I think I started a thread like this last year, but I have no shame. If anyone else is watching with me, would love to hear your thoughts! Thrilled to see Natalie Dean, Michael Hughes, Brian Moggre, Lillie Keenan, and Mckayla Langmeier in tonight’s 4*. They’re all around my age, so thrilled to see them really coming up (though a few have been up in the top for a few years).
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Who is commentating tonight?
Kelli Cruciotti is the female commentator. The man is the guy who commentates most weeks, but I’m blanking on his name.
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Ashley Vogel’s Otis Blue was not interested in being caught.
Very pleasantly cantered laps
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That course is a beast! I mean that as a compliment. Interesting that the middle of the triple is causing a lot of problems. I wonder why.
Steven Wilde and Kelli.
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He’s taking advantage of the opportunity to take in the sights and will be well desensitized for his next trip in the ring!
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No, Brian!! That was really too bad.
And another one taking a grand tour of the arena.
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Was wondering why McLain Ward wasn’t riding.
I wondered that as well. It looked like he showed in some other classes this week, so maybe he was saving his livestock for the bigger classes later in the winter.
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I think the plural is “Grands Prix”
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McLain had quite a hard fall out on the grass field last week. Just speculating but he might be having to take it easy.
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I’ve just started watching the replay. It so impressive to see the young riders handling the course so well. Even with one or two rails they are impressive.
I can’t imagine riding that course so well in my 20s. Even with all the expert instruction and expensive horses in the world at my disposal, I would never have been able to ride that well. I appreciate that there are so many riders on COTH that are super talented.
Just walking a Grand Prix course, (I’ve never approached a Grand Prix fence mounted) the jumps are so huge. I have much respect for people who have the ability to guide a horse well through such a course.
Beautiful horses and so well turned out. 
It’s nice to see this after reading so much negativity. It’s a good reminder of why I loved horses to begin with.
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It looks like he showed multiple jumpers in a bunch of different classes this week. Maybe for him that’s taking it easy.
When I was in my late teens, I worked for an advanced level 3 day event rider and I walked the course with her at Kentucky and oh my god. No jumper course can compare to what you see in the eventers’ space. Those people are crazy.
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I walked a big course eons ago. It was frightening!
I’ve ridden a few easy cross country courses. Those big ones? No way. 
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Hah- one year when I went to Kentucky to spectate I was doing cartwheels up and down one of the tables- it was just that massive. No thank you, I’ll stick to my nice stripey poles that fall down! 
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I had a similar experience at the event at Bruce’s Field in Aiken last year. But without the cartwheels. Holy cow.
I also evented a little bit when I was a kid, but I think that was before I really grasped the full implications of the solid jumps. Lol.
Plus when I walked up to the jumps at Bruce’s Field, they came up to my armpit. And I’m not short. And if they’re going to make the time allowed, they are running down to them at a pretty good clip. And often at a crazy angle.
These two jumps were a combination! Look at the slice involved.
That is a serious skinny.
They also had some jumps that were scaled down versions of the local landmarks, like the post office and the Wilcox Hotel. But they were not scaled down enough for me to canter down to them.
There were a few jumps that had the frangible pins on the top elements. But most of them looked pretty darn solid. Like little houses.
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It’s funny because while I feel the same way, in a recent video Boyd Martin told Daniel Bluman he walked a 5* course in Florida once and he would never do that and thought it was nuts the jumps were so huge.
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