Menu

Stay in Touch
Sign up for ENews
Subscribe Now

Unlimited access >

Menu

Any GM comments on 1st Team Round?

Archives 2018 World Equestrian Games
#21

[QUOTE=pds;6481939]
Naive of you lauriep if you think GM did not wield influence on others that were involved with the selection of our team.

I also say that had she been on the team as she should have, it is unlikely Margie would have had as many jumping faults as Reed.[/QUOTE]

If you look at this year’s results- no reason to think that Margie would have done any better than Reed…

I love Margie and know her personally- but she has been extremely inconsistent this year!!

I personally feel like Beezie is another one who has had an inconsistent year. I was here for the Olympic qualifiers and was horrified by her rides… Not to say she isn’t a super accomplished rider- she is!! Just not her year…

McClain is just coming back from injury- on a newer horse (not brand new but still- it isn’t Sapphire).

And Reed has done well overall this past year - she is young but has proven that she belongs there.

Sometimes it’s just… a “it’s not our year” thing…

The French had a TOUGH time… and they are all amazing riders on that team! Peneloppe has never had 2 rails since owning that horse and Simon Delestre broke his rain 2nd to last fence yesterday… We aren’t blaming the team captain- it just wasn’t their day!

#22

AND the Germans… AND the Belgians!!!

#23

[QUOTE=Weatherford;6482001]
AND the Germans… AND the Belgians!!![/QUOTE]

No joke :no:

How about the Canadians- seems like every Olympic Game isn’t “their year”…

#24

If you are waiting for me, excuse me for taking lunch and then a meeting, I am at the office. I assume Rob Ridland will have his own management style, just as GM has his, the particulars of that is up to him. I do hope RR starts using more of the younger riders on future teams, but I had no arguments with the team we sent to London, I would have put Reed on the team ahead of Margie as well and I think the other 3 were no-brainers. Hopefully RR will bring a fresh approach and motivation to the team. We will just have to wait and see how it plays out.

#25

[QUOTE=Mara;6481983]
Moot point considering Margie broke her leg and would have been unable to compete anyway.

Honestly, who else would some people have selected? Fellers and Flexible were a given, considering their results. Reed and her mare were arguably more consistent than any pair besides Rich and his horse. There’s Richard Spooner, sure, but that just was not going to be, considering the disagreement between him and George.[/QUOTE]

IMHO, we sent the best team we had. I can’t think of any rider I would have swapped out.

#26

Not with her leg in a cast. Even if she had been named to the team, what is to say that she still wouldn’have broken her leg?

Yes, it might have been nice to have chosen her, but she is injured – and could not have ridden even if she had been named.

#27

I agree that GM has a great deal of influence on the other selectors, but I think Reed did as well or better than Margie probably would have. She went clear in the qualifying and I think 8 and 12 faults in the next 2 rounds? McLain had 8 faults over the same course as Reed did, and the 12 faults was no worse than Margie did in one of the trials, and today’s course was bigger and more difficult. Reed held her own against many more experienced riders. Not everyone gets to win individual and team gold at their first OG as the young Tad Coffin did. :wink: I’m sure she is going to be an asset to the team in the future and I hope RR keeps using her.

#28

I am not the naive one here. How would YOU have changed the makeup of the team? Going in, oh, everyone thought it was a great team, very strong! So, what changes would you have made? Reed is young, but you couldn’t discount her selection trials. Margie may or may not have had a good enough horse. So even swapping Reed for Margie, would we have been better off? McLain and Beezie are our anchors. Who would you swap out there? Please, enlighten me as to how you would have selected better, prepared better. The given being that our PROCESS is wgat it is now.

This is addressed to pds. My reply ended up way down from her comment. And BAC, the still waiting was for anyone who thinks they could do it better. Robert will have a different style, for sure, but under the same constraints as George, why should his RESULTS be different?

We have to have the horses, and that costs huge amounts of money. It is our system at fault, not one person.

#29

I would feel more Kumbya if the writing hadn’t already been on the wall.

We were dropped out of the SUper League because of poor results, and Nick Skelton has come over to WEF with an assortment of horses for the last several winters and has handed our GP riders their collective hats. And a Frenchman flew across the pond and won the Pfizer $1,000,000 GP.

