What are you, 12? Endlessclimb didn’t say anything of the sort.
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This weekend is Le Mondial du Lion, available on livestream, and American riders are doing well in both 6 and 7 yo classes. Maybe watch that rather than kicking each other, pulling hair and shouting insults? The circus has moved on.
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Great rides in the 7 yo by Caroline Martin and Liz Halliday Sharp! Phillip Dutton on course now with Denim.
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Honestly the fact that people aren’t chatting about how great this weekend was for the future of US eventing is a little disappointing.
We had 5 horses with 4 really good riders in the top ten across the two divisions, all but one finishing on their dressage score (and who wouldn’t forgive a 6yr old a pole). I don’t think that’s happened before.
And just to add, they all look like very very quality horses. I particularly like Cornelia Dorr’s mare but world class young horses across the board.
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so sorry to hear about your father and thank you for speaking openly about your health scare - more people should be brave enough to do the same and help destigmatize women’s reproductive health issues.
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For all those who were critical of me raising Elisa Wallace’s very public yellow card for riding an exhausted horse at Badminton some years ago - this is a sport where horses die for our entertainment and recreation. We owe it to them to remember these types of incidents. Riders should know that these types of mistakes are deadly and that the “public” remembers them for years to come. They shouldn’t blow over. My comment wasn’t offensive or cruel - all I said is that these serious errors in judgement at this level make it difficult for me to trust riders’ judgement afterwards, on tack and other issues. I stand by my words.
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Perhaps the reason we lack rising new young professionals who ride at the top of our sport is because their mistakes live forever and a mistake from 5 years ago means the internet questions entirely unrelated things, demanding explanations in great detail.
Instead of focusing on this great weekend we now want a detailed thoughtful answer as to why riders used certain bits, and current records that prove their saddles fit!
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I think it is important to remember these things, especially when it comes to a horse’s welfare/horsemanship. I’m glad when people are successful, but that doesn’t mean I forget when they have jeopardized a horse’s welfare. To me… that is the heart and soul of the sport… young professional or not. Thankfully, the FEI has gotten more vocal when it comes to things like - excessive use of the whip, using the whip after being eliminated, riding tired horses, and riding dangerously.
Now does this mean one can go crazy over every detail from then until the end of time? I don’t know who has that kind of time… but I am always curious why people use particular equipment or what their programs are, that’s being a student of the sport. However, I find it more productive to go right to the source and ask.
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Should someone riding in the public eye be required to answer every inquiry regarding bits, sadde fit, and etc from everyone on the internet? One such person did answer but the answer was deemed as not satisfactory so how in depth should these answers be?
That’s up to the individual rider. Some riders are happy to answer questions, others maybe not so much. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Most riders that I have talked to are happy to chat when they have time.
I believe the true reason we lack many up and coming young professionals is the enormous financial barrier you need to get in. The sport grows larger while land access, venues, and regular boarding barns grow smaller. This drives up demand, pricing, boarding, lessons, and every conceivable cost in between. I don’t believe criticism on social media is a barrier for these young professionals. Rail birds have always been in situ.
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Woods’ comments here show a pure lack of concern for how dangerous his ride was.
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@AmmyHour926 I read that totally differently. He knows there are problems with his horse that he is trying address. He accepts the yellow card because he recognises the importance of public perception of the sport. He knows he looked bad. He will likely go home and work very hard to improve. We all have experience of when a ride feels dreadful but is scored well and vice versa. We livestream viewers only have a one dimensional point of view.
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I wouldn’t call it a pure lack of concern. He accepted it and acknowledged that it was the right call to give him a card, and he’s actively working on improving and has (in other articles) talked about what he’s doing to help this horse be better and safer XC. What did you want him to say? “Wow! I made a TERRIBLE decision to continue riding this horse and I am a bad and negligent rider!”
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I totally agree, and while I love, say, Michael Jung and Ros Canter, lots of UK and European riders have an infrastructure of support that’s lacking in the U.S. I can’t think of a professional rider (maybe some amateur ones?) whose showing career was destroyed by Internet commentary but a lack of money, for sure.
I agree that I didn’t read Woods’ comments as a lack of concern so much as very honest. I mean, that can’t have felt good to ride, and I assume he doesn’t have a death wish! He was eliminated at Burghley, after making a huge investment to go over to the UK, then came to Maryland, and probably thought after being first after the dressage had redeemed himself. Then he hits cross-country, and he has no brakes. So the perceived pressure and, I’m sure, the adrenaline, the desire to make it to the end is overpowering. I suppose he could have said in retrospect he should have pulled up…but he didn’t…and I guess he wanted to explain why.
He was very lucky the course was more forgiving than Burghley. Or perhaps if faced with that track again he would have? Ultimately, the judgement comes with the next ride, not any PR commentary after the fact.
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Woods’ comment was honest and straightforward, accepting of the facts and frank. I don’t ‘hear’ any deflection or lack of concern. He owns what happened and that they ‘had no choice’ but to find him at fault.
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Just seemed very “meh, I know it is a problem”. Like in my opinion his ride at Maryland was the exact same as his blind running ride at Burghley. He just got lucky that the MD course was softer. I guess he doesn’t owe me or anyone else an explanation, but it is a very real possibility that pair will have a serious accident if they don’t get more rideability.
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He strikes me that he is a kid who doesn’t quite get it, as far as horsemanship is concerned.
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He is not an overly emotional person, or perhaps he just interviews in a fairly ‘flat’ manner, with little affect. I recall that impression just from this interview after he won at Tryon.
Starts at about 45 minutes.
I wonder if this “no brakes” issue only happens in competitions. The horse is fine when schooling. If so, then his options are to either keep competing and try to improve or not compete the horse.
The horse won at lower levels, I think, so Woods obviously hopes he can crack the nut at 5*.
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