Mill Spring, N.C.—Sept. 16

Sunday’s events at the FEI World Equestrian Games were rescheduled or canceled when heavy rains and winds from Hurricane Florence were forecast to pummel the area Saturday evening and throughout Sunday.

The show jumping phase of eventing has been moved to Monday. The jog for the eventers was held at 2 p.m. Sunday. (All horses passed.) The Helgstrand Dressage Freestyle was canceled entirely (Click here for our report on the canceled freestyle).

The area around Tryon is under advisory for heavy flooding and mud slides, but the venue itself seems to only be suffering minor flooding.

Some oversized puddles on horse paths. Photo by Ann Glavan.

The entrance to TIEC’s main stadium. Photo by Ann Glavan.

Another flooded area near the barns at TIEC. Photo by Ann Glavan.

The U.S. show jumping team horses are already on the Tryon International Equestrian Center property ahead of next week’s competition. U.S. rider Laura Kraut wasn’t overly concerned about how the storm would affect their ability to keep the horses out and moving.

“Hand walk? I rode this morning!” Kraut said with a laugh. “The footing is great. I’ve ridden in Aachen [Germany] when the trees were blowing sideways. This is nothing.”

Various rings around the property opened for riders to school their horses. Photo by Ann Glavan.

U.S. event rider Boyd Martin wasn’t terribly concerned with the weather either.

“I think the event organizers obviously were trying to make the best decision for the horses, but I think we could have jumped in this weather,” said Martin. “It’s not as bad as we thought. When they changed it I thought jumps were going to be blowing over and trees down, but tomorrow is just as good.”

The heaviest flooding at TIEC seems to be in front of this row of barns, though the barns themselves do not appear to be affected. Photo by Ann Glavan.

For everything you need to know, including broadcast schedules, click here.

For all WEG coverage, click here.

We’ll be onsite for the full two weeks of WEG to bring you all the news you need to know plus gorgeous photos and insight into the competition. Be sure to check out the Oct. 8 issue of the Chronicle for detailed analysis.