Those 3 things show clearly that we are not riding at the same level as the Europeans (and now Scandinavians and Arabs.) Today’s result was actually higher than it should have been, based on the above. But the GERMANS!! and Belgians! had worse days. However, for them, it truly was a case of “it wasn’t their day”.

For us, it is more like “it isn’t our decade and the next decade ain’t looking real good either”. :frowning:

The reason we thought we had a strong team was because they were beating each other. We can compete on the JV level (= Europeans on their second string horses), but we cannot easily win even at that level.

Face it, the US has become a second string equestrian player.

#30

You’re right. Too bad the US team can’t base themselves in Europe for a year.

#31

What I do think is interesting is that in both the WEG and the Olympics, we started off well, and then fell back. And in both cases, not horrible rounds, but just serial 4-8 faults.

Why is that? Are our horses not fit enough to handle the multiple days over these type of courses? Or is it that the courses get more difficult each day, and separate us out?

#32

It’s worth remembering that if Ridland = Better Days, then we should win the gold and then at least bronze in the next three consecutive Olympics. Everyone here who thinks that is going to happen, raise your hand. I’d say GM has done just fine by this country in the medals department.

I’m looking forward to what Ridland is going to do, but whether Laurie is taking this personally or not, I’m not sure where she’s wrong…

But if we were backseat driving, I always would have put Laura and Cedric on the team, probably with Reed as an alternate. I think one olympic veteran horse/rider pair would have been a good thing, but there’s no arguing that Cedric didn’t put his best jump forward in the trials, and along with Margie didn’t make the trip to Spruce Meadows. Of course he’s promptly back to form now that he’s back in Europe, so who knows what he might have done in London? It wasn’t a far drive from their home base, for sure!

#33

At least in the Olympics, the WC (and WEG IIRC), the first day is kind of a gimme (relatively speaking). It’s designed to make sure people who could get hurt when the sticks go up don’t advance far in the process. On the qualifier day there was not a single 1.6m fence, today there were 3 and they all were amidst significant questions (like the waiting 6 after the water to an airy 1.6).

#34

Flame suit on

With the exception of Rich our riders ride with their reins too LONG! Maclain’s horse is not broke enough in the bridle and his reins were way too long to make minor adjustments. That horse was on his forehand alot, same with Reeds horse.
Beezie’s horse was a mess that first day, obviously a bit too green but also not broke enough to stay in front of her leg. JMHO!

#35

I’ve not met this Maclain fellow you speak of, but I think McLain probably does alright in keeping Antares F in front of his leg.

#36

[QUOTE=DMK;6482189]
I’ve not met this Maclain fellow you speak of, but I think McLain probably does alright in keeping Antares F in front of his leg.[/QUOTE]

:lol:

#37

[QUOTE=Darkwave;6482112]
What I do think is interesting is that in both the WEG and the Olympics, we started off well, and then fell back. And in both cases, not horrible rounds, but just serial 4-8 faults.

Why is that? Are our horses not fit enough to handle the multiple days over these type of courses? Or is it that the courses get more difficult each day, and separate us out?[/QUOTE]

I think the USA horses have been over-jumped in these last few months. The selection process was too close to the Olympics, IMHO. The travel/shipping involved in showing at those selection events was considerable. And then shipping/acclimating to the UK/Greenwich was a lot. The USA horses just looked at the edge of their energy today.

#38

[QUOTE=pixie;6482168]

Beezie’s horse was a mess that first day, obviously a bit too green but also not broke enough to stay in front of her leg. JMHO![/QUOTE]

Quite to the contrary… that horse had been prepped a little (LOT) too much… NOT green by any means…
Now (flame suit on)- over-prepped… that’s a WHOLE other ball game!

#39

i concur with laurie. no one is coming up with a different move just a better whine.

#40

[QUOTE=Darkwave;6482035]
IMHO, we sent the best team we had. I can’t think of any rider I would have swapped out.[/QUOTE]

Agree. It wasn’t meant to be. Good performances by all but not good enough in the grand scheme of things.

Get your Digital Subscription here - only $21.95 / year

Subscribe here
See gift options

Sign up to our monthly newsletter!

By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. You may also receive promotional emails from The Chronicle of the Horse. You can opt out at any time.

Copyright © 2023 The Chronicle of the Horse