Following the dressage horse inspection out at the FEI European Championships in Gothenburg yesterday, the British team were asked to represent Don Carissimo, ridden by Gareth Hughes and owned by Anne and Steve Keen, this morning.
After further veterinary investigation overnight, it has been confirmed that Don Carissimo has sustained a sudden injury, and the decision was made, in conjunction with Gareth and the owners, to withdraw him from the competition.
Gareth said; “We are all very disappointed, but Darcy’s welfare comes first. He traveled out well with the rest of the British team horses and arrived sound and well, and felt great in training yesterday. The GB veterinary team are continuing to monitor Darcy and I am hopeful for a speedy recovery.”
As part of the normal process, all the horses go through veterinary inspection by our World Class Programme’s equine team prior to departure for any championships.
The team will continue with three riders with all scores to count.