28 SIDELINES JANUARY 2012
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
Five Questions for Eduardo Tame
By Lauren R. Giannini
Eduardo Tame spends time in Mexico City and at the
house his father bought in Houston Texas. He’s a writer
and served as press offcer for the 2011 Guadalajara
Pan American Games. He rides three horses a day and
enjoys participating every spring at the Pin Oak Horse
Show. He still rides jumpers and used to compete in
dressage and eventing. His three best competition
memories are winning the Amateur at the Palacio de
Los Deportes (late ‘80s) in Mexico City and the 2008
Alamo Cup at the Pin Oak (Houston) and being able to
participate at Spruce Meadows as rider and this year,
as Chef d’Equipe. Eduardo caters to hundreds of
people, organizing trips around the world to international
equestrian events: WEG, World Cup Finals, Pan
American and Olympic Games.
Sidelines:
Who are your three favorite horses?
ET:
Alive - Antares (McLain Ward, jumping), Totilas
(dressage), ET Chavo (my own – used to be shown by
Alberto Michan in Grand Prix, now I am jumping him).
And a few horses no longer with us: Milton, Hickstead,
Gem Twist, my own Gaucho – all jumpers. My horses: El
Gaucho, Primo and Chavo, jumpers; Paparazzi, eventer.
Sidelines:
What were three of your greatest challenges
in Guadalajara?
ET:
I looked at the venue a couple of months before the
Games. When I arrived to Guadalajara early October, I
found out that the space for Media was reduced to half
and that we did not have space at the stands as the OC
[organizing committee] over-sold the entries. I fought
against all the elements to get a covered space, with
tables and connections to internet and electricity. These
were installed just the day before the frst competition! I
even thought I was going to be excused for the severity
of my demands, but got support from the Chief Media
and from the Equestrian Manager, Juan Jose Martinez
and Anderson Lima. At La Hípica (eventing) I had a
similar situation. The OC answered to my demands
with: “There is a space in the grass, there you can sit.”
Knowing that the demand was not that big, I managed
with Mauricio Guerra, competition manager, to get an
area for 20 to 30 and that was enough. Press offces
were small to my wishing, but were enough at the end
of the day!
Sidelines:
What was the equestrian highlight of the Pan
Ams for you?
ET:
The bronze medal for the Mexican Team in
jumping and having 33,000 spectators for eventing –
my prediction was 20,000 and nobody except Leopoldo
Palacios believed it! Also the recognition from Ingmar
de Vos, John Roche and Catrin Norinder, from the FEI,
who were there.
Sidelines:
What about your equestrian getaways?
ET:
The best trip I have ever organized was the WEG
in Aachen, which together with Spruce Meadows are my
favorites and I try to go every year. In Aachen everything
was perfect in both sides, mine and in the competition – the
organization was impeccable. I took 234 people from Mexico,
US, Venezuela, Chile and even Germany! The worst was the
WEG at Kentucky. The people in the OC were not supportive
of big groups and the prices were skyrocketed! I have been to
the Rolex since the World Championship in 1978, but for WEG I
had a lot of problems and no solutions, mainly in transportation.
I ended paying fve times what I usually do for transportation
and at the end of the day did not receive what I paid for. Other
tour operators from Germany and Switzerland had the same
problems.
Sidelines:
What is your advice for aspiring equestrian
journalists and photographers?
ET:
Don’t expect much, that way you will not be disappointed.
Always be ready and get all the help you can handy – information
in the computer, printed material, etc. Do not expect lockers,
each time it is more diffcult to have them due to security
reasons: if you get it, great – if not, you did not expect it.
H
O
R
S
E
S
H
O
W
Eduardo Tame, Press Offcer for the 2012 Pan American Games
All photos courtesy of Eduardo Tame