The Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials have been canceled due to extremely wet conditions and a poor weather forecast. The horse trials were scheduled for July 11-14 in Victor, N.Y., and this year marks the first cancelation in the event’s 24-year history.
“We’re very sorry for all the riders who were planning on coming, but it’s very unsafe; there’s standing water, and we’re supposed to get rain every day this week. It would have been an absolute mess,” said organizer Heidi Stuart Vahue.
Vahue added that even tractors haven’t been able to traverse the 100-acre property.
“At this point we don’t know what we’re going to be able to do [about refunds] because we still have to pay all of our bills. Right now all we’re promising riders are the [U.S. Eventing Association] and [U.S. Equestrian Federation] fees,” she said.
In addition to the USEA and USEF refunds, the organizers are considering a complimentary schooling day or hunter pace for competitors. A cocktail party for all patrons will still happen July 12 at 6 p.m.
“We were considering having a mud run. They’re so popular now. We wouldn’t have to create the mud at all!” joked Vahue. “We’re trying to be creative and have a good sense of humor and know we made the right decision.”
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Next year competitors can look forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary of the horse trials and possibly the return of the CIC* and CIC** levels.
“Over the past few years, our divisions in the CIC* and CIC** have not been anywhere near full,” said Vahue. “They’ve been so low that we decided to drop them this year. Then [the Fédération Équestre Internationale] changed all the rules and has made them much more desirable and necessary for all the new requirements.
“We are planning on bringing them back next year. FEI still has some things they need to sort out as far as requirements go,” Vahue continued. “They’re going to make us run dressage, show jumping, then cross-country, which the way we are set up on our property doesn’t work. So there’s some things we have to consider, but we want to bring them back.”
