Equestrian: Bruise hobbles team

By EUGENE BINGHAM

Step barefoot on a stone and look at the tiny bruise left behind.

That was all it took to end New Zealand's three-day eventing team medal chances yesterday.

Equestrian Blyth Tait's dependable horse Ready Teddy awoke with a stone bruise on his near hind leg yesterday, failed a final-day veterinary inspection, and was scratched from the competition lame.

The cause of the calamity was minuscule.

"It's like having a sore fingernail or something," said Tait. "It's a damned nuisance and if you tried to put pressure on it, you would know it was there but it's not going to hurt you any more."

With Tait out, New Zealand did not have the minimum three riders. Rookie Paul O'Brien's horse, Enzed, had already been withdrawn by the team because they considered he was suffering too much from Monday's cross-country phase.

Having dreamt of gold overnight, especially after the confident way in which the team had seized the bronze medal position during the cross-country, they suddenly awoke to a horrific reality: they were not even going to complete the event. It was the team's worst Olympic performance since 1984.

The Australians clinched their third successive eventing teams gold, maintaining the dominance they asserted throughout the competition to clear away from Great Britain during the showjumping yesterday.

Australian Andrew Hoy emulates legendary swimmer Dawn Fraser as the second Australian to win three consecutive golds in the same event.

The United States were the benefactors of New Zealand's demise, taking bronze.

Tait, the quietly spoken defending Olympic individual champion, was crushed by the events of a dark day.

"I just feel I've let the team down but I can't look at it like that. I just have to see it was a team competition and collectively we didn't make it."

After Monday's cross-country, all the Kiwi horses were tended to and rested in preparation for the deciding steeplechase phase. So keen were they to ensure the horses were ready, the team returned to the stables late at night to check on them.

"He was great," Tait said of his loyal 13-year-old mount, Ready Teddy.

The riders arrived at the stables at 6.30 am yesterday to prepare for the showjumping.

"[Ready Teddy] wasn't comfortable. We thought maybe he was a bit stiff but we couldn't find anything. Eventually with some hoof testers he flinched when we pressed his toe."

The New Zealand vet, Wallie Niederer, checked out the problem. The team decided it was just bruising and put a pad on to protect the sore area.

"It was only an hour before trot-up and you can't perform miracles," said Tait.

Niederer and Tait considered Ready Teddy was able to jump without further injuring himself.

With the other horses in the competition, Ready Teddy was taken to the arena to be inspected by vets and paraded before a grand jury.

The decision on whether to allow a horse to compete was up to the jury of Australian Brian Schrapel, Dane Frederik Obel, and Briton Jean Mitchell. An event spokeswoman said the vets believed Ready Teddy was trotting comfortably in the sand box but his injury showed on harder ground.

Ready Teddy was allowed to be trotted up a second time. But it was in vain. And there were no avenues of appeal.

The devastation was obvious on the faces of the riders. Ready Teddy's groom, Fiona Fraser, was in tears as she led him away. The team retreated to their stable area where tears flowed. But there was no anger. A philosophical attitude is necessary when it comes to dealing with horses.