Mary King Remembers Call Again Cavalier
British eventing star Mary King has spoken to British Eventing, the national governing body of the sport, about the loss of her champion horse Call Again Cavalier. The horse is suspected to have broken his femur while negotiating the second part of a combination corner jump during the indoor "cross country" phase of the inaugural Express Eventing competition in the huge Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales on Sunday.
You can read her statement here.
Horse and Hound, the British news weekly of horse sports, reports that, while the event did not officially report that the horse had been put down, Mary went before a crowd of concerned fans who flocked to the stable area and personally and informally announced the horse's death.
No details of the exact nature and extent of the horse's injury have been released. King told Horse and Hound that she and the owners only knew of the terrible pain the horse was in and made the decision to have him put down.
Mary King and Call Again Cavalier were immensely popular with the public in Britain. When King entered the arena on the horse for her round, the building erupted into a resounding ovation before they even began. The pair had won medal honors for Great Britain at the World Equestrian Games, European Championships, and Olympics. Mary's non-privileged background and easygoing style have made her a role model for many aspiring riders and competitors.
Call Again Cavalier was Mary's comeback horse, bringing her back into the medals after she broke her neck in a fall five years ago. At age 47, she must now start yet again.
Click here to read about more about Call Again Cavalier's final day and see video of their performance.
posted by Fran Jurga @ 12/03/2008
3 comments
3 Comments:
The video is so sad...
In retrospect - it seems rather silly what they were trying to do.
Speed Eventing? That's what that great horse died for?
I am not going to stand in the way of the public onslaught that the sport has coming to it this time. They deserve every bit they get. Sorry but that's how I feel.
I AGREE WITH STEPHANIE. THE VIDEO WAS BOTH AMAZING & HEARTBREAKING. CALL AGAIN CAVALIER MISSED THE JUMP BECAUSE HE WAS EXHAUSTED. MY THOUGHTS GO OUT TO THE PEOPLE CLOSE TO HIM BUT THEY MADE THE DECISION TO RISK HIS LIFE & HE PAID THE ULTIMATE PRICE.
It is insulting to Mary King to say that Cavalier missed the jump because he was exhausted. He was a top class athlete with fitness well capable of what was being asked. I was there when it happened. He missed the jump because he made a split second decision about where to jump the fence that turned out to be a wrong decision. It was a terrible accident. Mary King and her team did not'risk his life' any more than they did at any other event at which he (with evident enormous enjoyment) competed.
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