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[Terbs]

Went to the New Forest Show yesterday.....and if you saw the pics of my car at Oxford meet, you would not believe what it looks like now. Its an absolute dust bowl getting in and out. Had to stay about 50 yds behind car in front to be able to see. But have to say, that the organising to get in and out is excellent.

Bad bit was at the end of the show, when there was the Shetland pony Grand National. Unfortunately it went horribly wrong, when, in the final, one pony unseated its rider, who's foot caught in the stirrup, and the kiddie was dragged bouncing like a rag doll, half way around the arena in the opposite direction to the others. When the foot eventually came free, the pony then careered in front of the other seven ponies as they went over the last jump, and another young girl was sent flying into the fence upstand. Carnage.
What really got to me and a lot of other people was the total lack of Medical help. These two children about 8/9yrs old were laid on the ground for ages. After about 5 mins the young girl got up and was assisted away. But the other one was still flat out, then the commentator who in my opinion, was not particully interested, then called for the Medical team. At least another 5 minutes went by before an ambulance with blue lights going, but no siren, slowly as with all the time in the world, made its way towards the arena. No foot soldiers at all. And all through this, the commentator just kept on waffling on about the final was called null and void, and they would stage the event tomorrow (wednesday) at whatever times. We then came away, but the kiddie was still flat out. And by the reaction, I don't think I was only one having a beef !!!!!
I cannot believe that an organisation as big as this, can allow these kiddies to belt around an arena with jumps on Shetland ponies going flat out and not have medics in close proximity.

Rant over

[Kevin Wood]

That sounds disgraceful. To host that kind of event without proper medical support...

[the alarming man]

totally different too the kent show always st johns guys walking around and at arena's and on i think they are called seg ways...two wheeled contraption you stand on....mind you tony medical teams are paid for by event organisers so could be they were trying to wing it on the cheap!!

[Terbs]

No...don't get me wrong....there were Ambulances around....but not where they should have been !!! But never saw any foot soldiers at all !! However. although police were in abundance, and heli floating around some of the time, I think that was because HRH is going there today, so that was security. More worried about that I expect.
I heard one lady on her phone describing the incident as we walked out saying a second ambulance was going to the arena. And, I hope it was not related, but as we left the show, an Ambulance with all sirens and lights flashing, had to squeeze past us in the middle of Lyndhurst and sped off in the direction of Southampton. The time scale would have been right though
I still say, that when an attraction is taking place, there should be medical services at ringside, ready to run in immediately

I'll tell you something, them Shetland ponies can't half shift it when they want to, and these seemed to be the 'larger' end of the scale for Shetlands. Watching that pony going flat out with that poor little kid bouncing around like a rag doll was horrific. Had the child's foot not slipped out when it did I hate to think what would have happened as it ran in front of the others, still going flat out.

[Terbs]

And......my next moan is about dog owners.
I don't know how hot it was in the rest of the country, but at the showground it was mid to high 20's. The amount of people dragging dogs around with them, panting like the clappers, not much shade, but plenty of people to dodge, was in my opinion, sheer stupidity. Thank god, that by some of the Tents, there were standpipes, that I noticed some people washing their animals.
But, I kid you not, they gave out over the tannoy systems various registrations of vehicles, that the RSPCA were going to break into !!!!!! How in god's name could anyone leave a dog in a car in those temperatures

Hmmmmm...way I'm sounding off, I must have had too much sun myself