Equestrian Events at the Olympics

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that unathletic wealthy people still have a way to compete in the olympics

Try it. Riding a trained and talented dressage horse is like driving a Ferrari with a mind of its own, while standing on a trampoline someone else is jumping up and down on.

This is an excellent description. I’ve also likened it to pairs figure skating, except your partner weighs half a ton, has an anxiety disorder, and speaks an obscure foreign language.

I appreciate these posts, as someone who knows next to nil about horses or equestrian sports, to see how much athletic prowess really goes into it. The riders make it look so easy. It’s hard to tell what’s going on under the hood, so to speak.

[Anonymous]

Yes athletic prowess for billionaire daughters

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that unathletic wealthy people still have a way to compete in the olympics

Try it. Riding a trained and talented dressage horse is like driving a Ferrari with a mind of its own, while standing on a trampoline someone else is jumping up and down on.

Perfect analogy

PP here, forgot to mention that the anxiety disorder is spot on. Last year at Regionals my guy had a complete and utter meltdown right before we went in the ring because he had to walk past…a bicycle. He’s seen hundreds of bikes in his life. That one was particularly horse-eating, apparently.

Ha ha! You write so well. Thanks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that unathletic wealthy people still have a way to compete in the olympics

Try it. Riding a trained and talented dressage horse is like driving a Ferrari with a mind of its own, while standing on a trampoline someone else is jumping up and down on.

Perfect analogy

PP here, forgot to mention that the anxiety disorder is spot on. Last year at Regionals my guy had a complete and utter meltdown right before we went in the ring because he had to walk past…a bicycle. He’s seen hundreds of bikes in his life. That one was particularly horse-eating, apparently.

Ha ha! You write so well. Thanks.

Thank you! It was a spectacle. It took three people — one on each side and one behind him — and someone else moving the offensive item to get him past that spot. Thank God horse people love a good fiasco and are more than willing to help, especially when they know your chance at being competitive against their rider is gone before you even start down center line!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes athletic prowess for billionaire daughters

Okay first of all, it’s a billionaire son this time.

Also many (most?) of the horses aren’t owned by the riders. I think Mclain Ward has partial ownership and that may just be because he’s Mclain Ward and that’s part of the deal if a horse goes into his program? I have no idea.

I don’t think Laura Kraut, Mclain Ward or Kent Farrington came from gobs of money and Kent Farrington didn’t have professional connections either. He was just much better than everyone else and found and managed sponsors and built a successful business.

I hope they’re all rich or relatively rich now because they are hugely successful and we assume that comes with it to some extent.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:It's nice that unathletic wealthy people still have a way to compete in the olympics

Try it. Riding a trained and talented dressage horse is like driving a Ferrari with a mind of its own, while standing on a trampoline someone else is jumping up and down on.

This is an excellent description. I’ve also likened it to pairs figure skating, except your partner weighs half a ton, has an anxiety disorder, and speaks an obscure foreign language.

I appreciate these posts, as someone who knows next to nil about horses or equestrian sports, to see how much athletic prowess really goes into it. The riders make it look so easy. It’s hard to tell what’s going on under the hood, so to speak.

If you’re doing it right, it really does look like “you’re just sitting there.” Especially dressage, because at the high levels, a cue to the horse is as subtle as just *thinking* about shifting your weight from one seat bone to the other. While keeping everything else both perfectly still and yet completely fluid, so as to absorb and redirect the energy being generated. You’re just sitting there in the same way that reformer Pilates is “just lying there.”

For cross country, get down in a half squat and stay there for 10 minutes while rowing on a resistance band you have wrapped around a table leg in front of you. Throw in some pulses every 30 secs to 2 minutes. And also shift your weight left, right, forward, and back at random intervals.

[Anonymous]

I’m a middling rider (adult jumpers, 1.10m). It’s not that taxing. Sure, it requires fitness. High level fitness to compete at the higher levels. But it’s more about coordination, skill, finesse, experience, etc. But a lot of Olympic sports are like that. They’re not all feats of power.

There’s a reason the Olympic equestrian disciplines have the oldest athletes and both genders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middling rider (adult jumpers, 1.10m). It’s not that taxing. Sure, it requires fitness. High level fitness to compete at the higher levels. But it’s more about coordination, skill, finesse, experience, etc. But a lot of Olympic sports are like that. They’re not all feats of power.

There’s a reason the Olympic equestrian disciplines have the oldest athletes and both genders.

Finally a realistic answer

[Anonymous]

No dressage should go. Keep the jumping and steeple chase. Keep the beautiful setting but dressage should be put into the horse Olympics only.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No dressage should go. Keep the jumping and steeple chase. Keep the beautiful setting but dressage should be put into the horse Olympics only.

There is no steeple chase.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a middling rider (adult jumpers, 1.10m). It’s not that taxing. Sure, it requires fitness. High level fitness to compete at the higher levels. But it’s more about coordination, skill, finesse, experience, etc. But a lot of Olympic sports are like that. They’re not all feats of power.

There’s a reason the Olympic equestrian disciplines have the oldest athletes and both genders.

Finally a realistic answer

The horses are all crazy athletic, but it’s a lot about brain and skill for them too. Horse racing is closer to a test of athletic power. Thus, the fillies are slower as a group than the colts and the vast majority are done racing by 10. In all of the Olympic disciplines, 10 is on the young side and there are mares, stallions and geldings at the top. Being freaky athletic is kind of the price of entry, but it only gets them so far, because adjustability matters a lot and also willingness and the sort of mental fortitude to deal with high level training, travel, competitions etc etc. Some of them handle it with aplomb and some of them just can’t, even if they’re super talented.

Unfortunately for the sport’s Olympic outlook, it’s pretty hard to average viewers to appreciate how awesome the horses are I think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No dressage should go. Keep the jumping and steeple chase. Keep the beautiful setting but dressage should be put into the horse Olympics only.

Dressage is in crisis right now but they can and will come out the other side for the better. Rollkur needs to go but there's no reason to throw out the double bridle out with the bathwater.

[Anonymous]

Dressage is a really stupid event. They should get rid of it. There’s a lot of stupid events though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No dressage should go. Keep the jumping and steeple chase. Keep the beautiful setting but dressage should be put into the horse Olympics only.

There is no steeple chase.

Ok you weirdo. The one where they ran through the woods did jumps and went over the pontoon bridges (yes I did watch that).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No dressage should go. Keep the jumping and steeple chase. Keep the beautiful setting but dressage should be put into the horse Olympics only.

There is no steeple chase.

Ok you weirdo. The one where they ran through the woods did jumps and went over the pontoon bridges (yes I did watch that).

That’s the cross country portion of eventing, which also includes dressage (and show jumping). It’s sort of like like triathlon, except there is no Only Cross Country discipline.