In April 2020 and in the interest of legacy I wrote a Wikipedia entry recording the thoughts and notable works of Harveywetdog. I admit I was ignorant of the rules concerning self promotion on Wikipedia and consequently my entry was correctly deleted and my account expunged from the system. As a result my original words and links were sadly lost but nevertheless here is a rewrite. Perhaps when I'm gone someone will be able to enter it onto Wikipedia as a fitting epitaph for my time on the Harveywetdog Project.
In June last year I wrote a blog on the lessons that needed to be learned following the fatal eventing accident that took place at Bicton in May 2024.
Nations Cup Course Map
Here's what I said
"Areas I would expect to be investigated include the positioning of the water complex near the start of course (Fence 5ABC), the downhill approach and jumping towards the sun. Of course the key question is could 5B have been frangible? I believe that as a large natural log it doesn’t need to be and, as we had two of the four U.K. experts on frangible technology present at Bicton, I’m going to assume it complied with the rules but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t re-examine the rules to ensure they remain valid."
I reported back in October that Fence 5ABC had been removed from the water complex and I am pleased to note that the first water complex at Bicton has now been moved completely so that it will feature as Fence 10ABC in this weekends Nations Cup competition at the Devon venue. The riders will only pass through the water once.
This can only be a positive step for the sport; of course, there is only so much you can do. Bicton is proud of its terrain, but as we all know what goes up must come down so we will still have horses coming back down the hill shortly after the start to take on Fences 5 and 6 before turning around the Oak Tree for the combination at 7AB.
Previous events have seen serious downhill accidents here for Zazie Gardeau and Marcio Carvalho Jorge. We can only hope that competitors and course designers have now recognised the risk and will ride and build accordingly.
Into the new water complex Photo credit ESP Photographic
David spent approaching 50 years in Her Majesty's Electricity Supply Industry before retiring
He was part of the highly successful design team on the Sizewell B Nuclear Power Station Project before spending 25 years producing safety cases to keep our aging AGR fleet generating for the good of the nation
He is responsible for the Harveywetdog YouTube Channel which he maintains as an outlet for his creative talents
David is now in remission from blood cancer but refuses to be a victim
All views are now his own but might be influenced by the medication he's had to take
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