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Federation
Equestre Internationale News
Brentina
out of FEI World Cup Final
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FEI
World Cup Champion Debbie McDonald has had to withdraw Parry and
Peggy Thomas's chestnut mare Brentina from next week's Final in
Duesseldorf due to injury.
After
their warm up competition at CDI Dortmund two weeks ago, where
they won both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special, Brentina
was found to have a slightly swollen leg. Despite careful monitoring,
hopes that the US combination could defend their title were dashed
when leading veterinarian Dr Peter Cronau diagnosed a mild tendon
strain. While not serious for the mare's future, this would however
make any performance during the next few weeks inadvisable.
McDonald
said: " We consulted with Dr Cronau and Brentina's vet at
home, and both vets agreed that for Brentina to compete on full
power could do far worse damage in the long run. The World Cup
Final is not a place to go half measures, so in the horse's best
interests we could not risk it. We came all this way to defend
the title, we were ready for it, so it is just awful, especially
as a week or two later it may have been OK."
USET
trainer Klaus Balkenhol said: " The horse's health must always
come first, but everyone involved is very sad for Debbie and her
team, for the organisers and for us, especially as Duesseldorf
is our home town."
McDonald
will be at the FEI World Cup Final next week to support her compatriots
Guenter Seidel and Leslie Morse, while Brentina will rest before
returning home to the USA.
www.horsesport.org
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