e-mail pete@equestrian.com.my
It’s Texas Big